Pittsburgh and Cleveland Regionals

[Bill Moore]

Originally Posted by Tuba4

However in the case of the 13 teams registered and 10 teams pending, only two or three appear to be from the local Pittsburgh area and would not be traveling and staying overnight. Many of the rest appear to be coming from fairly long distances, so whether the destination is Pittsburgh or Cleveland probably wouldn't matter that much.

When we selected Pittsburgh as the Regional to attend, it certainly was not because of the geographical argument. We looked at more than seven Regionals within driving distance and asked which would present the best opportunity for our students to develop and share the skills they have learned through this program. Pittsburgh was the choice we made. If that becomes unviable, FIRST should refund the teams entry fees, and allow the teams to decide whether or where to attend another regional.

Originally Posted by Tuba4

I guess I was really thinking of the long term viability of two geographically close regionals being held on the same weekend.

FIRST obviously made a mistake by doing this, and hopefully they will take this learning forward as they schedule in future years.