Chairman's is in!

[Rich Kressly]

Originally Posted by Koko Ed

I wasn't around in '94 but from the looks of it, no.
This thing is about the size of a high school yearbook (a modest one) with pictures galore in it.

I'm not sure about 1994 Ed, but I do know that the rule in 2001/2002 was that the whole submission needed to be "viewable" in 10 minutes and you carried it with you. In those years with Team 103 we did a yearbook and still had to make the tough choices you all are talking about. In 2003, submissions were cut down to four pages which is a very close cousin to what we have now. That year, I remember sweating pictures, layout AND words.

For me (or at least the 2007 version of me), here's the bottom line:

1. I see this "issue" as the same issue we encounter with robot weight. Even if we get 150 pounds, we'd still be weighing in at 149 on the day before ship.
2. A Chairman's submission, by itself, will win nothing. Formal judging in the interview room, informal judging of the team in the pit area, and Q&A with the rest of the teams at a regional all can play a part.
3. While some of these choices are indeed difficult, that is what FIRST is all about. As crazy as this may sound, ENJOY the struggle. The learning experience may land a student a job some day. I hear that job applications, resumes, and interviews can be way too short too.

[OZ_341]

I agree with mostly everything that Rich & Walt have said here, with one exception.
A TV spot can be important if it was totally generated and coordinated by your team. NBC10 put us on the news and commercials because of our two day interactive FIRST display. This example goes beyond just being on TV.

But with that being said we cut it out of our submission for other things we felt were more important to communicate to judges. Hence, Rich's robot weight analogy.

My only point being that it is a difficult task to decide. I actually don't want any more characters, just like I don't want 8 weeks to build our robot.

My point is that you have a choice to make between volume and heart. We always choose heart over volume. We want the judges to connect with our team, like you connect with a person. The problem is that you may encounter a judge that is floored by big numbers, from a big team.

That is the challenge and the choice of direction upon which you must decide.

Good luck to all at regionals on and "off" the field.