QUESTION OF THE WEEK!!!

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Posted by Andy Grady.   [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]


Other on team in limbo from in limbo sponsored by in limbo.

Posted on 7/30/2000 10:46 PM MST



Hi all, sorry about being late with the question but I was away on a little vacation.

Question 7/31/00:
If you could name an alternate place to hold the national championship, where would it be?

Ill have my answer to this question tommorow
Later,
Andy Grady

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Posted by Vinny Bushemi.

Other from none.

Posted on 7/31/2000 7:43 AM MST


In Reply to: QUESTION OF THE WEEK!!! posted by Andy Grady on 7/30/2000 10:46 PM MST:



I think that someplace like North Dakota would be cool. Someplace without a FIRST program. Plus has anyone ever gone cow tipping!!!!

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Posted by Brian .

Student on team #56, Robbe Xtreme, from Bound Brook High School and Ethicon Inc..

Posted on 7/31/2000 8:16 AM MST


In Reply to: Re: QUESTION OF THE WEEK!!! posted by Vinny Bushemi on 7/31/2000 7:43 AM MST:



Well as of now Disney is doing a excellent job and as of now i really cant think of any other place that can hold all the teams for the pits and also hotel accomodations, but if anyone else has an idea of where to hold nationals lets hear it

Brian
Team 56

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Posted by Michael Martus.   [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]


Coach on team #47, Chief Delphi, from Pontiac Central H.S. and Delphi Automotives Systems.

Posted on 7/31/2000 8:57 PM MST


In Reply to: Re: QUESTION OF THE WEEK!!! posted by Brian on 7/31/2000 8:16 AM MST:



Several issues are always brought up.

The distractions of Disney, are they good or bad?
Cost of the venue, it aint cheap at Disney, you all know that.
There will at some time be a limit on teams.

One possible answer is a Super Stadium ( Dome )

Or a seperate Championship by invitational only. Made for TV studio setting.

No easy answers here.

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Posted by colleen.   [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]


Coach on team #246, a FIRST-aholic, from John D. O'Byrant High School/Boston Latin Academy and NSTAR/Boston University/UTC/Raytheon/MassPEP.

Posted on 7/31/2000 11:29 AM MST


In Reply to: Re: QUESTION OF THE WEEK!!! posted by Vinny Bushemi on 7/31/2000 7:43 AM MST:



Maybe not North Dakota... but I definitely think that somewhere not exposed to FIRST would be a cool place to hold the national, or even a regional competition.. seeing the competition first hand is one of the best and easiest forms of recruitment that I know of.. So to move it out to un-FIRST-infested areas would be a benefit to the project as a whole..

That works great with an idea I had for summer competitions that I was thinking of presenting to FIRST..

good idea Vinny...

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Posted by Joe Johnson.   [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]


Engineer on team #47, Chief Delphi, from Pontiac Central High School and Delphi Automotive Systems.

Posted on 7/31/2000 7:09 PM MST


In Reply to: Good Idea! posted by colleen on 7/31/2000 11:29 AM MST:



It has been a while so I will repeat my semi-annual 'Success Means Getting On TV' Rant...

To my way of thinking, FIRST will not have 'Made it' in America until it is on Prime Time TV (ABC, NBC, CBS, or FOX between 8-11 on Sun-Friday night). If we are to have the impact we all want on American Culture, then TV has to be part of the plan. So...

Where should the Nationals be? I really think that TV considerations should decide.

What does TV want? Give it to them. If they want 500 teams at the Nationals, then 500 teams show up at the Nationals. If they want 40 teams to qualify for the Nationals, only 40 teams get the invitation. If they want the Nationals at Disney, fine, we give them the Nationals at Disney. But, if they want them to be held on a Pacific ocean atoll, we host them there!

Seriously, getting on Prime Time TV is SO important, I think it swamps any other concern about logistics, fairness, rookie issues, etc. Believe me, if you think the Regionals are intense now, wait until a ticket to big show is on the line. I wouldn't be surprised if local TV picked up the regionals just for the angle of which local teams will get through to the Nationals.

