FIRST Chesapeake Districts

[Anne Shade]

All,

Just to clarify, all teams registered for the Doswell event were sent the same email. The request was meant to find out if there were any teams currently registered at the event who were willing to move. No one is being forced to move.

As for the Northern Maryland events, there are over 10 hotels within a 15 minute drive of the venue and more within about a 20 minute drive. We are working with Experient to get reduced cost rooms. Hope to have them posted shortly.

[PayneTrain]

Originally Posted by Anne Shade

All,

Just to clarify, all teams registered for the Doswell event were sent the same email. The request was meant to find out if there were any teams currently registered at the event who were willing to move. No one is being forced to move.

As for the Northern Maryland events, there are over 10 hotels within a 15 minute drive of the venue and more within about a 20 minute drive. We are working with Experient to get reduced cost rooms. Hope to have them posted shortly.

There's another team in here registered for the Doswell event that says they didn't get the email, but they might have and it's hearsay, so whatever.

Not once have I ever suggested we were being forced out of the event. My understanding is that being forced from an event would result in me checking TIMS and seeing that the RD de-registered us from the event, if that even is something within the realm of possibility (which I doubt). Do I feel like the message I received attempted to guilt my team out of the event? Yes, I do, and I'm not the only person on my team who thinks that. Do I think that the invocation of "gracious professionalism" was at best poorly placed and in and of itself, counter to the ethos of gracious professionalism and at worst, totally unnecessary? Yes, I do, and I'm not the only person to think that either.

Once again, let me preface what I am about to say by assuring everyone I'm not trying to sound like a jerk here (probably doesn't help the case, but I'm rolling with it): if Chesapeake FIRST wants teams to make a large consideration to drop existing plans to go to an event, taking some bear minimum considerations themselves doesn't seem like a huge ask in return. Asking teams who are not close enough for it to be there "home event" first, then if possible and necessary, asking teams who registered for the event on a second go-round after that. I don't think this information is hard to acquire; if it isn't available through the RD end of TIMS to find out who is closest to the event, Google Maps would also work (at least, that's what I have used). If the organization came out in December and said "listen, we have a rookie team coming out of Richmond that would need a spot in Doswell to compete this season" that's an accommodation most teams would be willing to make. Asking to bail out another veteran team in October is different; for me at least.

On the whole, the situation seems pretty poorly communicated to me, but whatever.

On the hotel availability front with Experient, that's great! I don't recall this nugget of information being brought up in a newsletter or email blast, but I may be mistaken. Looking at all of my information, it looks like every location has hotels within 15 minutes; 20 with traffic. I was scouting for OOD registration at one point and noticed the 30 minute travel was associated with another event there, and incorrectly matched two bits of info.

We have already made hotel reservations for all events we plan to attend through a parent who works as a travel agent so it is not of much use to us. I hope that information is disseminated soon; as discussed earlier, there is a large travel swim meet in the same area the same weekend as the Blacksburg district. I am unaware if there are any other minor event conflicts at other locations.

[346CADmen]

Originally Posted by PayneTrain

Oh, it's for the Doswell event, that should have been more clear.

I was curious if other veterans had gotten the email besides me, I'm the alt for 422.

We received an email to that effect, I'm told
I feel the same way regarding “home” events. If the Doswell event is oversubscribed perhaps the future should include another event in the area.

[notmattlythgoe]

Originally Posted by 346CADmen

We received an email to that effect, I'm told
I feel the same way regarding “home” events. If the Doswell event is oversubscribed perhaps the future should include another event in the area.

The problem from having have a lot of teams from both HR and SWVA feeding into that one central event along with all of the Richmond teams that use it as their home event. Putting a second event between Richmond and HR or Richmond and SWVA could be a solution in the future. I have a feeling we'll have an 8th event next year with as close as we are pushing the limits this year.

[JesseK]

Yea ... we host a week 1 and then attending a week 2 & 3. Not ideal from a robot performance perspective, but it helps in that it sets expectations about robot design and functionality at the different milestones. Also gives us room to breathe before District Champs.

We're pretty excited to host the first VA district. Many of the region's best teams will be there, so it'll be great to watch with a front-row seat. My team is 30-35 minutes from my house, so no complaining about a 15 minute drive from the hotel

Turns out that Doswell is during the tail end of the school's Spring Break, so limited access to the shop & robot in the week prior to the event would have been a killer. We did a team meeting about which 2nd event to attend, and the only absolute sway for a week 4 event came from the programmers (of course it would ).

Originally Posted by notmattlythgoe

The problem from having have a lot of teams from both HR and SWVA feeding into that one central event along with all of the Richmond teams that use it as their home event. Putting a second event between Richmond and HR or Richmond and SWVA could be a solution in the future. I have a feeling we'll have an 8th event next year with as close as we are pushing the limits this year.

It'll be interesting to see how Kettering's back-to-back events work out. Since our districts are in high schools (afaik) I don't know if the same thing is plausible.

