**FIRST EMAIL**/2010 Championship Wait List Information

[waialua359]

What gets me is how the 7 teams dropped out soon after they signed up, without the payment deadline being remotely close.

Teams should sign up if they have a good idea that they could actually attend. The dates are announced soon enough for sign up where they can decide if they want to seriously attend.

[Sean Schuff]

Originally Posted by GaryVoshol

The Championship payment is due Jan 15. On Jan 18 they should start waitlisting teams that have not paid, and start inviting teams from the current waitlist.

I think Gary has found the balance between giving everyone a fair shot at registering (and paying later without being bumped) and not making the waitlisted teams wait until mid-March to finally be notified they can attend champs.

To be honest I'm not at all happy about waiting until the last minute to make airline/hotel reservations and I have the same concerns that many other mentors have: how do I make sure I can effectively manage all the students at the event? We, too, need to have our students grouped together in the hotel and do not have the ability to fly on more than just a couple flights due to school district policy.

I don't mean to cast stones but is FIRST aware of the many school district policies and procedures that are in place regarding travel? I know they can't satisfy everyone but I'm fairly confident there are some common themes among all of them that should be considered.

Sean

[ezygmont708]

FIRST should fill their team capacity as it becomes available. It was difficult enough to arrange travel plans, hotels, and meals starting in Septemeber of last year.

Due to being a collaboration of two school districts and their regulations being as strict as they are, we will only be able to attend if we win one of the two regionals (Chesapeake/Philadelphia).

We are fundraising to go to Atlanta, but any funds raised and not used will be carried forward to the next year. In sum, I admire independent teams with out the issue of dealing with strict guidlines enforced by schools.

I wish luck to everyone this season, the economy the way it is, It will be tough for many teams.

[BornaE]

Originally Posted by JB987

987 is on the waitlist and somewhat anxious about the later notification from FIRST. It has been many years since we were faced with late season reservations, etc. Does anyone know if Steel Meetings holds back rooms in decent hotels like the Marriott Marquis for waitlisters and later season qualifiers? Or are some of us looking at smaller chain, distant hotels if we don't know our status until the second or third week of March?

Last year, we got CNN center rooms after winning AZ, 5th week of the season.

[Chris]

Another one bites the dust.

There are now 8 spots from the original 175.

I sincerely hope FIRST reconsiders when they will move teams off the waitlist. It saves so much stress on teams when they can book travel early, and not have to stress at regionals hoping to qualify.

Waiting till the third week of the season seems completely ridiculous to me.


$.02