New FIRST competition structure in Michigan

[Chris Hibner]

Originally Posted by Jonathan Norris

It comes down to one simple fact: the cost of entry is too high. Yea I know FIRST does a great job getting sponsors to subsidize some of the cost, but $10,000 to run a basic team is still too much for a large number of schools.

Your dissenting point actually just made the point as to why this pilot is a good idea. The reason for trying this change is due to the fact that the cost IS too high for a lot of schools. So what's the solution? Lower the cost per event. Obviously this isn't the end solution, but if everyone decides that they can enjoy a pared down competition just as much as one with all of the thrills, then maybe they can expand on this solution and find other ways to cut costs without ruining the inspiration.

What bothers me is everyone saying that they shouldn't try it because people won't have the great experience, etc. etc. Well that is why the SHOULD try it. How will anyone know what the experience will actually be like until they try it?

There is a great competition that everyone talks about that acts as a pared down version of a regional. It has scaled back audio-visuals, two day format, and many of the other things being proposed for this pilot. This competition is called the IRI. I'm sure many people agree that they have a pretty good competition experience there.

I guess my point is, let's see how it plays out before we condemn it to failure.