What would you prefer?

[Tottanka]

Your team was in a regional, which one of the next 2 cases would you prefer your team to have performed?

1) Your team was ranked 2nd, and as alliance captains you reached the finals, giving a good competition, but loosing in the finals to a better alliance. You don't make it to Atlanta, but your team is mentioned and remembered as one of the best in the regional.

2) After qualifications you are ranked at the low quarter of the table. You are lucky to be picked as the 3rd member of the 1st alliance, and you make it all the way to be regional champions on thier back. You make good defence, but there is no question about the fact that it were your 2 partners that really deserved the win.You get to go to Atlanta, but hardly anyone remembers how your robot looked like and what it did.

[KTorak]

I'd go with number one, but thats probably because that's how we usually fair. We tend to rank well as a strong robot/team, but lose in the eliminations. For example, we were double regional finalists this year.

[AndyB]

This is really hard to say. Back in 2005, Triple Play, we had two regionals, two weekends apart.

Boilermaker was first for us and we placed in the middle of the pack, and we got picked 1st in the second round. (1st seed alliance). We ended up winning the regional and it was a blast.

The second regional we went to (Midwest) we placed 2nd overall, ranking under only Wildstang as the alliance selections were starting. We ended up losing in the semifinals to a Beatty-Wildstang alliance.

As weird as it is, winning a regional is a blast, and I would take the Boilermaker regional any day over the midwest regional.

[Cooley744]

It depends on if you enjoy winning and doing a "job well done", or you look forward to the trips and all the fun that goes with that...Atlanta is pretty fun. But, overall, I would have to say that I would rather have a good robot and not make it to Nationals. After all, robotics is about making a good robot. lol.

[vivek16]

number 1

heck, the joy of having a robot that works well enough to get to 2nd alliance would be way better than going to atlanta(although we have never been to atlanta or had a robot that worked well enough to get to 2nd alliance...).


-vivek

[Tottanka]

I will have to go with number 2, simply because that i have already had 2 seasons like number 1, and, well, to put it all in one word - Atlanta.

[Nuttyman54]

for both my teams, I think I can safely say that they (and I) would much rather be #2 seed and finalists, than piggyback their way to a victory.

[dbell]

Number 1.
My team has experienced having a robot that can score well and one that can't. I would much rather go to one regional with a robot that works well than go to a regional and the championships with a robot that can barely score.
I'd rather have a good robot than get lucky.

[DonRotolo]

So far the score seems to be 6 for #1, and 1 for #2

I'd pick #1 also

[Jeremiah Johnson]

Originally Posted by AndyB

The second regional we went to (Midwest) we placed 2nd overall, ranking under only Wildstang as the alliance selections were starting. We ended up losing in the semifinals to a Beatty-Wildstang alliance.

Not to be rude or anything, but you guys lost to them in Quarterfinals. The alliance of 648, 79, and 107 lost in the Semifinals to that alliance. I'll never forget that day... it was arguably the most controversial third match ever played/scored at a FIRST competition. Decided on an "imaginary" 10pt penalty that let them win by 1pt. I was driver and that still gives me nightmares.


Okay, now to the real topic at hand... I would take #1. This has happened to us three times (Midwest 2004 (65, 648, 447), StL 2005 (648, 288, 650), Midwest 2007 (1000, 648, 447)). In each of those times we were not the 2nd alliance but upset very good alliances (see aforementioned close call above) and were the top scorers in each of the elimination matches. I have three silver medals and would like to add a gold, but only if we contribute greatly to that. This year our alliance (1st pick) at Midwest (1000, 648, 447) took the alliance we were against to 5 matches. That says a lot.


PS - 447 is good luck for us!

[JackN]

I look at it like this, a great robot is only remembered for that year, winners are never forgotten. Look at it like this, you sponsors or school will just be impressed you won. Winning will attract more students, sponsors and community interest this will help your team in the long run anyway.

[Tottanka]

Is it possible to turn this into a poll?

[Bomberofdoom]

Just remake the post.


I think that my team (as I do) thrives to make a good robot in the building sessions, but the results of whether it's a really good robot or not come into the test when inside the matches in the regionals. Sometimes you might have a good robot, but you just didn't have the right strategy within the alliances you played with in the qualifing matches and that will leave you at a low rank. Bieng picked by an 8 top-seeded alliance shows that the alliance that chose you scouted your robot and your team and how you tried to work and win. Sometimes they'll take you because of your technical ability, or because of some kind of specialty that your team or you robot has. In either way, your team was somehow recognized. Having that kind of recognition from an alliance in the elimination rounds will surely bring the recongition from other teams that looked at you too. Whether your alliance is able to win the reigonal or fall in one of the rounds, most of the participants in the regional will know that you had a chance to represent the regional as one of the most recognized teams and/or robots in that reigonal at the championships.

We really hope to win the regionals since we never had the chance to experience Atlanta and to try to represent the part of the Israeli regional in the championships.

So I guess we would prefer #1, but I think that the events you'd want to chose depend on how your team and robot does in the reigonal in front of the other teams.

[Rich Ross]

This is the first year I've been able to be on a team that earned Silver.

Feeling silver, depending on the circumstances, can feel just as good as winning gold. (its not every day you can lose to 703, 469, and 494).

Situation #1 is best i think. Consistently good teams will always have that. Tag-alongs are less likely to enjoy atlanta.

[Duke_of_Hazard]

I would go with #1, since, after all is said and done, trophies dont matter.

Its the fun you have, and the reputation/respect you leave with all the teams you meet.