Regionals vs Off Season - Budget Constraint Edition

[Chris is me]

While off seasons are a lot of fun, I think it is important to have multiple on season regionals and / or the Championship Event. You'll get more events the other way, that's true, but you won't be getting the balanced competition, judging, awards recognition, or general "completion of the design process" that you would get from doing 15 off seasons or so.

At regionals, you're competing against teams that have put all their efforts into their robots, as well as all their time. Off seasons, you may get teams training new drivers, teams that spent the entire summer rebuilding their robot, teams that barely showed up with a drive team, and teams that just don't really care. You also rarely, if ever, replicate the judged aspects of a regional competition.

Off seasons to me are a bonus and a tool. They're a bonus by giving you another event for very little money, and they are useful to give new team members a chance to experience something like a competition before the season begins. I don't think they would work as a replacement for a regular season.