2nd Regional

[Natchez]

Nate,

We've had the do we go to a second regional? conversation 18 million times and we always come to the same decision. We are fortunate to have great sponsors thus funding is not a factor. Our decision is based upon our goals which are, in order of priority,

1. Expose and educate our team to the world of engineering
2. Expose our community to the world of engineering
3. Win on the field

Therefore, we always decide to use funding and time to expose our community to engineering. Along with the many events, festivals, conferences, workshops, etc., we host/assist with the EARLY, BEST, Botball, FIRST, and FLL robotics competitions each year.

So, my recommendation is that if winning on the field is more important than outreach to your team, then you should try to attend another regional. On the other hand, if outreach is more important than winning, then maybe try to do something like starting/expanding FLL in your community. Please understand that there is no right or wrong with this decision. For example, some teams have a significant amount of pressure from sponsors/organizations to win on the field therefore their priorities differ from ours. Also, the two options are NOT mutually exclusive. Even though we only attend one regional, we are still a very competitive team and hopefully we'll take home a trophy one day. I think that if your team agrees upon goals and priorities, the answer as to whether to attend another regional will be easy.

Hope this fuzz helps,
Lucien