[notmattlythgoe]

Originally Posted by JesseK

Yea ... we host a week 1 and then attending a week 2 & 3. Not ideal from a robot performance perspective, but it helps in that it sets expectations about robot design and functionality at the different milestones. Also gives us room to breathe before District Champs.

We're pretty excited to host the first VA district. Many of the region's best teams will be there, so it'll be great to watch with a front-row seat. My team is 30-35 minutes from my house, so no complaining about a 15 minute drive from the hotel

Turns out that Doswell is during the tail end of the school's Spring Break, so limited access to the shop & robot in the week prior to the event would have been a killer. We did a team meeting about which 2nd event to attend, and the only absolute sway for a week 4 event came from the programmers (of course it would ).



It'll be interesting to see how Kettering's back-to-back events work out. Since our districts are in high schools (afaik) I don't know if the same thing is plausible.

That's an interesting option, I know smaller universities have some of the same issues that high schools have. CNU has been on our radar for a district event and the Rumble in the Roads for years, but getting them to give us their main gym has been difficult because they need it for practice. I can imagine trying to get it for multiple weekend would also be more difficult.

[wilsonmw04]

Originally Posted by Anne Shade

All,

Just to clarify, all teams registered for the Doswell event were sent the same email. The request was meant to find out if there were any teams currently registered at the event who were willing to move. No one is being forced to move.

I can confirm we got a bulk email yesterday. I overlooked it. It is worded as Anne stated.
EDIT: I received this email later in the evening. I saw it in my mail box this morning.

[346CADmen]

Originally Posted by notmattlythgoe

The problem from having have a lot of teams from both HR and SWVA feeding into that one central event along with all of the Richmond teams that use it as their home event. Putting a second event between Richmond and HR or Richmond and SWVA could be a solution in the future. I have a feeling we'll have an 8th event next year with as close as we are pushing the limits this year.

I'm sure the shakedown from first year issues will include review of event location vs subscription, to drive the location selections in subsequent years.
I think the District should consider reaching out to schools without teams as hosts. Allows those schools to build excitement thus possibly a team and eliminates the host vs compete scenario.

[Lil' Lavery]

Teams in MAR have been asked to switch events before.

With the information I've seen in this thread, I don't see anything that the CHP planning committee did out of line.

[notmattlythgoe]

Rookie numbers to date - 9.

Rookie plays(not including wait list):
NV - 0
DC - 2
HR - 5
SW - 3
NM - 3
CM - 4
CV - 1

[notmattlythgoe]

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery

Teams in MAR have been asked to switch events before.

With the information I've seen in this thread, I don't see anything that the CHP planning committee did out of line.

I think the main issue people have is them using Gracious Professionalism as a way to guilt a team into switching. They could have also targeted non home event teams instead of a blanket request.

[Lil' Lavery]

Originally Posted by 346CADmen

I'm sure the shakedown from first year issues will include review of event location vs subscription, to drive the location selections in subsequent years.
I think the District should consider reaching out to schools without teams as hosts. Allows those schools to build excitement thus possibly a team and eliminates the host vs compete scenario.

In MAR, as far as I know, the host team has always competed at the event they run. In a couple cases, it has involved running a skeleton crew for their competition team. Generally, the hosts teams are among the larger teams and are capable of drawing in help from outside volunteers/other teams to staff positions so that their competition crew is still well staffed as well.

I see 1111 isn't registered to compete in their host event, either. I'm curious if CHP advised these teams to stay away form their own events, or each of these teams decided to be cautious on their own.

Originally Posted by notmattlythgoe

I think the main issue people have is them using Gracious Professionalism as a way to guilt a team into switching. They could have also targeted non home event teams instead of a blanket request.

Without knowing the exact wording, I think that's hard to say.

[wilsonmw04]

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery

Without knowing the exact wording, I think that's hard to say.

from Sally Sylvester:

You are receiving this email because you are currently registered for the Central Virginia event in Doswell, VA. Presently, there are more teams on the waitlist than spots available and there is still the possibility of late registering rookie teams. If your team would consider moving your registration to either the Northern Maryland, Central Maryland or the Hampton Road event that would be a huge help in trying to even out the event registrations across the District. This ensures a fair distribution of points across the District. We are hoping a few teams will show Gracious Professionalism and move to an event that currently has openings. As communicated in the FIRST Chesapeake newsletter on September 21st, we aim to reach the minimum registration level at each event before allowing teams off of waitlists at other events. If you can move your registration to another event, please do so as soon as possible and please let me know your plans. Thanks for your consideration.

[Lil' Lavery]

Perhaps "graciousness" would be better substituted for GP there, but I see nothing unprofessional about that email. Certainly nothing to suggest anyone is being guilted into changing events.

[JesseK]

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery

I see 1111 isn't registered to compete in their host event, either. I'm curious if CHP advised these teams to stay away form their own events, or each of these teams decided to be cautious on their own.

I don't know about what we were 'advised', but the majority of our team didn't think we'd be effective competitors if we were also volunteering/running the event. It could literally take two different team infrastructures to do both given the planning & execution involved.