Are 8 play regional reasonable?

[Isaac Ash]

Originally Posted by Alan Anderson

I think it's clear that you put the number of matches per team at a higher priority than other criteria, but can you really not grasp that other people can value other things more?

While there are certainly many things that go into an event that one can value, I think what most people are missing in this mentor-dominated conversation is that students want to see their robot do well. I know FIRST is more than robots, but that's not exactly an easy message to observe when team members pour so much of their time into one 120" reason. (Remember, students only get at most 4 of these things, and a majority of MN teams don't have the infrastructure set up to do much more than build, meaning that the robot is what most students are focused on).

Being finalists and qualifying for champs in 2014 was a turning point on 4536. Bringing home an MSHSL banner was a turning point on 4607. These are the successes that bring in more kids and inspire students to go into STEM fields, because they can see all their efforts validated on the field. They help an FRC team grow and continue to succeed.

Sure, the perks that come from competing in a super-regional are nice, but from most students' points of view, they are not even close to the value of seeing your robot do well. Playing in a basketball arena does not inspire students to become engineers. Longer times between matches to talk to members of other teams does not grow or improve an FRC team.

Students get excited about success. They get excited about making eliminations and winning awards. That's what helps them succeed again. That's what helps them make it loud. And the data has shown that the best way to accomplish that is with fewer teams at more events. That gives them more opportunities to compete and improve their robot.

Disclaimer: While I cannot speak for all students in FIRST, my opinions on what MN students look for are based on my own team's, as well as what I've observed from other local teams, and from the views others in my high school have expressed about robotics and inspiration in general.