**FIRST EMAIL**/FIRST Adds District Event Model Alternative to FRC Program

[waialua359]

Originally Posted by dtengineering

The district model, after all, is an option... not a requirement... and I do get the sense that it will be implemented with a fair degree of flexibility and sensibility.

Jason

Jason,
I am a bit confused now. If CA was to become the district model that Michigan is, wouldn't it be impossible for Hawaii (outside) teams to attend?
That was more my concern than the option of being able to still attend other regionals.
Even if traveling to the midwest/south is a few hundred more than going to CA, that's an insurmountable task to overcome, considering the amount of people on a team that attends.

I'm also with you on the fairness and flexibility that FIRST will probably incorporate as these changes for the better occur.

[Akash Rastogi]

Originally Posted by waialua359

Jason,
I am a bit confused now. If CA was to become the district model that Michigan is, wouldn't it be impossible for Hawaii (outside) teams to attend?
That was more my concern than the option of being able to still attend other regionals.
Even if traveling to the midwest/south is a few hundred more than going to CA, that's an insurmountable task to overcome, considering the amount of people on a team that attends.

I'm also with you on the fairness and flexibility that FIRST will probably incorporate as these changes for the better occur.

Plus, we might need you guys here in NJ for 2011

[Karibou]

Originally Posted by waialua359

I am a bit confused now. If CA was to become the district model that Michigan is, wouldn't it be impossible for Hawaii (outside) teams to attend?
That was more my concern than the option of being able to still attend other regionals.
Even if traveling to the midwest/south is a few hundred more than going to CA, that's an insurmountable task to overcome, considering the amount of people on a team that attends.

I'm also with you on the fairness and flexibility that FIRST will probably incorporate as these changes for the better occur.

I believe that part of an earlier discussion was setting up districts based on regional (Midwest, New England, etc), and not necessarily state boundaries, due to the sparse locations of teams in some areas. Even if California's state boundaries were used to set districts, I'm sure that FIRST would realize how much of a problem it would be for the Hawaiian teams if they weren't included in California's district, and would allow you guys to compete there.

[Cory]

Originally Posted by EricH

What if... HI was included in a CA districting plan?

The only problem with that is, you'd still have to get the robots to the mainland somehow, and then get students over there.

That would be impossible to make work from a monetary standpoint for most Hawaiian teams I would imagine.

[johnr]

I hope that state/regional championships would be able to save acouple of spots for teams that have to travel a long distance. Being part of the actual district would probably not work, but lets say a brazil team wanted to use the michigan championship as a regional i would hope that they would be more then welcome. Maybe FIRST needs to tell future districts that they need to have x number of spots at their championships for those teams that travel.

[Cory]

Originally Posted by johnr

I hope that state/regional championships would be able to save acouple of spots for teams that have to travel a long distance. Being part of the actual district would probably not work, but lets say a brazil team wanted to use the michigan championship as a regional i would hope that they would be more then welcome. Maybe FIRST needs to tell future districts that they need to have x number of spots at their championships for those teams that travel.

So a team from another country gets in at the expense of a MI team, who the districts are set up for?