Most Competitive Events 2017

[Doug Frisk]

Originally Posted by rwodonnell

Has anyone else noticed that some of the most competitive district events have the word "Water" in the event name? FIM Waterford, Ontario Waterloo, NE Waterbury. I think we all know what this means...

That throughout history humanity has settled near waterways because of the improved food production and transportation capabilities caused by those waterways?

[TheBoulderite]

Utah looks stronger than usual this year. (987, 2122, 1619, 3230, 4334, etc.)

[TheBoulderite]

Also, since almost all teams have registered by now, has anyone figured out if that one team from Alaska that said they were sponsored by a lard company actually exists?

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by vann2648

For New England, both Connecticut events look strong (Waterbury and Hartford) with 177, 195, 230 and 558 attending each event.

Without really any viable alternate events for CT teams, this was inevitable. WPI filled up very quickly and it's really oddly timed. RIDE is possible if you skip Hartford, I guess. Otherwise it's the greater Boston area or NH, and those events weren't very conveniently timed either.

Here's hoping these really top-heavy events don't crush the middle tier teams out of a chance at States. I'm sure it'll be fine, but it's certainly intimidating.

[niklas674]

Originally Posted by TheBoulderite

Also, since almost all teams have registered by now, has anyone figured out if that one team from Alaska that said they were sponsored by a lard company actually exists?

It appears there is no team with the number 6621. 😭

How else can I get my polar bear sized tub of
Lard?

[Liam Fay]

Originally Posted by niklas674

It appears there is no team with the number 6621. 😭

How else can I get my polar bear sized tub of
Lard?

Contact Piztons directly.

[vann2648]

I wonder if 118's streak could be in jeopardy this year, especially if 987 joins the party at Las Vegas.

[Dominick Ferone]

Originally Posted by vann2648

I wonder if 118's streak could be in jeopardy this year, especially if 987 joins the party at Las Vegas.

What streak do they have?

[Kpchem]

Originally Posted by vann2648

I wonder if 118's streak could be in jeopardy this year, especially if 987 joins the party at Las Vegas.

Originally Posted by Dominick Ferone

What streak do they have?

They have, somewhat quietly, won every regional they've attended from 2013 to the present while attending 3 regionals a year.

[Cothron Theiss]

Originally Posted by rwodonnell

Has anyone else noticed that some of the most competitive district events have the word "Water" in the event name? FIM Waterford, Ontario Waterloo, NE Waterbury. I think we all know what this means...

Originally Posted by Doug Frisk

That throughout history humanity has settled near waterways because of the improved food production and transportation capabilities caused by those waterways?

Ironically, the only event with "mountain(s)" in it (not including Auburn Mountainview) is actually on the water. Thompson-Boling Arena, the venue for the Smoky Mountains Regional, is on the Tennessee River.

[Hitchhiker 42]

Originally Posted by rwodonnell

Has anyone else noticed that some of the most competitive district events have the word "Water" in the event name? FIM Waterford, Ontario Waterloo, NE Waterbury. I think we all know what this means...

Steam game!?

In all reality, I'm very excited to play at Waterbury and Hartford. Sounds like a super competitive bunch and it's always fun to learn from them and play with them.

[Thayer McCollum]

Am I the only one who judges the "difficulty" of an event by how many teams from IRI are playing there? I realize that not every high caliber team competes at IRI but isn't it a fairly good measurement?

[TheBoulderite]

Originally Posted by Thayer McCollum

Am I the only one who judges the "difficulty" of an event by how many teams from IRI are playing there? I realize that not every high caliber team competes at IRI but isn't it a fairly good measurement?

It works with some events, and doesn't with others. For example, my team (1619) is the only team to have gone to IRI last year out of the Utah lineup. However, there are a number of excellent teams like 987, 2122, and 4334 that certainly would have made it in but didn't apply for the event.

Other events like that include Las Vegas (148, 842, and 1538 didn't go to IRI) and even Silicon Valley (254, 971, 2468 all didn't go to IRI). Sometimes it works as an indicator and sometimes it doesn't.

[Rangel(kf7fdb)]

Originally Posted by Thayer McCollum

Am I the only one who judges the "difficulty" of an event by how many teams from IRI are playing there? I realize that not every high caliber team competes at IRI but isn't it a fairly good measurement?

Going by just IRI probably isn't going to be very accurate since quite a fair bit of good teams don't attend. For us, if a team won a regional as a captain or first pick, they are on the "watch out" list. We don't know how they will necessarily perform but teams on the "watch out" list are more likely to be a very capable robot. Generally, any team that can score well enough to win an event has a shot of defeating any team in my opinion(there are exceptions).

That being said, competitiveness doesn't necessarily mean "hardest" or "easiest" depending on who you are asking. If I am part of a team that generally performs really well, a high number of teams on the "watch out" list means a very tough event.

Now, if I was part of a newer team that maybe isn't the top scorer but is fairly consistent, I would say an event with a lot of top tier teams is easier than others. Why? Well if an event only has one or two really top tier teams, odds are if my average team is not going to win the event unless we get to be the 24th pick and be with the top teams. In an event where multiple alliances have a solid shot at winning, the odds for an average team to win go up since your fate is less likely to be sealed in alliance selection.

[berkleyfanatic]

I think the FIM Southfield event will defiantly have team 33,67,548 as alliance partners.