2010 WPI Regional - Space still available (along with travel grants!)

[ColleenShaver]

Good morning teams-

We still have a few spots remaining in our inaugural regional tournament and wanted to check for any additional teams that may want to attend! It should be a lot of fun with significant play time for each team.

For those already attending (or thinking of signing up):
- Travel Grant applications are due by 22 Jan. EVERY TEAM attending should apply as we hope to be able to reimburse the cost to attend the regional tournament.
- WPI ($10,000) and SolidWorks/WPI ($5,000) scholarship application have been posted! Seniors should get on their team leaders to nominate them for the scholarships!

All applications and event information (and VIMS link for volunteers) are located at www.wpi.edu/+firstregional

Whether you are a team, volunteer, or spectator, we'd love to see you there to support a new regional tournament!

Thanks!
Colleen
WPI Regional Planning Committee - Chair

[XaulZan11]

Did anyone else pause for second after hearing the $2,500 scholarship for every active student on the Chairman's award team? A part of me thinks could lead down a very bad road.

A year or so back, there was a thread discussing how FIRST has and could continue to become more like the sports model, where winning at all costs is the main objective. One common response, which I agreed with, was that FIRST won't become completely like sports because there was no money involved. But once money was involved, the main mission of FIRST could get clouded.

I think this scholarship opens the door up to money being attached to team performance. While I don't think having a modest scholarship given to students that complete FIRST's mission, it necessarily a bad thing, what if another regional adopts this but adds a scholarship for the regional winners? If I'm a driver in the finals and I know I need to win the regional to get a scholarship to go to my dream school, my morals and ethics will certainly be questioned. If I'm a school principal and I see Team 46 win all these regionals, resulting in huge scholarships, what is stopping me from offering a job, with more money, to 46's mentors, so my students can obtain similar scholarships? If I'm a mentor then, wouldn't I be tempted to put winning regionals, so I can cash in later with a better job, ahead of teaching and inspiring the students? I'm pretty sure this already happens to a degree in high school sports.

Maybe I'm making too much of this. All the "what if's" I've used probably will never happen, but I'm weary of setting precedents. Again, I don't think this specific scholarship is a bad thing, but it could lead to some very unfortunate things.

[Rick]

Originally Posted by XaulZan11

Did anyone else pause for second after hearing the $2,500 scholarship for every active student on the Chairman's award team? A part of me thinks could lead down a very bad road.

Each year the hosts of Rhode Island's FLL Championship Tournament, Roger Williams University, gives each child on the champion team a $5,000/year renewable scholarship (for up to four years). That's $200,000 given to an FLL team. From what I've been told, this incentive inspires all the teams to work harder.

I think it also puts in perspective how much FIRST can help the students involved with this program. If a student doesn't realize how much $20k can help with college tuition, parents and families sure do.

Rewarding Chairman's Award winning teams with scholarships is not a bad thing. The WPI submissions will probably be above average due to the award. I also imagine teams who generally ignore the award might realize it's importance, and start doing more for their school/community to highlight in the award.

[Jonathan Norris]

wow WPI is reimbursing travel costs... $2,500 scholarship to Chairmans winning students. Some interesting precedents being set by this new regional, can't complain that the university is willing to pump a lot of money into FIRST and the regional. But i'm not sure if reimbursing team travel costs is the best way to do it, it sets a precedent that many (most) other regionals won't be able to match.

I know there are probably regionals struggling to find enough financing to run their regional every year. I would prefer if WPI went more of the NASA route in providing financing to teams, because giving every team attending your regional money to travel to your regional is a big incentive that will lure many teams away from other regionals. I'm not sure if I want this to be allowed, I don't want regionals to have to compete for teams to attend. I would rather have WPI support teams in their area, but not by making teams attend their regional to receive funding.

I know WPI is a big sponsor of FIRST, yes I know WPI supports many local teams. I am just stating that I am not comfortable with them providing financing for teams to travel to their regional, when most other regionals will not be able to do so. Especially when they make it sound like financing will be available to every team.

[artdutra04]

Originally Posted by Jonathan Norris

wow WPI is reimbursing travel costs... $2,500 scholarship to Chairmans winning students. Some interesting precedents being set by this new regional, can't complain that the university is willing to pump a lot of money into FIRST and the regional. But i'm not sure if reimbursing team travel costs is the best way to do it, it sets a precedent that many (most) other regionals won't be able to match.

I know there are probably regionals struggling to find enough financing to run their regional every year. I would prefer if WPI went more of the NASA route in providing financing to teams, because giving every team attending your regional money to travel to your regional is a big incentive that will lure many teams away from other regionals. I'm not sure if I want this to be allowed, I don't want regionals to have to compete for teams to attend. I would rather have WPI support teams in their area, but not by making teams attend their regional to receive funding.

I know WPI is a big sponsor of FIRST, yes I know WPI supports many local teams. I am just stating that I am not comfortable with them providing financing for teams to travel to their regional, when most other regionals will not be able to do so. Especially when they make it sound like financing will be available to every team.

Disclaimer: I'm a student at WPI.

Both the WPI Regional and the Northeast Utilities Connecticut Regional (they are only about a 40 minute drive apart) are giving travel stipend grants to teams that apply this year, and personally I have no problems with this idea specifically for these two Regionals or in general for any District or Regional. How is it any different for a Regional to sponsor only the teams that attend their Regional with a travel grant any different than if GM, Ford, NASA, etc. decided to only sponsor teams in towns/cities in which they had facilities? Is this fair to teams a town over?

