Browsing the events list today, I could not locate the Palmetto Regional in Myrtle Beach, SC. Instead, there is an Electric City Regional in Anderson, SC.
The Myrtle Beach FIRST Robotics website is gone.
Does anyone know if Electric City is the only regional in South Carolina this year?
Thanks,
Cary Busby
FRC 3824
Yes, the Electric City Regional is it (for regional events, anyway). It’ll be put on by FIRST South Carolina.
Gutted to hear this. Making the obvious connection as a replacement for Palmetto, Anderson will have a very high bar to live up to.
This news brings up a question. How would one know that an event that has been “traditionally” held is going away? I suppose one could wait until Oct 14 and if the event is not on the calendar, assume it is gone. However, it would be nice to be sure it is gone and not going to show up before Oct 21. It’s also helpful to discuss options and strategy more in advance.
I note that other regionals in my extended area, Miami Valley and Greater Pittsburgh, are not yet on the calendar. Any insider info if these are gone for 2022 or expected to be posted?
@Billfred Thank you. Sad to hear - Palmetto is our perennial favorite. Any chance they can get the same DJ? Maybe we’ll be in Anderson to help start some new traditions! It’s a shorter drive from Knoxville, which is definitely a good thing.
Wow, so strange to see a season without Palmetto. Are the same people putting it on? I would assume they would have kept the name if it was just a location change, considering Palmetto’s reputation and history.
I still think of it in the Colonial Life Arena. Back in my day, etc. 
No. Palmetto Partners has dissolved.
FIRST South Carolina has become an all encompassing organization that supports all levels of the FIRST progression of programs. Instead of what we had before which was 3 entirely separate organizations for each program that did not work together much at all.
I’ve already seen the work of the new organization at SCRAP and I feel confident things will be much better moving forward.
Ah okay. Well sounds like it’s panning out well. Plus “Electric City Regional” says way cooler lol.
A lot of us have fond memories of Palmetto, but I know the team planning the Electric City Regional are doing their best to make it a great event. So far, 33 teams have registered. I think there’s room for 45-48 teams.
“Electric City” is Anderson’s nickname. It was one of the first cities in the southeast to be electrified, after a hydroelectric plant was built there in 1895.
honestly to a lot of us in SC, palmetto was pretty meh.
if you werent on the coast it was a long drive. and those of us on the coast knew that myrtle is honestly one of the most overhyped beaches there is. so that didnt add anything for us either. not to mention unlike other events, there was no social.
the venue and competition were great, but the anderson civic center is great as well and we’re closer to a lot of our strong out of state competition. were very excited for the future, especially with FIRST SC heading up the program rather than palmetto partners. FIRST SC is full of people who are very passionate about the program and very excited to see it go off well.
and for cary, i believe it may be the same dj, but im not sure on that. we’re trying to get the same group running a lot of the media (streaming and such)
and to paulonis, a lot of the head mentors in the state knew this was coming, but i suppose if youre out of the state you wouldnt have any way of knowing other than word of mouth.
anyways, we’re all very excited for electric city and can’t wait to see you all there!
We are on the list! Looking forward to it! Thanks for the history lesson. 
I’m hoping for the best from Electric City in it’s inaugural season. It’s unfortunate that it became a week 2 event, competing with Orlando for teams. I don’t see a single Florida team registered at this point, which is a loss. Myrtle Beach may be overhyped, but it IS a beach, making it a destination for non-local teams. Anderson doesn’t have the same built-in advantage to attract those very remote teams that were consistently a highlight at Palmetto. The days of Hawaiian Kids, Rembrandts, StuyPulse, Funky Monkeys, etc. may not recur. In any case, I’m thankful that South Carolina still offers a regional option for Tennessee teams. We’re getting squeezed out by districts, but Electric City postpones the seemingly inevitable.
Is it actually competing, though? I remember going to the 2017 Orlando Regional representing AndyMark. It’s standard practice for staff to write up notes after the event for the directors, and one of the things I remember writing distinctly: where are the out-of-state teams? Only two of the 63 were from a US state that wasn’t Florida, three if you count Puerto Rico. Happened again in 2018 (two, or three if PR counts), and in 2019 every US-based team was from Florida. 2020 was set to be back on two teams (or three), but…well, y’know.
With Orlando offering the theme parks and Kennedy Space Center, Myrtle Beach was always the store-brand travel option you picked because you either really needed Week 1, you couldn’t get to your preferred travel event, or you wanted an event where the away teams snagged a wildly disproportionate number of Championship invites.
But look on the bright side: if you look at the 2008, 2009, and 2010 editions of the Palmetto Regional (held at semi-nearby Clemson University) you’ll see that teams knew how to point themselves towards I-85 and the GSP airport. Until the day districts arrive in South Carolina (and with FSC in charge, that day may actually come), they’re welcome in the upstate.
Having one statewide organization also makes districts much easier when the team density can support it
It’s going to take a lot of growth in number of teams to make it happen I think. Consider the threshold other states had to reach before being allowed to change. IN was the one with the lowest number and they at least had a crown supplier from the state. (Yes Billfred I got that from you)
I hope it does happen, I personally enjoyed my short 2.5 year long district experience.
Maybe there is a chance we merge with a neighboring district, I’d personally be okay with that too.
I hope that Electric City has the same energy of Palmetto.
I’ve only been to 4 other regionals, so my experience is limited.
Standing in the large corridor before the doors open always had a ground swell of anticipation.
From the multiple renditions of the “Good Morning” Song, to the bagpipes playing, M.A.R.S. singing “Take Me Home”, the various “chant battles”, to random selfies…there was an excitement that I didn’t feel at other regionals.
The occasion of downtime (either planned or accidental) didn’t reduce the excitement. From dancing to “Whose shoes are these?” camera shots…it was seldom boring for team members in the stands
Parents and friends of the team were often speechless – it was far more than they expected. Our school’s admin would often comment that the excitement at a football game paled in comparison to a robotics competition. Sometimes they were a bit befuddled, “Why are you cheering? You lost.” Response, “Yes, but the other alliance had a TRIPLE CLIMB!”
Perhaps it is because Palmetto was a Week 1 event, or perhaps it was AC/DC walk-in song, whatever it was Palmetto had that electricity that I hope will continue in Anderson.
districts are great you guys are going to by playing again in pch for the 2022 season right? or have you guys moved back into sc cause i know your on the boarder
We are back to playing in SC and in regionals again. COVID caused some changes that I couldn’t have predicted back when we first made our initial move in 2018.
I will miss what we had going in PCH and seeing the friends we made.
I am Barry Hudson, the 11-year veteran game announcer for Palmetto. I will be returning after a 3 year hiatus. I can assure you the caliber will be maintained. Many of the key volunteers and coordinators have moved into the new organization. We are full at 40 teams, a list that reads like a Who’s Who for Chairman’s award winners. We are thrilled to be hosting so many out of state teams, including 3 from Knoxville (that would be quite an alliance to see). The SC veterans (and the longtime rivalries) will be joined by some SC Rookies. As a native of a small town in SC, it does my heart good to see FIRST enabling technology in small towns (some with less than 2000 people) like Hopkins, Loris, Clover, Mullins, and Due West SC.
Electric City team count is now 40!
This is the essence of FIRST in a nutshell.
