2004/2005/2006 Championships: Atlanta

[DKolberg]

IMHO, parents and school boards will be a lot more nervous about sending their kids to Atlanta than to Disney. At Disney the spare time kids had is confined to the park which is essentially an Island unto itself. Many schools and parents feel comfortable with sending their kids to Disney (our school as canceled all other trips except the ones to Disney). The Atlanta site has no such boundaries and it will be very difficult to keep kids out of downtown areas at night were they should not be. Most people in this forum spend most of their time with the robot and therefore this is not a big problem, but for large teams that have many students that do not work on the robot and will be looking for something else to do will get into trouble. FIRST needs to think about the safety of the students as the schools have to think about the liability issues associated with such a trip. The liability for trips to Disney is very low compared to other places, downtown areas have the highest perceived liability, especially a site that has had fatalities during events in the past. You may think it is no big deal to go to Atlanta but your schools may have other ideas.

[Adam Y.]

Nobody wants to have nats here, and for good reason. How about a west-coast nats huh? Isn't it warm over there that time of year??

Ok then lets hold it in Alaska thats on the west coast. I never new heading east or west would affect the climate.

The liability for trips to Disney is very low compared to other places, downtown areas have the highest perceived liability, especially a site that has had fatalities during events in the past.

If people are going to get into trouble location really will not change whether or not they will get into trouble. They will find trouble where ever they go.

[Madison]

Originally posted by Adam Y.
If people are going to get into trouble location really will not change whether or not they will get into trouble. They will find trouble where ever they go.

I don't think that's remotely true.

A large city like Atlanta exists with the understanding that its citizens are responsible for themselves and their actions. That's why the nice folks there are allowed to cross the street. If they get hit by a bus, it's their own fault. With school sponsored trips to Atlanta, the teachers are responsible for their students and their behavior. The potential for injury in an unguarded environment may be enough to keep many teachers from giving their students freedom to explore.

Walt Disney World, on the other hand, is designed with the express purpose of occupying a person's attention the entirety of their visit. While an individual is still responsible for their actions, the potential for injury is less. When was the last time you crossed a street while at Walt Disney World? Outside of the hotel access roads, I've never once had to cross a street. Teachers can rest a bit easier knowing that the entire staff of Walt Disney World is their to make sure their students don't get into trouble or get hurt.

There's an enormous difference.

[Elgin Clock]

Originally posted by Bill Gold
It's on FIRST's homepage. The Georgia Dome & Georgia World Congress Center will host the events.

So... I just thought about this..

Does this mean that they are going to fix the spelling of Georgia on the FIRST interactive map?

I think they are definitely required to do so now!!!

And, come to think of it, did they originally misspell it on purpose cause they knew?? Or is/was it just a coincidence??

[chellyzee93]

I know that our mentors found comfort in the enclosed enviornment at Epcot. I did not enjoy Houston as much as Epcot, but I am looking forward to what is in store for us at Alanta.

[Pin Man]

My friend and I were mad in Houston because through the whole time we were there and after all the stores we went in we did not see one 10 gallon hat...

[SuperDave]

well although epcot and houston were both great, i think atlanta will be just as great as the other too, if not better. It looks like most places to stay will be near the arena (hopefully walking distance), that way we can hang out with the other teams easier (houston was pretty tough with all the diffrent hotel districts). im looking forward to it, and hopefully my team will make it there this year.

-dave

team 987, quite frankly the best team in Nevada, heh

[Alaina]

Originally posted by Pin Man
My friend and I were mad in Houston because through the whole time we were there and after all the stores we went in we did not see one 10 gallon hat...

Hah...I see those here in town...All the time...Plus the Wrangler jeans and boots and huge belt buckles...




My mom was telling me how much hotter it's going to be in Georgia than it was in Houston...But I don't think it was very hot in Houston...So I'm not worried about it...But I live in CA so I'm kinda used to sunlight...

[Pin Man]

i'll have to go to your town and buy them...

[Vincent Chan]

Originally posted by DKolberg
The liability for trips to Disney is very low compared to other places, downtown areas have the highest perceived liability, especially a site that has had fatalities during events in the past.

I wish you all would get some common sense and understand that the bombing was a freak event. Fatalities happen at all sorts of events at all sorts of places. Because there was a bombing once does not mean it will happen again. And, if you think about it, it is more likely that a place that has not had such a freak event will experience one in the near future as compared to one that has.

Downtown Atlanta is hardly a dangerous place. Yes, your kids won't be roped off by fences and buildings themed to be kid-sized with rides and whatnot everywhere, but if you instruct them not to wander alone and to stay on the larger streets and in visible areas, they will be fine. FIRSTers, for the most part, are intelligent kids and they probably won't get into any trouble.

And if I hear one more person quote the Centennial Olympic Park bombing as a reason that Atlanta was a badly picked venue, my head will explode. (Because they had better not be okay with it when the venue moves to a city with a marathon in three years, because there have been fatalities at those events, too.)

Apologies for the rant.

[Tom Fairchild]

Originally posted by Vincent Chan

And if I hear one more person quote the Centennial Olympic Park bombing as a reason that Atlanta was a badly picked venue, my head will explode. (Because they had better not be okay with it when the venue moves to a city with a marathon in three years, because there have been fatalities at those events, too.)

Apologies for the rant.

As a fellow Atlantian, I can't help but sympathize with you. The Olympic park bombing never even crossed my mind when I chose to attend Georgia Tech, which is in Midtown Atlanta and approx. 5 blocks from the site. Being afraid of the crime in a large city is something to take seriously, but I'm afraid that FIRST has not yet grown large enough to be comparable to the summer Olympics.

~Tom~, who wonders if he were friends with these people and invited them to visit, if they would come or if they would be too scared.

[kristen]

The championship could be in a swamp infested with flying insects, and it would still rock the world

It would be nice if Atlanta was a bit closer to New York, though..

[soezgg]

i think they should move the championship to pensacola florida

did you know that 150 beachgoers are killed by coconuts each year? thats 10 times the amount of people killed by sharks.

[Dan Richardson]

Yeah lol.. or south florida would be cool too.. :-) we have a big airport err.. a couple of them hehe.. ok mayb its not a great venue but its really warm


Atlanta is an amazing place and I'm really excited to be going there.. I'm not worried about " bombings " or anything.. especialy because they caught that guy lol.. and hate to break it to you.. FIRST evens I don't believe are on many terrorists hit lists.. Not to say there is no need for security.. just there is no need for worry

If peeps worry to much, just takes the fun out of things, no matter where nationals is its gonna amazingly awsome as long as peeps make it amazingly awsome I can't wait its my senior year and I'm pumped


Dan

[Eric Brummer]

if people really wanna have something to worry about, the odds are exponentially higher that someone will get hurt from an accident involving one of the robots or working with tools then a bombing happening. No one overly worries about those problems. You take the preventive measures neccesary to keep yourself safe while working on your robot and you use common sense. Anything else is outta your control. Same goes for nationals. You have security and common sense and things will be fine.
-Eric