What this comes down to is sponsors donate money for a specific cause that they would like to see addressed. These institutions want to support teams that come to their events, instead of sponsoring a team to go elsewhere. Northeast Utilities and WPI are both intrinsically regional institutions; you can't buy electricity from NU in Wisconsin or attend WPI courses in Arizona. So if neither of these areas are served by these companies, why does a company/institution have to sponsor teams in these areas?

And in regards to scholarships for the winning RCA team members, how is this any different than colleges offering scholarships for academic talent, sports talent, or any other kind of talent or hard work? If you are valedictorian, you can get scholarships. If you score 1000 points on your high school basket ball team, you'll likely get a scholarship. Winning a RCA is no small task, and takes the entire team working together to do so. As such, why shouldn't the team members' hard work be rewarded with a scholarship? Winning RCA is completely different than winning a Champion trophy.

A Champion trophy can come from two days or lucky match pairings and a lucky second pick into a powerhouse alliance. A RCA takes a year-round effort of hard work of spreading the inspiration and culture-changing nature of FIRST. If anything, this will make teams want to do even more to win a RCA to get s shot at potential scholarships. How would teams doing even more to win an RCA be a bad thing?

[Chris is me]

Full Disclosure: I work with 2791, who is submitting for Chairman's at WPI.

I think travel grants for teams to attend the WPI regional is a good thing if the companies sponsoring the regional wish to do that. It's a good incentive and supports local teams. I don't see why one would be opposed to a regional giving its teams money; it's frankly looking a gift horse in the mouth.

The scholarship for Chairman's does bother me though. Financial pressure should never be a factor in FIRST awards. I like celebrating the best as much as anyone, yes, but with money? Is that what the Chairman's Award is supposed to be about?

When money is on the line, pressure increases. I can see nightmare scenarios where teams that tried really hard, but didn't win end up blaming their presenters, or their video editor, or their essay writer for why they didn't win the money. Instead of being happy for what they achieved and working for continuous improvement in the next year, money makes it easy to get hung up on the past.

[EricH]

I am not affiliated with WPI in any way, shape, or form. I do have one thing to say, though.

How is this different from the Allaire Medal, other than that it's a different amount and given to every team member that wants it?

For reference, the Allaire Medal is given to one junior or senior student on the Championship Chairman's Award team. It carries a $10,000 scholarship to a university of that student's choice. (Section 5.4.4)

The Allaire Medal has been in FIRST for as long as I can remember. I have yet to hear of a team going for the CCA just to get the Allaire Medal for one student. You barely even hear about the Allaire Medal recipients, for that matter--they might get a mention in the following year's FRC programs that are handed out at certain events.

Just wondering what the big deal is here.

[Teammax]

So to ask a question completely unrelated to the discussion. Will there be a WPI Invitational also?

And somewhat on topic. How many openings are there? I believe when our team looked at where to go for regoinals TMS already had WPI as full along with every regional on the east coast.

[Mark McLeod]

Originally Posted by Teammax

And somewhat on topic. How many openings are there? I believe when our team looked at where to go for regoinals TMS already had WPI as full along with every regional on the east coast.

Just by the registration they probably have 7 slots available.

WPI filled up quickly when 2nd registration opened, but fluxuated around their initial capacity until registration closed after Thanksgiving/early December. WPI probably had 10 more slots reserved at that time in case of rookies.

[Francis-134]

Originally Posted by Teammax

So to ask a question completely unrelated to the discussion. Will there be a WPI Invitational also?

And somewhat on topic. How many openings are there? I believe when our team looked at where to go for regoinals TMS already had WPI as full along with every regional on the east coast.

If by the WPI Invitational, you mean Battlecry@WPI 11, that will still be happening. The website says that it will be 7-8 May this year (the same week as last year).

[ColleenShaver]

Hi all-

Mark is correct. Despite showing full at 30, our actual regional capacity is 36. Each event has spots that are held for rookie teams that are slower to form and register sometimes. We will gladly accept teams up to that 36 limit.

As for BC11, Francis is correct that is will happen as always. 48-teams, 2 days, free meals, free t-shirts, and all the great stuff that always come with BattleCry@WPI! Registration will remain at $350. Registration will open in March or April (I just gotta double-check with the committee and last year's schedule).

Thanks!

[Chris is me]

So due to a series of somewhat mixed blessings, I'll be attending WPI with 2791 this next week instead of my original plans. I wish I knew I could change my plans earlier, so I could go to my "home regional" of Wisconsin, but I'll take what I can get here, which looks to be an awesome event! Who's pumped? Who's iterating like crazy?

I'll probably post some badly written predictions in a few days, once there are more unveilings and I see or hear more about Team 20.

[carolyn]

I'm very excited for WPI, as is all of 348. I want to see how we will perform and being at the first ever WPI regional also seems very cool. I think we have some unique features on our bot that other teams are very unlikely to have. But most of all, I'm excited for my first regional ever.

[paragon571]

yea i cant wait to go next weekend with my team

[mplanchard]

Disclosure: I am a SolidWorks employee. I received my Masters in Mechanical Engineering from WPI.

I am so excited about going to the first FIRST Regional at WPI. After years of supporting Battlecry, Savage Soccer and more - now is the time. The SolidWorks-WPI scholarship will provide an opportunity to a student who wants to pursue a science or engineering career. I know the event will be fun and exciting - hope to see you there.

Marie Planchard