It is my hope to have the Nationals on Prime Time TV in 2002 or at latest 2003. If we take much longer than that then I dispair of FIRST's ability to ever make the wholesale impact that Dean & others sold me on when I first bought into the whole FIRST concept.

Prime Time TV or BUST!!!

Joe J.

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Posted by Dominique.

Student on team #65, Huskie Brigade, from Pontiac Northern High School and GM Powertrain.

Posted on 7/31/2000 8:10 PM MST


In Reply to: TV rant... posted by Joe Johnson on 7/31/2000 7:09 PM MST:



I agree totally with you, If we want the word of FIRST to get out there in the world. We have to get on primetime tv. This is where teams should get together and just flood the studies with tapes, letters, and phone calls. If we bug them enough they will give in and give us our 15 minutes of fame. Until then FIRST name will be known by the people that know it.

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Posted by Mike Dubreuil.

Student on team #175, Buzz, from Enrico Fermi High School and UTC/Hamilton Sundstrand.

Posted on 7/31/2000 8:57 PM MST


In Reply to: Re: TV rant... posted by Dominique on 7/31/2000 8:10 PM MST:



$@#$@#$@#$@#$@#We are slowly and surely making our mark in America. First, we got into ESPN now Nickelodean. Who knows what's next.
$@#$@#$@#$@#$@#I believe that major PR events are key to meeting the public. That's why I'm so pumped about the Big-E. In my opinion it will be the biggest PR event for FIRST ever. The Big-E is something we will need more of.
$@#$@#$@#$@#$@#When you cast yourself into something huge, like the Big-E, you are jumping into a media bonanza. It is quite possible that since FIRST will be a major showcase at the Big-E this year, big-time producers will see FIRST and say... Wow, that would make a good mini-series! Okay, maybe not but at least a 30 minute show.
$@#$@#$@#$@#$@#One of my personal wishes is that we could have a competition LIVE from Rockafellar Center on the Today Show. Kind of like their concert days but it's a FIRST day. After we could talk about FIRST for 10 minutes and we would instantly capture millions of peoples' attention.

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Posted by Erin.

Student on team #1, The Juggernauts, from Oakland Technical Center-Northeast Campus and 3-Dimensional Services.

Posted on 7/31/2000 9:25 AM MST


In Reply to: QUESTION OF THE WEEK!!! posted by Andy Grady on 7/30/2000 10:46 PM MST:



that's a simple enough question with a simple enough answer. Plymouth Rock, MA. But since that is too small, I would have to say somewhere up in Montana- wayyy up in the mountains. We could call the game 'Mountainous Mayhem'!

-Erin

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Posted by Andrew Keisic.   [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]


Student on team #217, Team Macomb Royal Fusion, from Florida Institute of Technology and Ford Motor Company.

Posted on 7/31/2000 9:54 AM MST


In Reply to: QUESTION OF THE WEEK!!! posted by Andy Grady on 7/30/2000 10:46 PM MST:



The Moon!! What better place to celebrate inovation and technology?!! Not to mention to challenge of playing in next to zero gravity.

Andrew Keisic

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Posted by Andy Grady.   [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]


Other on team in limbo from in limbo sponsored by in limbo.

Posted on 7/31/2000 12:29 PM MST


In Reply to: QUESTION OF THE WEEK!!! posted by Andy Grady on 7/30/2000 10:46 PM MST:



I still stand by my usual answer of the Orlando Arena (or the O-rena, whatever it is). Its big enough, you could probably fit quite a few fields in there, and it could hold everyone. Not to mention the wonderful stadium seating for better viewing of the competition.
Also stemming off the idea of Vinny Buschemi, why not put a competition in Las Vegas? I don't believe there are any teams from Nevada (correct me if im wrong please). Seems like it would be a great place to compete (though ive never been there it sure looks pretty good on tv)
Cya,
Andy Grady

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Posted by Andy Baker.

