Is competing at multiple regionals REALLY fair ?

[Cory]

Originally Posted by fuzzy1718

As far as legacy teams and hall of fame teams I didn't even know that this was a rule, now that I do I really think it should be changed. And no I don't think that they needed to go to Finger lakes, they have regionals here to compete in that are highly competitve, let the teams out there compete in their own regional. It is called a regional for a reason, so the best of a region can represent that region in the championships. I think people have lost sight in this. People always talk about what region is better than others well campionships are the way to sort that out. I understand that FIRST doesn't want the regions at one anothers throats, that is why they split them up in atlanta.

Mentors let me her wha the students have to say I don't care of your opionions, your not the focus of FIRST, your students are.

Where has FIRST ever said that the intent of the regionals is for the best team from that area to win and represent the area at the championship?

FIRST doesn't split up the regions on purpose for Atlanta to "keep them from each other's throats" They sort them at random.

FIRST clearly doesn't care that teams attend out of state regionals. If anything I would imagine they're happy to see it happen, as it's good for the program. Furthermore, they're not going to turn down thousands of extra dollars, which would be exactly what they would be doing by limiting teams to the number of events they attend.

You claim that FIRST is not all about winning, but really you're just saying that it shouldn't be about the good teams winning-it should be about the teams you feel are disadvantaged winning.

Those "big budget" teams (and you have no idea what the budget of any of them may be, since you're not a member of the team and privy to that information) work hard for everything they have. They worked hard to gain sponsors, resources, etc. They work hard to inspire their students, and work hard to make good robots.

There's a reason for their success-TONS of hard work. Nobody can really understand how many hours these teams put in, without having seen it first hand themselves. The reason that these "veteran powerhouses" are so good is because when other teams are taking Sundays off, or going home early, they're hard at work burning the midnight oil, doing everything they can to be the best they possibly can be.

That work entitles them to pick whoever they please. Trying to handicap them and guilt trip them for their own success, and ask them to pick a team that does not represent the best choice is not right. As I said before, if you do any less than your best, you are compromising the integrity of the event.

Let's face it. When you're at the event, it IS a competition, and the best teams deserve to win, regardless of whether or not they are already qualified for the Championship.

Every year any team who wanted to go to the Championship could do so if they wanted to. There's always an open sign up period, and every year there are teams who are able to go who would have no chance of winning an event to qualify. If you want to go, raise the money, and sign up.

Your last line is just ignorant. Without mentors, you wouldn't even be participating in FIRST. Your team wouldn't exist, and FIRST as a program wouldn't exist. If it did, it'd just be another form of a science fair.