MI is the best?

[Johncvt]

I agree that we need to focus on how well we are fulfilling the mission of FIRST rather than how many teams are making it to Einstein. I have coached and mentored FLL,FTC, And FRC. The most fulfilling thing each year is to hear the kids explain to the judges how their robots work and how they solved problems. There are always those points in the season where you wonder if the students are listening and to hear them talk enthusiastically yo the judges is what keeps me coming back every year.

Of course, winning is fun but doing your best is also fulfilling. This year, we got to play with some of the great Michigan teams like 33, 217, and 469 in our districts, then went to Windsor and play with 2056 and other great Canadian teams that we don't often get a chance to play with. Then, we go to worlds and play with 330, 1114, 359, 133, 230 and many others in Carver division. We lost in the third match of the finals to the Beachbots alliance but held our heads high knowing we did our best we could for the alliance.

All in all, I call that a pretty good year for everyone on our team. This year's game allowed so many teams to be able to play and contribute, no matter what their background or pedigree was. The district system allowed every Michigan team to play a lot of matches and see the fruit of their labor so. The only bad thing is we don't normally get to see the other great teams from outside the state except for summer events.

[Tom Line]

Originally Posted by hardcopi

The problem is the grants that Michigan has given to get the teams started are starting to dry up going forward. We have ended up with a ton of teams, but are (once again at least in my area) starting to run out of sponsor organizations. In 2014 we had a budget of nearly $50,000 and were able to expand nicely, but this past year we were down to around $15,000. We are competing on locally with more and more teams for the same funds. If there is a drop off in Michigan's competitiveness then this might be part of it.

Another part of it could be the sheer number of high numbered teams at each event. How many times do Michigan teams end up with an all rookie alliance? It can make for exciting times, but it can also skew results kind of dramatically in some cases.

There is a lot of truth to this. I was talking about this with a couple of mentors from other teams and the consensus was that Michigan is going to see contraction without the continuation of the state grant money. The unprecedented growth we've had has been a direct result of that money, and a lot of the teams that were making their living on those grants never learned to be self-sustaining.

That is always the problem with fast growth. The upside is that we've also gotten a lot of people involved who want to stay involved. That will help drive some of these teams to learn to do what needs to be done to make themselves solvent.

Our events have been significantly watered down because of the large influx of newer member teams. In the past you were guaranteed to have at least two powerhouses at each event. Now we're seeing many events with teams who are making their own names.

With regards to the overall competitiveness of Michigan, I wouldn't say our competitiveness has really dropped. I think the competition has stepped it up in other places. Teams like Poofs, Citrus, Simbotics, OP, Wranglers, Robonauts and others are making robots now that are physically impossible for many other teams to make. The expertise in terms of manufacturing and coding simply isn't there. They are sharing their abilities with their local teams and bringing up their competitors.

We also had international competitors on Einstein. I expect to see those numbers increase quickly as well.

[Johncvt]

I agree that we need to focus on how well we are fulfilling the mission of FIRST rather than how many teams are making it to Einstein. I have coached and mentored FLL,FTC, And FRC. The most fulfilling thing each year is to hear the kids explain to the judges how their robots work and how they solved problems. There are always those points in the season where you wonder if the students are listening and to hear them talk enthusiastically yo the judges is what keeps me coming back every year.

Of course, winning is fun but doing your best is also fulfilling. This year, we got to play with some of the great Michigan teams like 33, 217, and 469 in our districts, then went to Windsor and play with 2056 and other great Canadian teams that we don't often get a chance to play with. Then, we go to worlds and play with 330, 1114, 359, 133, 230 and many others in Carver division. We lost in the third match of the finals to the Beachbots alliance but held our heads high knowing we did our best we could for the alliance.

All in all, I call that a pretty good year for everyone on our team. This year's game allowed so many teams to be able to play and contribute, no matter what their background or pedigree was. The district system allowed every Michigan team to play a lot of matches and see the fruit of their labor so. The only bad thing is we don't normally get to see the other great teams from outside the state except for summer events.

[connor.worley]

Originally Posted by Moskowapplepi

I had heard but never believed FIM valued elite play over inspiring people in their communoty, but I was sadly mistaken

Are these things mutually exclusive? MI has elite play and extremely inspiring teams. The most inspiring teams (hall of fame team 67 comes to mind) often compete at the highest levels.

[1024Jerry]

In Indiana, moving to districts has been a great experience for building our First Community. Other districts, like Michigan have inspired us, in no small part as a competitive measuring stick . We were excited to have 7 Indiana teams compete on Saturday; 4 of them as alliance captains. 1501 represented Indiana well on Einstein. Michigan's strong FRC community has helped inspired everyone else and should be proud of that accomplishment.

We have loved getting to know some of the MI teams who have come down to compete with us in our districts and IRI. They always bring the highest level of competition. Thanks Michigan!

[tr6scott]

Originally Posted by Koko Ed

Michigan seems to be in transition this year. MSC was very young as a lot of MSC veterans didn't make the cut. This is actually a good thing.

I agree, and as the district grows (and hopefully sustains the growth) we are seeing the younger team become competitive at many levels.

We may not spawn a 2056, that comes out of the shoot winning and builds a legacy like they did, but we are building very competitive programs.

When you look back on Michigan History, I think Michigan was under represented, then in 2013 (?) the number of teams sent from Michigan was based on total population, and we sent more teams.

Also, just because you send more teams, does not mean you send more teams that have the quantity of programs that can compete with 118, 148, 254, 1114, 2056... and others. That level of competition requires much, much, more than a governor paying your entrance fee.