Regionals vs Off Season - Budget Constraint Edition

[Akash Rastogi]

But but but but but...


Brunswick Eruption...

.

[Jared Russell]

This line of thinking is a major reason why the district system is implemented in Michigan and will likely expand elsewhere in coming seasons. Ramp Riot costs us an order of magnitude less to orchestrate than a Regional, yet attending teams consistently tell us that it is just as fun, and frequently moreso. In terms of experience per $, off season events are simply unbeatable.

That said, Regionals do offer some things that off seasons never will. The audio/visual production, the scale, the diversity of teams from around the globe, and the competitiveness (IRI doesn't count here, obviously ) make for an atmosphere that definitely adds something to the overall experience, in my opinion. For some students (and mentors), the "magic" of an official event (rather than playing in their own gymnasium) is an integral part of their takeaway from FIRST. Is that magic worth $5k+ per event? Depends on the team and their circumstances.

On a personal level, Regionals are a time for our team to focus on our goal of competing hard on the field - something that we can do 2-4 times per year, but definitely not 14 times (I'm burnt out enough after Championships). There's a reason Team 341 has won 5 Regionals in the past 4 years, but hasn't performed up to that level in the off-season.

Fortunately, you don't have to decide on Regionals vs. the offseason - you automatically get one Regional, and then can add a handful of conveniently timed and located offseasons at your convenience. Philly is an outstanding Regional; if money is tight, I wouldn't think twice about forgoing a second official event.

My one suggestion, however, would be to work towards a trip to Championships at least once per 4 years, so every full-time team member has the opportunity to experience the "Superbowl of Smarts" at some time during their tenure.

[Wayne C.]

Originally Posted by Akash Rastogi

But but but but but...


Brunswick Eruption...

.

alas they don't remember... (plug) still time to sign up

[rcflyer620]

...and we're still taking applications for the Battle O' Baltimore...

http://battleobaltimore.com

[IKE]

Doing 3-4 events per year is key to improving your teams ability to make a quality robot.
Teams that only do 1 event will often have some sort of "issue" that keeps them from performing as well as they believe they could. Having a second event requires that you fix said issue. With a fixed bot, you can see how it really will perform relative to your design. In theory you will also get exposure to another 20-50 robots/teams depending on how far you travel and what event you go to. This also gives your team a chance to revise their scouting strategies and improve them. Continuous improvement is a key component to many companies cultures especially in their development cycles.
By the third event, your drivers have enough practice that you can actually discuss and do tactics. This is part of the reason the Championship is so awesome. Many teams have competed in 2 regionals and are just then hitting their peaks of performance and capability. "Powerhouse" teams often do 2 Regionals and the Championship. Doing this many events is part of the reason they are "powerhouses" year after year.

A fourth event really tests the durability of the machine. Without a major modification, it isn't likely to score that much better. It will however give you a good idea of what systems were on the edge. At the MARC, I personally helped fix 3 of the 6 robots in the finals. These bots were really starting to show the wear and tear of the season.

For a young team (not rookies), the off season is a great way to get up to speed with other teams. In cerain regions, it is extremely cost effective, and has many of the same benefits as doing a regional.

If your ambition is to become a contender during the regular season, take the off-seasons seriously and try to improve your robot and team (scouting, pit crew preparedness, presentation skills...) at every event.

If your ambition is just to have more fun with the program, then it is a tougher call. You can treat this just like an engineering problem. Before mapping out the realities (like you have started), figure out what the team really wants to get out of the program. Do they eventually want to be world champions? Are they interested in being contenders? What are the expectations of your sponsors? These (and many more questions) should help define the goals of your team. From there, you can then compare and contrast the two different strategies.