Engineer on team #45, TechnoKats, from Kokomo High School and Delphi Automotive Systems.

Posted on 7/31/2000 3:23 PM MST


In Reply to: QUESTION OF THE WEEK!!! posted by Andy Grady on 7/30/2000 10:46 PM MST:



I'd like to see it somewhere with these features:
...a domed stadium
...central location, w/ cheap travel and hotel costs
...a city that usually hosts big sporting events, since they cater to crowds and give people things to do when the event is not going on.

Some cities that might fit this definition:
Atlanta
Indianapolis (Go Colts!)
St. Louis
Memphis (no domed stadium, but the Pyramid is huge)
New Orleans (OK, not so central)

I'm for Las Vegas also, as long as they have a stadium big enough. Also, hosting the competition in LV would increase the level of student involvement... 'cause many of the engineers and teachers would be out 'playing'.

Andy B.

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Posted by David Kelly.

Student on team #234, Cyber Blue, from Perry Meridian H. S. and NASA Langley/ Rolls-Royce.

Posted on 8/1/2000 9:26 AM MST


In Reply to: Many places... posted by Andy Baker on 7/31/2000 3:23 PM MST:



Indy would be a great place.
(Would give us lots of exposure)

There is lots to do Downtown

We could even have robot races at IMS. (Indianapolis Motor Speedway)

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Posted by Splash.

Student on team #53, Team Inferno, from Eleanor Roosevelt High School and NASA GSFC.

Posted on 8/1/2000 1:25 PM MST


In Reply to: QUESTION OF THE WEEK!!! posted by Andy Grady on 7/30/2000 10:46 PM MST:



: Question 7/31/00:
: If you could name an alternate place to hold the national championship, where would it be?


Key West, Marathon, Key Largo (all Florida Keys), or Puerto Rico. The Keys are small islands that would provide a small atmosphere. They're small enough that you would bump into other teams no matter where you were. We could all go snorkeling and parasailing, jet skiing, and ride motor scooters around town. There's a naval base in Key West, perhaps they could find room for us. Wouldn't it be great to have the competition right on the beach? The more I think about it, I might actually prefer Key West to Disney.

I don't think there is any place better than Disney simply because of the ease of transportation between the hotel and the event, the food, and the entertainment. Las Vegas is fun to walk around at night because of all the bright lights, but, the hotels on 'The Strip' are very expensive. Way out of the league for most teams. And the best reason against it, is no matter what anyone tells you, LV is an adult town. Gambling and escort services is about all you find there. Sure there are shows, but half of them you have to be 18 to get into, and the rest of them are like $55+ per ticket. Not to mention, if you thought kids getting into trouble at Disney (five-finger discound) was bad, wait til you get them near slot machines.

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Posted by Joe Johnson.   [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]


Engineer on team #47, Chief Delphi, from Pontiac Central High School and Delphi Automotive Systems.

Posted on 8/1/2000 8:07 PM MST


In Reply to: Any Island - Esp. Key West posted by Splash on 8/1/2000 1:25 PM MST:



Detoit hosts the SAE show. New Orleans hosts Mardi Gras. Chicago hosts ...

Just about any major US city hosts events much larger than FIRST. There are plenty of hotels and venues available.

As for Detroit, Cobo Hall (just a short walk from GM's new World HQ) could host 10 venues the size of the arena Disney puts up. McCormic Place in Chicago is equally huge. I am certain many other cities could find facilities sufficient to host the FIRST Nationals.

The problem of where to host the Nationals is more of a question of 'Is the association with Walt Disney World and the Nationals chiseled in stone?' than 'Can some other acceptable facility be found?'.

I can seriously envision the day when the Nationals are a media event much like The Superbowl andThe Final Four. If we reach this status then I would expect cities to compete to host the Nationals in the same way that they compete to host these other media events.

Can you see your city forming a 'FIRST Nationals bid commitee' the same way Salt Lake City formed a Winter Olympics bid commitee? I can. And I can't wait for the day.

Joe J.