Wanna ask why...

[Bill Moore]

Originally Posted by Budda648

Is there THREE (3!!!) regionals scheduled in the same relative area (Midwest) at the same time??? Each regional had average of 30 or so teams. I just got back from Midwest Regional. 12 rookie teams... It was a nightmare for us on 648... our first 3 matches fell into place being allianced with good teams, i.e. 71 and 111 along with some others. But from there on we had hardly anyone to work with. Okay, back to my point... why would you schedule them on the same weekend when teams are few and far between unless you are in MI. I mean come on, take the fun away.Anyone else have a problem with this too?

This is actually a great situation for a veteran team to be in, if you are thinking beyond the robot competition. The regional can be a proving ground for your robot, and it can also be a proving ground for your students. We have attended Pittsburgh the past two years, which is often the smallest of Regionals. While our robot has performed well both years, it has been the work of our students helping other teams that has been the greatest pride to our mentors. It validates the skills we teach them during MOE University as they help other teams get their robots to perform correctly. A larger regional populated with many long-standing resource-rich teams, such as Philadelphia or Chesapeake, just would not offer as many opportunities for our students.