[FRC Blog] We're Listening

[Tom Bottiglieri]

After reading this blog post, I feel 0% better about this whole situation. FIRST has totally swung and missed on this.

[Kevin Leonard]

Stop making champs less inspirational, and work on making DCMP's and Super Regionals more inspiring.

[StAxis]

Originally Posted by Kevin Leonard

Stop making champs less inspirational, and work on making DCMP's and Super Regionals more inspiring.

This. This goes directly with the whole core of "raising the floor" of the competition. Two championships is much less inspirational than one, very little of my frustration with the situation is about the two top alliances playing each other, and that is the only thing that they seem to think it's about.

This championship format is less inspiring and provides less inspiration for science and technology. The solution, in my personal opinion, is to make DCMPS's and SR's more inspiring. Raise the floor, don't lower the ceiling.

[JohnSchneider]

Is the town hall meeting being held in the main colloseum? Because at this rate it's going to need to be to handle all the people...

[dag0620]

Originally Posted by StAxis

This. This goes directly with the whole core of "raising the floor" of the competition. Two championships is much less inspirational than one, very little of my frustration with the situation is about the two top alliances playing each other, and that is the only thing that they seem to think it's about.

This championship format is less inspiring and provides less inspiration for science and technology. The solution, in my personal opinion, is to make DCMPS's and SR's more inspiring. Raise the floor, don't lower the ceiling.

Ditto what Zach and Kevin said. CMP is important, don't get me wrong, but at the end of the day DCMPs will have the opportunity to touch more students then CMP ever will. DCMPs were supposed to have all of the inspiration and pageantry regional events had, if not more to be almost mini CMPs (in the look, feel, and set-up of the events that is). They've all pretty much fallen flat after year one.

Lets work on getting those events to a high caliber level that provides incredible inspiration experiences to students.

[marshall]

It's a start...

[Boe]

Originally Posted by Kevin Leonard

Stop making champs less inspirational, and work on making DCMP's and Super Regionals more inspiring.

I feel like this is how most people (including myself) feel about this issue.

[bduddy]

Originally Posted by Kevin Leonard

Stop making champs less inspirational, and work on making DCMP's and Super Regionals more inspiring.

Why only those?

You know, the more time I spend in these topics, the more the argument that "Only big teams strongly dislike this proposal" is growing on me.

[Kevin Leonard]

Originally Posted by bduddy

Why only those?

You know, the more time I spend in these topics, the more the argument that "Only big teams strongly dislike this proposal" is growing on me.

That's just the next step- making awesome super-regionals and DCMP's.

Also, I've seen people in these threads with teams I've never heard of that also oppose this change. Anyone I've told about this that isn't directly involved in FIRST is real confused by the proposition as well.

[dcarr]

Originally Posted by bduddy

You know, the more time I spend in these topics, the more the argument that "Only big teams strongly dislike this proposal" is growing on me.

There are hundreds of counter examples to this in the other thread.

[Drakxii]

Originally Posted by Kevin Leonard

Stop making champs less inspirational, and work on making DCMP's and Super Regionals more inspiring.

This!

If Frank doesn't think that other events anrt inspirational enough fix that!

Also if Frank really wants to show the greatness of champs to the students of FRC make the webcasts better! Show the great pits, broadcast the workshops, show off FTC and FLL, etc... Make it a show that FRC kids/parents/sponsors want to see and will be awed by not just another regional webcast.

[iVanDuzer]

Originally Posted by Drakxii

This!

If Frank doesn't think that other events anrt inspirational enough fix that!

Also if Frank really wants to show the greatness of champs to the students of FRC make the webcasts better! Show the great pits, broadcast the workshops, show off FTC and FLL, etc... Make it a show that FRC kids/parents/sponsors want to see and will be awed by not just another regional webcast.

My thoughts exactly.

It's shocking (and a touch embarrassing) that MSC had ESPN broadcast their elimination matches (and do a really, really good job of it) for a couple years, but that FIRST, with all its power and ability to produce documentaries and make strong partnerships with celebrities and huge companies, can't do the same.

Hey Frank et al, even if you accomplish your goal of 25% of FRC teams at the Championships, there are still the 75% of teams that miss out every year. Why are those 75% of teams forced to watch low-quality webfeeds, and use two or three services to figure out who is playing when?

If your point is that you need to be at Champs to be inspired by Champs, and that the magic happens when you walk across the Dome floor, here's a newsflash: very few members of the teams that are AT Champs get that experience.

[Jonathan Norris]

Originally Posted by Tom Bottiglieri

After reading this blog post, I feel 0% better about this whole situation. FIRST has totally swung and missed on this.

Yup.

How can we protest this move at Champs this year without being disruptive/disrespectful?

The public meeting about double Champs is already going to be a disaster.

I think it's important that FIRST understands in person how many people in the community are against this move, but its more important that we don't disrupt the experience for our students at this year's Championship. And please don't boo when they announce this at Champs (silence is just as effective).

[Michael Corsetto]

Blog post title correction "We're listening... now"

[waialua359]

I have mixed feelings about the change.

Everyone asks the question, "Why do I want to go to the Championships?"
Obviously, to try and win the World Championships are a dream to many, but as Frank pointed out, its also to provide the other inspiring aspects that the Championship brings.

But what exactly is that for every team? It'll vary from team to team.
For me personally, its to be able to meet and converse with teams from around the world that have earned their spot to the event.
Being geographically assigned to an event will never allow us to see 1/2 of the teams that make it to Champs (as it stands) ever.

I wanted to suggest that the venue and divisions be "random" similar to how they do it now, so that its a crapshoot which event you get AND who you play with. However, I also realize teams could get very upset if they for example, live in Texas but get assigned to Detroit.

Having 2 World Championships doesnt have an easy solution for this....