A Rule for this year's Competition

[Mike Soukup]

Originally posted by Todd Derbyshire
My fear is having a qualified team for Nationals winning multiple Regionals and/or awards and stealing spots. This system does seem to have its flaws

I don't understand all this talk about 'stealing spots' for Nats. FIRST came up with a set of rules for attending Nats, and when a team does well at a Regional, they are not stealing a spot, they are claiming what is rightfully theirs (a spot at Nats) by meeting the guidlines set by FIRST. It is up to the non-qualified teams to claim that spot for themselves by performing well enough to meet the criteria for Nats.

I think people also forget that Regionals are themselves competitions, not just qualification opportunities for Nats. Winning a regional, or an award at one, is a tremendous accomplishment for any team. Teams should be proud to do well at a regional (or multiple regionals), and should not be scorned by other teams for doing so.

If a team has a truly exceptional year, they should be able to enjoy it by collecting as much hardware as they can. They may never have the same success again.

A true competitor will try his hardest to win a competition, but will congradulate the winner, no matter who it is. Never before in FIRST have I seen teams jealous or mad at another team for winning an award. I've only seen teams congradulate each other. I sure hope FIRST stays that way.

Mike