Regional Championship or Regional Chairmans?

[Nate Edwards]

We won the Chairman's Award last year and it was one of the greatest moments of my life. We won the Regional this year and it was dissapointing, because we didn't win the Chairman's Award. There is no doubt in my mind that the Regional Chairman's Award is better then the Regional Championship. We work so much harder for the Chairman's Award then the 3 days for the Regional Championship.
Nate

[Solace]

chairmans awards and what they represent are nice and all, but i joined this program to build robots, not to spread peace and goodwill towards men. We play to win, and winning the UTC regional this past weekend made me happier than any mere award could have. it is a reflection of me as a driver, and of how hard our team has worked to build it. to me, time spent trying to make a chairman's award submission is time that could have been better spent making the robot more competitive.

I'm not saying that the Chairman's award is not important, cause it is. it just isn't as interesting. kids don't join a robotics team so that they can mentor another robotics team, they join the team cause they want to build a robot and build it better than everyone else. we learn as we go, and the learning is more fun because we know that the robot we make is a representation of us as a team, so we do the best that we possibly can.

[gsensel]

Well it is nice to get both, but truely a chairmans award has more prestige behind it especially if you can win at the national level.

[Tom Bottiglieri]

Originally Posted by Solace

chairmans awards and what they represent are nice and all, but i joined this program to build robots, not to spread peace and goodwill towards men. We play to win, and winning the UTC regional this past weekend made me happier than any mere award could have. it is a reflection of me as a driver, and of how hard our team has worked to build it. to me, time spent trying to make a chairman's award submission is time that could have been better spent making the robot more competitive.

I'm not saying that the Chairman's award is not important, cause it is. it just isn't as interesting. kids don't join a robotics team so that they can mentor another robotics team, they join the team cause they want to build a robot and build it better than everyone else. we learn as we go, and the learning is more fun because we know that the robot we make is a representation of us as a team, so we do the best that we possibly can.

I am in total agreement... Its such a great feeling to see 6 weeks worth your sweat blood and tears out there competing. Its just such a rush to see something YOU created up in the lime light, performing to perfection.

[Bridgette]

I really don't think I could decide. I did the most work on my team's chairman's award submission, and I'm on the drive team. So either would be great. A lot of work is put into both the robot and the chairman's award submission. There's no way I could choose.

[Jones571]

Originally Posted by Solace

chairmans awards and what they represent are nice and all, but i joined this program to build robots, not to spread peace and goodwill towards men. We play to win, and winning the UTC regional this past weekend made me happier than any mere award could have. it is a reflection of me as a driver, and of how hard our team has worked to build it. to me, time spent trying to make a chairman's award submission is time that could have been better spent making the robot more competitive.

I'm not saying that the Chairman's award is not important, cause it is. it just isn't as interesting. kids don't join a robotics team so that they can mentor another robotics team, they join the team cause they want to build a robot and build it better than everyone else. we learn as we go, and the learning is more fun because we know that the robot we make is a representation of us as a team, so we do the best that we possibly can.

That is the best way to put it jake we worked so hard builgin a robot not writing an english paper! even tho chairmans does take lots of work winning a competition takes a great deal more.

[Billfred]

WARNING: This post may be loaded with excessive amounts of rookie mentality, and is not necessarily the view of team 1293.

Personally, I'd have to side with regional champs. For starters, I helped build the robot this year more than anything else, and I've also been trying (and probably failing miserably, due to my lack of reading CD) to think up some strategies--and regional champions says that your combination of robot, driver, HP, and strategy was the best of the breed.

It's also easier to explain to non-FIRST folks. (Yeah, I know it's hard to believe that said people exist.) If I say my team won the Chairman's Award, the reaction ranges from "Cool" to "Wuzzat?" The term champion, for whatever reason, just seems to be more well-understood.

[Matt D]

I personally would prefer to win the Chairman's Award. I've been on a team that has excelled on and off the field so I've already experienced both. This year, I personally headed up mentoring two teams 1031 and 1422. I also worked on the community service aspect of the team helping with a clothes drive and a bag lunch for day workers thing. I also worked on the presentation aspect, but this is only a minor part (even though I spent more time on it). One of the coolest things at Sacramento this year was having our mentor, Steve Kyramarios, win the Woodie Flowers Award, even though we won the regional. The second coolest thing (at least to me) was tying the national high score (at that time we thought we beat it.)

These are my experiences. I'm not sure about the rest of the team.

[BerserkerSpyke]

I would definately prefer chairmans. (and yes I know the opinon is a little tainted because we won a regional chairmans this year) The real reasons I feel wining chairman's is better:

1. Chairmans is a true measure of your team, not a measure of your robot.
2. If even a small problem occurs in the finals it can cost you the championship (I know, our battery died in the final match last year).
3. Chairmans is awarded after the final match so you have something to hope for even if you lost champions.
4. Chairmans shows that you have made a difference to someone, somewhere... it really feels good.

Overall, I think it is great if you do well at regionals but I hold chairmans at a high level.

[Mike D'Auria]

I would chose chairmen's. 522 has won both regional championship and chairmen's. I think that chairmen's shows how well the actual team is and to me thats more important than having one of our girls win (Although I do love that to.) It shows how well the team works together and that were are a true FIRST team as Collin Fultz said. It's everything FIRST is about. Gracious Professionalism and Cooperation.

[team1852]

THIS POST MAY NOT REFLECT THE OVERALL FEELING OF TEAM 1852.

Personally, I'd be very happy if we won either award. With that said, I see the Regional Competitions as a cumulation of 6 weeks of building our robot ... so I'd say a Regional Championship would be better.

[Billfred]

I'd be glad to receive either honor, but right now I'm more inclined to go after the Regional Championship. Why? With few exceptions, the regional champions tend to draw more press than the Chairman's Award winners. It should be the other way around, but it tends not to be; I blame it on people naturally being drawn to the title of Champion, no matter how many times the emcee notes that the Chairman's Award is the highest honor.

The way I see it, a team that still isn't a household name could stand to get more attention (and thus have their programs reach a wider audience) with a regional championship than a Chairman's Award. That's my theory--if I get a chance to test it, I'll let you know.

[+()c|D]

Chairmans!

It doesn't have to go to the best team, in the competition, but to the team who has worked hard, done all their research, and has great sportsmanship.

Don't get me wrong, both awards are great, but the Chairmans is more prestigious.