[FRC Blog] District Teams attending Regionals

[Link07]

Seems like a good change. Should stop teams with weak Chairman's programs deliberately presenting outside the district to snag a qualification to champs as in the past few years.

[Knufire]

Also, this is already the case for district teams attending out-of-district competitions. I definitely like the added consistency across the board as well; district teams now know that they're only eligible for these awards inside their district, period.

[Michael Corsetto]

Originally Posted by Knufire

Also, this is already the case for district teams attending out-of-district competitions. I definitely like the added consistency across the board as well; district teams now know that they're only eligible for these awards inside their district, period.

Great point, hadn't thought of it that way before. Makes total sense from that perspective.

[GeeTwo]

Did anyone else notice that 19% of 24 responding teams is 4.56 teams? 4 teams is 17% (16.7%) and 5 teams is 21% (20.8%).

I suspect that 26 teams responded, making the responses 16, 5, and 5.

[ASD20]

Originally Posted by Link07

Seems like a good change. Should stop teams with weak Chairman's programs deliberately presenting outside the district to snag a qualification to champs as in the past few years.

I disagree that a team that wins Chairman's, regardless of where, has a weak Chairman's program.

[Andrew Schreiber]

Originally Posted by ASD20

I disagree that a team that wins Chairman's, regardless of where, has a weak Chairman's program.

I agree, you can have a weak Chairman's and still win. It happens all the time independent of location.

[SpaceBiz]

Originally Posted by Link07

Seems like a good change. Should stop teams with weak Chairman's programs deliberately presenting outside the district to snag a qualification to champs as in the past few years.

Although I agree with the change, I would argue the team that leaves their district to get a chairman's spot at another event is still better deserving of it than the team they would otherwise beat if they did, in fact, beat them for the award.

The reason I agree with the change is it prevents any district from getting more than that district's allocated number of awards spots for each award.

[Knufire]

Originally Posted by SpaceBiz

The reason I agree with the change is it prevents any district from getting more than that district's allocated number of awards spots for each award.

A spot earned at a regional already counted against the districts' total.

[FrankJ]

The only option for Dean's list and Woodie Flower's awards is already district if you are district team.

The old method of a district team taking a judged slot at regional meant there was one less judged slot available to regional teams. Since it also counts against the district slots, the opening becomes a wait list slot? Not really the same as a judged slot if I am explaining this correctly. (Which would be a reason that this is a good move)

You used to have to pick the regional that you presented Chairman's. You only got one chance. Presumably district team had to present at district then. So this is a bit like going back the old method.

[Kevin Leonard]

I think this is a great change, although I'm surprised how unanimously CD agrees.
I will say that we've had some district teams come to our Upstate New York Regionals in the past who won our Chairman's and Engineering Inspiration awards who were very deserving, and I hope their home regions appreciate them the same way our judges did.

[Nuttyman54]

Originally Posted by Knufire

A spot earned at a regional already counted against the districts' total.

It counts against the total delegation yes, but not necessarily a specific award.

For example, if a team from a district goes and wins RCA at a regional, they are not elligible to receive the award at their DCMP - they qualify directly to present at the CMP. The District Championship still awards X number of RCA's for the district. Therefore that district has X+1 teams presenting for CCA at the Championship.

I don't care to debate whether or not that really matters in the long run, but SpaceBiz is correct that prior to this rule, more teams from any given district have presented for RCA than slots awarded to that district.

[GeeTwo]

Originally Posted by Frank

I recognize this will be perceived as a partial measure by some, and I agree with that assessment.

Count me in this "some". It is certainly a positive measure, but just as certainly an incomplete measure. Teams which are geographically in a district can come to "my" regional and earn a trip to CMP, but my team is systematically denied a chance to attend a district event as a "practice event". If I were in an area which could realistically go districts, and this was an incentive (e.g. TX, CA, MN), I would at least get the point. Much of the U.S.A, and most of the world outside the U.S.A, is in a place without the depth of development infrastructure (mentors and sponsors, not to mention volunteers) required to support a district model.

Edit: On the other hand, our team has been positively influenced by teams visiting from both "potential" district areas, as well as "actual" district areas. No matter how things are played, there will be a border between the two models until/unless everywhere that people live (both on and off earth) is in a district. Even then, things will not be even.

[wilsonmw04]

Originally Posted by Link07

Seems like a good change. Should stop teams with weak Chairman's programs deliberately presenting outside the district to snag a qualification to champs as in the past few years.

I wonder how a "weak" Chairman's program could beat 60 some odd other teams at a Regional? If that logic holds true, a district team that wins the event with their robot is also "weak."

[Max Boord]

Originally Posted by wilsonmw04

I wonder how a "weak" Chairman's program could beat 60 some odd other teams at a Regional? If that logic holds true, a district team that wins the event with their robot is also "weak."

Not a lot of regionals have 60 teams. No regional has 60 teams presenting chairmans, even if every eligible team at the event submitted. When it comes to a team winning an event you also have to keep in mind that sometimes that out of state team pushed out an in state team from attending that event lowering there chances of going to worlds.
I think the main issue arises when district and out of state teams consistently win chairmans/ EI at a regional. In Florida 25% of qualifying spots went to out of state teams this year. In fact Florida has given only 1 EI award and 2 chairmans awards to an instate team in the last 3 years. While im not saying those teams don't deserve there awards I am saying its understandable why some people would have a problem with it.

[Link07]

Originally Posted by wilsonmw04

I wonder how a "weak" Chairman's program could beat 60 some odd other teams at a Regional? If that logic holds true, a district team that wins the event with their robot is also "weak."

Meant weak relative to their district