Is competing at multiple regionals REALLY fair ?

[Mr. Freeman]

Originally Posted by Koko Ed

Wow. Just wow.
You obviously have some sort of issue with teams that have had success because you just about stomped on each and every single one of them.And insulting the multiple senior FIRST mentors (many who are Woodie Flowers nominees) and blowing off their advice is a really nice touch.
Congratulations.
I'm sure you are very proud.

He has some valid points, and I understand where he's coming from. I don't necessarily agree, but sarcastic, insulting comments like this aren't helping anything.

As for FIRST being about the students, I have to agree, with conditions. Yes, mentors are a critical part of the process, but why on earth would we need a program like FIRST to inspire engineers already working in the industry? The entire purpose is to inspire students to pursue science/engineering-based fields of study, mentors help make that happen.

Anyway, it seems as though his opinions center around attempting to get as many people to nationals as possible. I'm not actually sure this is possible without teams throwing matches to lower their rank if they're already qualified.

As I understand it now, if a team that is already qualified for nationals wins at two separate regionals, then a space opens up at nationals for any team to register. These registrations are based on who has been waiting the longest amount of time to attend nationals.
This might actually be the best system. It attempts to get everyone to nationals as soon as possible.

The problem with powerhouse teams not picking one another is that in the end, only one alliance goes on to nationals. So some of those deserving teams still loose and still don't move on. Changing every team's selection strategy isn't going to help much. If the current system isn't acceptable then the entire thing is going to need reworking, not just the powerhouse teams' strategy.