What does the Chairman’s Award have to do with a robot contest?

[Bill Enslen]

Amy,
What we are seeing this year is FIRST's first attempt at keeping the National competition a single event while limiting the size of the event. What I believe FIRST was trying to do is to allow every team the opportunity to experience the National Competition and also have the best robots from the Regional Events be there. That isn't working out so well this year, as at least one Regional Champion team (157) doesn't have the money to go to National.
I know it would increase the cost of participation for every team, but perhaps the "prize" for winning a Regional would be for FIRST to pick up the costs for sending a 12-member competition team and pit crew to National. This would ensure that all of the Regional winners were able to compete at Nationals. For some teams (not ours) this would be a the only way they could ever hope to go to National, because they simply don't have the funds to travel. There are some very good teams out there with very limited funding.
Those are my ideas. Others are free to (and will) disagree.
Bill