Just to get this request out there…please don’t randomize division pit locations at champs. Makes it extremally difficult to find anyone for strategy discussion, pit scouting, pit awards…etc.
Can’t imagine it’s a benefit for inspectors, vendors, judges either.
It’s been a few years so my memory is fuzzy, but historically they haven’t done this at Champs IIRC.
Pretty sure they did 2019
I think I’ve been to years with both (I remember being next to 1690 one year at least) - I prefer number order, but I think one-from-each-end ordering is good too if you don’t want the ol “rookie row” to happen. Having an order is the big part!
And frankly it was a valiant effort, to help newer teams by giving them proximity to older, typically better teams.
The problem though, as previously stated, is that it made everything else pit related extremely confusing lol
If we’re all fine with it being a bit less immediately obvious, we can always sort by reversed 4 digit number - so (0)254 → 4520, 6800 → 86, 2056 → 6502, etc. Would result in essentially random ages being put together and, after a little bit of introduction, it should be easy to find your way around.
I have had two standout “this is absolute trash” memories at champs.
The first was when they changed the field layout into a giant line with the pits at one end: we had the furthest walk to the field and the furthest walk (jog when possible in the morning) to the practice field.
The second was randomized pits. That’s how far up there that change ranks for me.
Good idea, but it wouldnt work for every team (like those that end in 9)
At Wisconsin (and I’m sure other places) they do “one from each end”, so if teams 1-60 were at the event, the pits go 1, 60, 2, 59, 3, 58, and so on. Makes more sense in the head than this algorithm IMO 
Midwest serpentines the rows. So they’re sequential, but they skip a row and then loop back. So the newest teams end up across from the oldest teams.
Also had this problem in 2018 being on Carver, as well as in 2019 to see your team’s final official matches. I like GRRB overall, but the Toyota Center would be so much better (or just yknow not have champs in Houston)
This would be much more useful at regionals and district events when teams that can hardly drive could be pit next to teams with tools, material, and people to help them. Champs, it’s confusing.
Ah that explains it. Pretty sure I stopped forming new memories after having kids.
Is this normal? Cuz uh, that would explain so much of my childhood.
Not doing it is also rather unfair given the rather large relevance of pit location to many outcomes that teams do in fact care about.
“Rookie row” is not a cool experience.
That’s pretty well solved by the reverse serpentine intermixing describes above.
Have some kids of your own and find out.
This method makes searching for a team much quicker. Scouts, Judges, Inspectors, and quals alliance partners often need to find their way to a team’s pit for a variety of good reasons. Sometimes even sponsors, friends and grandparents get lost, fumbling their way through randomly disordered pit assignments.