Posted by Samuel Lindhorst.
Engineer on team #240, Mach Vee, from Jefferson High School and Visteon.
Posted on 10/19/2000 10:10 PM MST
I was a little curious after reading this board about the exact proportions of the Nationals this year, so I sent an email to Lori Ragas. The answer came back like this:
So far there are about 210 teams going to WDW. We’re planning on about 350 believe it or not!!! YIKES!!!
Don’t even ask me how we’re going to do it!
-Lori- 
Is anyone else stunned by the thought of a 350 team national? This is 70 more teams than last year. 70 more pits. Another stage, somewhere…
Wow.
210 teams already. It’s not even November.
I think the number of spots on the FIRST website for the Nationals is a countdown to 340, and they’re planning for a little more.
Sam
Posted by Mike Kulibaba. [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]
Other on team #88, TJ², from Bridgewater-Raynham Regional and Depuy, a Johnson and Johnson Company.
Posted on 10/20/2000 12:06 AM MST
In Reply to: Nationals posted by Samuel Lindhorst on 10/19/2000 10:10 PM MST:
Sam,
What’s 70 more teams then last year!!! But I think still needing 140 teams is alot since I’d say most of the veteran teams have signed up. But if anyone can do it than FIRST can.
Kuli Team 88
Posted by Jessica Boucher. [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]
Student on team #237, Sie-H2O-Bots, from Watertown High School and Eastern Awning Systems & The Siemon Company.
Posted on 10/20/2000 7:46 AM MST
In Reply to: Nationals posted by Samuel Lindhorst on 10/19/2000 10:10 PM MST:
Wow. I certainly am stunned. :
: I cant wait!!!
Anyway, is it just me or does that sound like a lot of matches to fit into 3 days? Should they shorten the matches? Lower the number of qualifying rounds? Add a stage? Or…lengthen the nationals by a day?
-Jess Boucher, 237
Posted by Meg Z…
Student on team #349, Robahamas, from International Academy and Ford Motor Co…
Posted on 10/20/2000 5:49 PM MST
In Reply to: Re: Nationals posted by Jessica Boucher on 10/20/2000 7:46 AM MST:
It’ll be a pain if there’s any less qualifying matches then there were last year…it already felt like too few. I’m all for another field or two, but I don’t think lengthening it is necessarily a solution, because a lot of us still have to go back to school and you kind of lose your park day (OK, ok, so that’s a side issue…) But seriously, isn’t anyone else kinda burned out after those three days? I love FIRST, but the thought of a four-day competition is kind of daunting to me. A possible solution: cut down on practice rounds and start the qualification matches sooner? Perhaps only 10 or 15 minutes of practice per team rather than 20. Or the more regionals you have attended, the less practice time you get. Then some qualification matches could be played Thursday afternoon, and with that and the extra field you could probably keep the number of qualifying matches per team similar to what they were this year.
These are my thoughts.
Meg
349
Posted by Ken.
Student on team #192, Gunn Robotics Team, from Henry M. Gunn Senior High School.
Posted on 10/20/2000 5:59 PM MST
In Reply to: Re: Nationals posted by Meg Z. on 10/20/2000 5:49 PM MST:
: I’m all for another field or two, but I don’t think lengthening it is necessarily a solution,
:A possible solution: cut down on practice rounds and start the qualification matches sooner? Perhaps only 10 or 15 minutes of practice per team rather than 20.
How about a additional field just for praticing? So we can have shorter pratice round just for the teams with early qualifying rounds, and when the qualification matches start on Thursday, there will still be pratice rounds for other teams on the pratice field. And as soon as every team got their pratice round, we can open it up for competition!
Posted by Samuel Lindhorst.
Engineer on team #240, Mach Vee, from Jefferson High School and Visteon.
Posted on 10/20/2000 7:03 PM MST
In Reply to: Re: Nationals posted by Ken on 10/20/2000 5:59 PM MST:
: : I’m all for another field or two, but I don’t think lengthening it is necessarily a solution,
How about lengthing the hours? We knock off early now, another 2 hours/day of matches would handle 70 more, I’d think. Oh yea, and keep the pits open until midnight… :o)
: :A possible solution: cut down on practice rounds and start the qualification matches sooner? Perhaps only 10 or 15 minutes of practice per team rather than 20.
: How about a additional field just for praticing? So we can have shorter pratice round just for the teams with early qualifying rounds, and when the qualification matches start on Thursday, there will still be pratice rounds for other teams on the pratice field. And as soon as every team got their pratice round, we can open it up for competition!
I like this idea.
Posted by Janna.
Student on team #349, The RoBahamas, from International Academy and Ford Motor Company.
Posted on 10/21/2000 9:37 AM MST
In Reply to: Re: Nationals posted by Samuel Lindhorst on 10/20/2000 7:03 PM MST:
: : How about a additional field just for praticing? So we can have shorter pratice round just for the teams with early qualifying rounds, and when the qualification matches start on Thursday, there will still be pratice rounds for other teams on the pratice field. And as soon as every team got their pratice round, we can open it up for competition!
: I like this idea.
Personally, I don’t know if I agree with this idea. For a lot of teams, Thursday wasn’t so much ‘practice day’ as it was ‘finish and fix your robot day.’ If a team with an incomplete robot is forced to have an early practice round and then an early qualifying round while another incomplete robot team gets later rounds, the first team’s QPs will probably end up lower since they didn’t have the extra time. I think shortening the practice time by a little would be ok, just as long as the qualifying rounds start for everyone at the same time.
Janna
Posted by Ken.
Student on team #192, Gunn Robotics Team, from Henry M. Gunn Senior High School.
Posted on 10/21/2000 5:23 PM MST
In Reply to: Re: Nationals posted by Janna on 10/21/2000 9:37 AM MST:
: If a team with an incomplete robot is forced to have an early practice round and then an early qualifying round while another incomplete robot team gets later rounds, the first team’s QPs will probably end up lower since they didn’t have the extra time. I think shortening the practice time by a little would be ok, just as long as the qualifying rounds start for everyone at the same time.
Well, how about teams with early pratice & qualifying round get to enter the pit earlier, and team with later rounds get to enter the pit later? Each team will have the same amount of time between entering the pit and first practice round. This might even solve the traffic problem when all the team enter the pit at
once.
Posted by Andy Grady.
Other on team in limbo from in limbo sponsored by in limbo.
Posted on 10/20/2000 6:47 PM MST
In Reply to: Nationals posted by Samuel Lindhorst on 10/19/2000 10:10 PM MST:
Save me!
Andrew Grady
Strategy Team, team 126