**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

[Cory]

Originally Posted by Eric O

However, I noticed the same thing that Mark did and think it’s ridiculous. During initial registration FIRST allowed 175 teams to sign up for the Championship. Now 7 teams have dropped out, and that number is now 168. According to the email, they are going to wait until the middle of March to fill these spots with the waitlisted teams. Why are they waiting this long? If FIRST wants to save teams money they should tell the next team on the waitlist that they are into an event as soon as possible. Assuming these 7 teams have 30 people each and booking travel mid December vs. mid March saves each person $50 in travel, which equates to over $10,000 in unnecessary expense.

The suspicious side of me suspects they may do this because they don't intend for the waitlist to operate in a linear fashion. If that's the case, they get to wait and pick the teams they want to move off the waitlist instead of taking whoever has been waiting the longest, the minute a spot opens up.

I can't think of any other reason not to immediately bump teams to the confirmed list.

[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

[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.