[FRC Blog] We're Listening

[Jean Tenca]

The one thing I keep wondering is: Why does a team have to compete at Championships to be inspired at Championships? This is FIRST's logic and I think it's wrong.

There were years where my team decided to go to Worlds regardless of whether or not we qualified. In my opinion, the most valuable thing a team could do is spend their time walking around the pits, meeting teams, inspecting the details of good robots, and watching some of the greatest robots in the world play. If your robot is competing, you don't have time to really go around and absorb anything from other teams. Having more non-competing teams spectating would also add a lot to the energy of the event.

I agree with FIRST that Championships inspire teams and improve them, but I don't think that competing at Championships is more important than attending Championships.