QUESTION OF THE WEEK!!! [09-30-01]

[Ken Leung]

QUESTION OF THE WEEK!!! [09-30-01]

Hi all. FIRST implemented a new qualification process for National competition this year. After 30 threads and a newsletter (that add to its publicity too), everyone who visit this board should know exactly what it is about. A lot of people talked about changes they want, but it seems like teams will have to follow the rules after all. So, with that in mind, here is the question of the week:

QUESTION 9/30/01: How will the new qualification process affect your team?

I've talked to a lot of people, and they all express changes in their team since they are no longer guaranteed a spot in National. Things like decisions of going to more regionals or not, team promotion (they used to use "We go to Disney World!!!" to attract students), or aiming to attend National as a spectator or volunteer...

What we think teams are going to do and what teams are actually doing can be quite different, or quite similar... Who knows until we all answer this question?

Have fun,
-Ken Leung

P.S. I am open to suggestions of any questions you want as the "QUESTION OF THE WEEK!!!"... So e-mail me at ken_leung@hotmail.com and show me what you got...

P.P.S. Oh by the way, GO TEAM BAR-LOK!!! (Even if I am the only one in this team... )

[A. Leese]

My team is lucky enough to be able to attend nats as a team this year. Nothing much has changed too much for us for this year. Next year I'm sure they'll will be a marked difference in the number of people who stay on after the fall. In the fall, people join to get out of science fair then they will occassionally stay on either from interest they have in the program or by hearing that they can go to Disney (and get out of school to do it). I know that next year I will most certainly go, even if I wind up going just as a spectator at the finals. I'm lucky enough to live close enough that doing so is easy for me.

~Angela who is for once happy she lives in Florida

[ColleenShaver]

T190 has enough points to go, is an even team, and participated since 1992. So whoever disagrees with certain ones can be please to know we make it on all standards.

And I think teams that us the "We go to DisneyWorld" to get people to join isn't really within the 'point' of FIRST. Yah, it's a nice reward.. but that shouldn't be the only reason people join FIRST. The experience and seeing your robot work on stage after all that work is the true reward. And you don't need to be in DisneyWorld for that to happen.

What are people really losing from not going to Nationals? I bet it's all a social thing- seeing the people they only see at nationals, or just doing all the 'Disney' things.. etc etc.. I think divisions were a great thing and that made Disney like a bunch of sunny regionals. So why not just go to regionals and enjoy them for everything they are for. geez.

Be sure everyone's worried about missing National Championship and not their social lives at the Nationals and that's why they are mad.

ok- done.

[Madison]

And I think teams that us the "We go to DisneyWorld" to get people to join isn't really within the 'point' of FIRST. Yah, it's a nice reward.. but that shouldn't be the only reason people join FIRST.

Well, to my line of thinking, why the join is irrelevant. Why they stay is what's important.

The new qualification rules don't really affect our team too much, since we're only really exist on paper. The kids won't really know what things were like without the qualification system in place.

It does mean, however, that Christina and I are going to have to help this team do as well as possible so that they might qualify to attend next year's Championship. It's not really anything different than we were planning on doing, but there's some added pressure (that we could do without!)

[patrickrd]

Originally posted by Ken Leung
QUESTION 9/30/01: How will the new qualification process affect your team?

Having secured more funding already than we had all of last year, our team was excited about going to nationals. However, we acknowledged all along that FIRST would likely be limiting nationals this year, so we understood that we might not fit whatever criteria are needed to attend. In fact, we had chosen a back up plan should we not qualify for nats. When we actually found out the news (last Monday), we coincidentally had a team meeting that night, and discussed our options. After some discussion we decided to simply attend an additional regional and work under the assumption that we will not qualify to attend. It turns out we are attending Great Lakes instead of Nationals -- where perhaps the competition is just as intense as nationals.

IF something happens and we qualify for nats during a regional, we'll deal with it at that point and time... But I don't suspect it would be too realistic to plan a trip within 3 weeks after the Canadian regional (although there is always the $99 Greyhound round trip ).

All in all, it really didn't affect our team that much. We're simply going west instead of south...

Patrick

[GregT]

Yes patrick, but we are talking FLORDIA here. Bright sunshine, warm weather- now we are going to a cold and snowy place.

I agree though, it really didnt hurt us that much. Though we still need to explain that to a certain adult who thinks we are spending more money to go to our second choice and can't figure out how to explain that to the school board.

Go figure,
Greg

[Todd Derbyshire]

My team this year is stressing out badly. Although my team is even we are still not sure of what is going to happen with Florida. So now we have to go to two Regionals and hope for the best for Florida.

[Chris Hibner]

We have enough points from last year to qualify. We're also an even numbered teams, so we would probably be able to go to nationals anyway.

BUT...

There is a chance that we won't even have a team this year. Thanks to the downturn in the economy, there is talk that we won't have funding for this year. Thankfully, due to good planning, we have enough money saved in our rainy day fund to attend one regional (as long as it's in Detroit and we don't have to pay for hotel rooms). So, even though we are qualified for nationals, we may not be able to go. Also, if our team can't get the additional funds, we're considering taking a break for a year. We'll see what happens in the near future.

-Chris

[Mike Soukup]

Originally posted by Chris Hibner
There is a chance that we won't even have a team this year.

Sorry to hear that Chris. You guys have put together a quality team. If you can't participate this year, we'll miss you and look forward to seeing you again in 2003.

Mike

[Frank Toussaint]

Originally posted by Mike Soukup

You guys have put together a quality team.
Mike

Soukup, you don't do justice to the Walled Lake Monster. There are a lot of quality teams out there; Walled Lake is super!

[EddieMcD]

" actually, now that i think about it, we're probably all angry because we're odd numbered. the evens will probably go through the same thing next year despite the new balance of power"