[FRC Blog] Today's the Day! And New Waitlist Color Coding!

[Alan Anderson]

Originally Posted by Navid Shafa

I know I've beat this dead horse before, but I'll gladly do it again. There should be a priority order posted, and teams should get pulled off that list in an automated fashion.

I don't care what that order looks like, but that process should be transparent.

Automating the process removes a lot of flexibility. I think the ability to have discussions between regional committees and teams to determine for specific events who is more deserving/needy makes the overall results better.

[Francis-134]

Originally Posted by DareDad

Well, look at it from the perspective of an RD.

Without question, it's going to be rookies first. Doesn't matter where they are in the waitlist you're going to make room for those rookies.

Next I'd be looking at late first registrations from local teams. There are plenty of teams who did not register yesterday. I'm sure some are waiting on funding and others just forgot. But as a Regional Director you're going to want to service those in your region. That's your job, promoting FIRST in your region.

Beyond that it gets very very fuzzy. You've got international teams, you might want to give them extra preference for extra buzz. Then you have teams going to a second regional, both local and remote. If I'm a RD and seeing a waitlist spot from a nationally know team I might want them to give me some extra buzz for the event. If a team is registering for a third event I'm probably going to push them farther down the list unless there is some other mitigating reason to let them in.

Or to sum it up, you can't have a hard and fast rule because every region has different needs.

I agree with your reasoning, and that it probably should be this way. I think what Navid is suggesting is that the list that is currently in "in the RD's head", for lack of a better term, but made available for all teams to view so that they can better plan their season.

Maybe somewhere between Navid's idea and the current implementation would be just a preemptive message and occasional updates from an RD with the likelihood that one will make it into the event.

[Joe G.]

Originally Posted by Navid Shafa

I know I've beat this dead horse before, but I'll gladly do it again. There should be a priority order posted, and teams should get pulled off that list in an automated fashion.

I don't care what that order looks like, but that process should be transparent.

I think the problem with this is that the process described by DareDad, while it makes sense to you and me, would be percieved as "unfair" by a great number of people, and generate a lot more complaints directed at HQ than the current system if it was explicitly and inflexably laid out. The new system seems like a good compromise solution.

[Mr V]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Nichols

I'm not sure how effective this will be since I have always heard, and have seen it in practice a few years ago, that RD's can pick and choose which teams come off the wait list. It isn't first come first serve.

This was the case with us a few years ago in Pittsburgh, we got in despite having been low on the waitlist.

You are correct it is not first come, first served. Rookie teams get moved to the head of the line. Teams that have no registered event get moved ahead of teams that are registered for one event already. Teams that have a unique hardship and make the RD aware of it will probably get moved ahead of those that don't.

However if there are fewer or the same number of teams as available spots then they will all be offered a spot. In rare cases they may even add an extra team beyond the original capacity.

[Navid Shafa]

Originally Posted by Francis-134

I agree with your reasoning, and that it probably should be this way. I think what Navid is suggesting is that the list that is currently in "in the RD's head", for lack of a better term, but made available for all teams to view so that they can better plan their season.

^ This ^

Different RD's may have different priorities for their region, that's fine. Many teams probably don't even know that the system is not on a first come first serve basis.

I am not saying their is a one size fits all solution, I just think teams deserve to know what preferences are made and based on what rationale.

[Alan Anderson]

Originally Posted by Navid Shafa

I am not saying their is a one size fits all solution, I just think teams deserve to know what preferences are made and based on what rationale.

There is a simple way to find out what you want to know. Ask. Contact the Regional Director and/or the Regional Planning Committee. They are the ones in the position to be able to tell you what your chances are of getting off the wait list.

[Jon Stratis]

Originally Posted by DareDad

Well, look at it from the perspective of an RD.

Without question, it's going to be rookies first. Doesn't matter where they are in the waitlist you're going to make room for those rookies.

Next I'd be looking at late first registrations from local teams. There are plenty of teams who did not register yesterday. I'm sure some are waiting on funding and others just forgot. But as a Regional Director you're going to want to service those in your region. That's your job, promoting FIRST in your region.

Beyond that it gets very very fuzzy. You've got international teams, you might want to give them extra preference for extra buzz. Then you have teams going to a second regional, both local and remote. If I'm a RD and seeing a waitlist spot from a nationally know team I might want them to give me some extra buzz for the event. If a team is registering for a third event I'm probably going to push them farther down the list unless there is some other mitigating reason to let them in.

Or to sum it up, you can't have a hard and fast rule because every region has different needs.

Donf't orget about the VC begging to let in teams that provide a lot of volunteers!

[nuclearnerd]

Is the waitlist colour only visible before you register? Now that we've registered for our first regional, I don't see a list of regionals on TIMS. It would be nice to see the waitlist colours before 2nd event registration opens so we know whether to choose one overbooked event over another.

[pmcoburn]

Originally Posted by nuclearnerd

It would be nice to see the waitlist colours before 2nd event registration opens so we know whether to choose one overbooked event over another.

^^^^^^^^
THIS!

[JB987]

Originally Posted by pmcoburn

^^^^^^^^
THIS!

+1, especially since slots fill in nanoseconds when the portal opens! And fastest mouse/DSL wins the spot

[compsuppjk]

Originally Posted by JB987

DSL

Well there's your problem..

[mastachyra]

If a team was on a waitlist, when would they get confirmation that they were accepted?

[Jimmy Nichols]

Originally Posted by mastachyra

If a team was on a waitlist, when would they get confirmation that they were accepted?

We have only done the waitlist once. But when we did they sent me an email and I needed to confirm we still wanted to go before they added us to the event.

[Mr V]

Originally Posted by mastachyra

If a team was on a waitlist, when would they get confirmation that they were accepted?

There is no hard and fast date. The RD/local organization makes that decision on their own. So you need to contact them and ask your team's status.