Hey FIRST - We're going to need a lot more regionals!

[Raul]

Have you noticed how fast the regionals are filling up this year?

I think this is due to the need to win a regional to get into the Championship. Of course, many teams usually go to multiple regionals anyway. But it seems that more teams than usual are signing up for multiple regionals. And next year when so few teams are pre-qualified, just watch the regionals fill up even faster!

I think there will be a lot more teams that will want to sign up for 3 regionals, especially next year. We will need a lot more regionals or FIRST will have to limit the number of regionals a team can attend, to maybe 2. Let's see what happens on Nov 14 when registration opens up to a third regional. This may be the first year that all regionals are filled to capacity. If not this year, then next year for sure, unless we get a lot more regionals. I say we need at least 6 more regionals next year.

This new Championship eligibility criteria might be just what FIRST needed to increase the demand for regionals even more, thus exposing more cities and thus growing even faster. What do you think?

Of course, this would all mean that more teams will have to make last minute travel arrangements, but that is for a different thread.

Raul