Regionals on Sunday

Competition Regional Competitions
#1

Well, since New York gets all the fun in being the only regional thats on a Sunday. Do you guys like this idea, maybe one regional per week on a fri-sun schedule.

Therefore all of the national FIRST audence will be watching robots compete for a particular regional.

ie: Week 1 New Jersey
week 2 Florida
week 3 Midwest
week 4 Davis Sacramento
week 5 GTR

something like that. and if were going this far, why not make nationals a 4 day event, (in my opinion, it’s easier to attract an audience on a Sunday rather than a Saturday.)

so what do you guys think?

#2

Gah!!! No!!! Sunday is when I get to catch up on homework and laundry! Please no! Cuz if the regional is on a Sunday then I just won’t do my homework and laundry! (;))

#3

As much as it’s a touchy subject around here there are churchgoers in FIRST and having FIRST on Sundays is a not so hot idea. Keep it as is. It’s fine.

#4

I think Sunday events would hurt you for judges and other volunteers. Many of the judges are probably paid by their company on Friday and then volunteering on Saturday, giving up one personal day. Asking them to give up the entire weekend would probably hurt judge recruiting overall.

Keep the Thursday - Saturday schedule, except where it is not possible.

#5

One a personal level, Sunday following a FIRST competition is my day to reconnect with the world outside of FIRST and with my family. It is also the day I get my head set for re-entry into that thing called my job on Monday. As it is, when we travel back from Atlanta, we lose some of that day in travel and Monday still comes along just like clockwork. :slight_smile:

#6

No. Please No.

#7

Next year having Florida with two fields will be complicated enough as it is, to push it to a Friday-Sunday schedule would throw off the flow of things. There is going to be a need for more teams next year at Florida anyway so you wouldn’t want to discourage any teams from attending.

The Thursday, Friday, Saturday system works great as it does right now, why fix something thats not broken?

I vote no.

#8

As much as we all would like to extend the FIRST experience to as long as possible, the current schedule happens to work perfectly for most people. We (and a ton of other teams) usually travel back home on Sundays, and use that day to catch up on rest/homework/family/whatever. I think a 4-day FIRST event would be beyond the point of exhaustion…especially in Atlanta where most of us average quite a few miles a day.

This is all besides the fact that teachers/administrators hate us enough for missing 3 days of school, one extra day could be the breaking point.

-No L

#9

In the interest of not failing out of the University of South Carolina on attendance (driving back from Florida and Maryland and whereever else takes time!), I’m siding with the no crowd on this one.

#10

Oh come on. Another day per regional would be SO much fun. I vote yes.

Jacob

#11

having regionals would be difficult for teams that travel from long distance b/c sundays are for recovery, homework, and chores… and it takes time to get home

#12

He’s not saying another day for regional, he’s suggesting that one regional a week be held Friday, Saturday, Sunday…instead of the traditional Thursday, Friday, Saturday.

#13

ooo, that works…yeah that would be better…well, maybe… yeah, it works

#14

Yeah, I just read back. Thanks for the correction.
But I still think that a 4 day regional would be a lot more fun.

Jacob

#15

Sunday=Catch up on homework day. I can’t imagine coming home from Davis on a Sunday night at like 10pm with probably nowhere nearly finished with my homework.

It would be nice to not have to miss a day of school and not have to make up tests and quizzes during the little spare time I get, but the current schedule isn’t broken, why fix it?

#16

I would have to say no to regionals on Sunday. It really is a much needed day to relax and get ready for the normal week. Plus, you won’t be able to change any regionals that are already scheduled this year. They have been predetermined months in advance with payments and schedules already made at the facility. That would just be a nightmare to change if you tried.

#17

Big NO!!!

As a volunteer I need Sunday to rest. I am still exhausted from this weekend. Some volunteers and teams do more than 1 regional and have travel to take care of. We need down time before going back to work or school.

#18

Many teams travel back from regionals and don’t arrive until the early hours of Sunday morning. Buzz, for example, drives back from Chesapeake and often arrives beween 2 and 3 in the morning. I can’t imagine getting back at that time and making it to school the next day with homework done. I can’t even imagine staying awake through the next day. The school would not give us the day off, and if a lot of team members were absent the next day, the school would not be pleased. I just don’t see this working on a large scale.

I’m with the no’s on this one.

#19

Was the NY regional originally scheduled for Sunday or was it delayed due to the ice storm?

#20

From what I can tell (Have never been to the NYC regional), but that this is an odd year. Perhaps they couldn’t get the Jacob Javits center for thurs-sunday?

Just guessing.

Jacob