FIRST Festival of Champions

[EricLeifermann]

Originally Posted by Rosiebotboss

Before everyone goes off talking about cheesecake and expense of traveling, and whatever else you can think of to complain about, remember, you, the FIRST community asked for it, you're getting it! And like they said in the email that just went out to teams, there are still more details to be worked out. Hang tight.

We actually asked them not to split the championship into two super regionals. This Festival of Champions adds absolutely nothing to the experience of FIRST as a whole.

[Ty Tremblay]

Originally Posted by EricLeifermann

This Festival of Champions adds absolutely nothing to the experience of FIRST as a whole.

That's quite an extreme statement.

[EricLeifermann]

Originally Posted by Ty Tremblay

That's quite an extreme statement.

How is this an extreme statement? 8 robots and potentially 8 other non competing teams attending an exhibition. The only thing this adds value is to the teams who can afford to actually attend should they qualify or live close. I would say the only thing worth going for would be the dinner at Deans house.

Why am I going to waste my time to watch the webcast? What are they going to give the general audience? Unless they add something of value to the audience with future announcements this idea is dumb. Call me negative if you want but if my team qualifies for this I will not attend.

[Karthik]

Originally Posted by EricLeifermann

Why am I going to waste my time to watch the webcast? What are they going to give the general audience? Unless they add something of value to the audience with future announcements this idea is dumb. Call me negative if you want but if my team qualifies for this I will not attend.

I mean, you wasted your time posting in a thread talking about how you're not going to waste your time by watching the webcast, so I really have no idea how you value your time.

[ScandallB225]

Originally Posted by EricLeifermann

Why am I going to waste my time to watch the webcast? What are they going to give the general audience? Unless they add something of value to the audience with future announcements this idea is dumb. Call me negative if you want but if my team qualifies for this I will not attend.

Originally Posted by Karthik

I mean, you wasted your time posting in a thread talking about how you're not going to waste your time by watching the webcast, so I really have no idea how you value your time.

You're killing me Karthik.

My first reaction;
Is FIRST going to pay for our Israeli alliance partners when we qualify, and can I stretch for another vacation the whole week from IRI to FOC. Who wouldn't want to go?

[Hallry]

What happens when a school-sponsored team wins Houston or St. Louis/Detroit and their now-graduated drive team isn't allowed by their school to compete at FoC?

[Lil' Lavery]

Originally Posted by Hallry

What happens when a school-sponsored team wins Houston or St. Louis/Detroit and their now-graduated drive team isn't allowed by their school to compete at FoC?

The same thing that happens when FIRST makes an earnest effort to address concerns presented, people will complain on Chief Delphi about the things not being perfect.

[PayneTrain]

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery

The same thing that happens when FIRST makes an earnest effort to address concerns presented, people will complain on Chief Delphi about the things not being perfect.

While you get points for such an edgy post, it's an honest question that Ryan asked. He's not playing Chicken Little, he's just alluding to the charade that FIRST is pulling again with punting vague news about short-term paradigm-shifting events out into the open right before cornerstone events in the season calendar. I'm for it. FIRST wrecked the Corvette and tried to replace it with some Honda Civics that definitely had some ricers with the title at one point. After seeing that some didn't think that was a fair trade, they threw in a Camaro. Not the same, but just try to focus on the same bumblebee yellow and ignore the fact that you can't see out of the back unless you have x-ray vision.

The split announcement in 2015 came right around the height of competition season between weeks 6 and 7. The split designations, if I recall correctly, came in right before 2016 Champs. Now, the announcement about a new, additional event is coming right before 2017 kickoff. Sooner or later it comes off as less coincidental and more overt. It's PR 101; take out the trash and dump news you don't like at a time where it's opportune for the constituency to forget about it (S1E13 of The West Wing uses this in its title).

I don't necessarily blame them for trying to sate the inmates of this asylum, but in the famous words: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me Twice.... Won't get fooled again. I expect some key questions to be answered and I hope solutions to some legitimate issues are developed for the good of the program, but don't let the Chicken Littles of this thread allow some key, legitimate concerns to be ignored.

[Billfred]

Originally Posted by Hallry

What happens when a school-sponsored team wins Houston or St. Louis/Detroit and their now-graduated drive team isn't allowed by their school to compete at FoC?

They have three months to press for an exception, or train up a new driver with whatever they have on hand.

As for the whole "knowing your opponent for three months" thing: It does invite an opportunity for teams to be cutting promos on one another (within the bounds of good fun and Gracious Professionalism, of course) that I hope these teams take. Truly great feuds--whether in sport, in business, or anywhere--are born just as much out of lore and off-field exchanges as they are action on the field. What made Ric Flair a legend of the squared circle? Steve Spurrier, on the gridiron? Both were tremendously talented at their chosen profession, but they also always had something to say about their next opponent to draw interest.

[ratdude747]

Looks like I'm making yet another long road trip... Yay.

(Seriously, I'll attend/volunteer if my work schedule allows... just "because".)

[jman4747]

Originally Posted by Billfred

As for the whole "knowing your opponent for three months" thing: It does invite an opportunity for teams to be cutting promos on one another (within the bounds of good fun and Gracious Professionalism, of course)

Yes...

I want this: https://youtu.be/D59Bjl3MWWs

We must have a parody of that!

[microbuns]

This idea could be great, if FIRST executes this properly. One thing I fear, however, is major burnout for team members who make it to this. People are putting in massive amounts of hours for 4 months to make an Einstein winning-capable robot, and now they might feel obligated to spend another 2.

So on the one hand, for the team members, I hope this more like a relaxed all-star show.

On the other hand, for the fans and the competition, I hope this decides the de facto world champion.

[BigJ]

Originally Posted by Billfred

They have three months to press for an exception, or train up a new driver with whatever they have on hand.

As for the whole "knowing your opponent for three months" thing: It does invite an opportunity for teams to be cutting promos on one another (within the bounds of good fun and Gracious Professionalism, of course) that I hope these teams take. Truly great feuds--whether in sport, in business, or anywhere--are born just as much out of lore and off-field exchanges as they are action on the field. What made Ric Flair a legend of the squared circle? Steve Spurrier, on the gridiron? Both were tremendously talented at their chosen profession, but they also always had something to say about their next opponent to draw interest.

I feel like you gotta go with the American Dream

[GeeTwo]

So anyway, what do you call the field upon which the champions compete? Zwei Steine?

[tjf]

Originally Posted by GeeTwo

So anyway, what do you call the field upon which the champions compete? Zwei Steine?

The Einstein-Rosen Field of course!