Re: Alliance Selection Rules
 

Agreed, especially since the decision in question affects the entire team.

Re: Alliance Selection Rules
 

What's your issue in allowing the field rep to receive texts from their scouts/team members? We do it often when a dark horse team is still available during selections just to make sure our field rep noticed they are available.

Re: Alliance Selection Rules
 

That is prohibited by <T26>:

Re: Alliance Selection Rules
 

I've seen alot of things slide this year that should have been penalties at numerous events from human players being out of the station to Media Pass people coaching from the sidelines.
The refs do not often pay attention to what goes on in the drivers station when there is alot going down on the field.

Re: Alliance Selection Rules
 

The Cell Phone thing seems to change based on Events. As a student, I would often text my teammates right up to when I would announce our selections - heck on Curie in 2009 I did the entire Alliance Selection while Talking on my cell phone. IMO, as long as the person puts the phone down when speaking into the mic, it's not really an issue - and those reps that are on a phone are usually unprepared....

Also, it appears that the GDC doesn't mind what Aids you bring to the field, as long as it's not another person and doesn't interrupt the flow of of selections. (Maybe if more teams brought a computer or used a cell phone during alliance selections we could avoid the all too common "look at the board for 2 minutes and pick a team at random")

Re: Alliance Selection Rules
 

The topic of Media Pass people and abuse of the privilege deserves its very own thread.

Jane

Re: Alliance Selection Rules
 

This needs to be addressed by the GDC as a rule update, not just a Q&A response so it can be standardized across all regionals, districts, and the Championship. Its not fair to teams to be denied access to resources other teams can use freely. I agree that cell phone calls should not be placed on the field during alliance selections, but I don't see a problem with texting your team if you aren't currently making your pick.

A team was penalized and given a yellow card at the Virginia Regional last year when a Referee noticed the drive coach communicating with someone outside the playing field, not even the person with the Media Pass. I feel like this happens much more often than it is noticed.

Re: Alliance Selection Rules
 

Are there rules about this? As a "media pass person," my primary role WAS to take pictures, but at times I discussed strategy, talked to refs (they got everything right, fortunately), etc., though never during a match!

Re: Alliance Selection Rules
 

I'm pretty sure Jane isn't touching on people who do that, but rather people using the Media pass as a "floor badge".

Re: Alliance Selection Rules
 

<soapbox>
John,

When a student tells me that the entire regional has to wait because he is waiting for a text to make a selection, I believe that I have full grounds to have him put his phone away. What if something happens and he does not recieve a text back? Are we supposed to wait and wait and wait?
The alliance selections are supposed to be a fun and exciting process; if 3000 people are waiting because your team has not prepared your student with a comprehensive list (especially when you are a 5+ year team), then it dulls the moment while he is waiting for a text. We do not have time to let each team take 5 minutes to make a pick (16 picks x 5 minutes = 1 hour and 20 minutes).

The shouting believe it or not, makes it a much more fun process for other teams to be heard that they want to be picked. It tends to remind me of an episode of the Price is Right.

Moral of the story: Have your team member prepared and you won't run in an issue at all and you won't have to go to CD posting in different sections your dislike for what happened. I understand that your alliance partner had another suggestion of who to go with, but the point is moot as there was time to take care of this before your next pick came and that is still no reason to delay the process any further by waiting for a text as other teams have to face the same difficulties.

</soapbox>

Re: Alliance Selection Rules
 

And every team in the top 15 really needs a list. This year 10,000 lakes had a bunch of teams below 8th seed as alliance captain and when we reached the 7th seed the representative had no idea what to do and lacked a list, granted it was a rookie team IIRC, but it still shows the importance of preparedness.

Re: Alliance Selection Rules
 

Yes. Instead of checking them in and out, the passes are kept, giving access to the floor - not necessarily being used as a media pass but as a free pass to access that the person would not otherwise have. Not cool.

Jane

Re: Alliance Selection Rules
 

Tyler, the issue was not that he was not prepared with a list of teams, but the alliance captain wanted to selected a team that was not that high on our list and our representative wanted to ensure it was an ok selection. All the decisions on 1732 scouting/strategy is a collaboration between myself and several key student scouts and alumni, and I wanted to ensure alliance selection is another collaboration. Thus, our student team lead (who drives and thus doesn't know much about the other teams), asked if he could use his cell phone during alliance selections so all of our scouts could sit together and discuss the selections. So, while it may seem we were not prepared, we were actually very prepared and ensured before hand that our system was within the rules and would be allowed. I'll be honest, I have a ton of respect for you, but I don't appreciate you publically stating we were not prepared for alliance selections when that was not the case.

I do agree that time is a factor, but I would rather have a 2 or 3 minute limit and allow cell phones/computers/smoke signals/white boards. Having teams shout their team number or having student looking at the screen completely lost on who to pick, does not make anyone look good; just not very professional looking, in my opinion.

Re: Alliance Selection Rules
 

Everyone should make a list. It is a good exercise in evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of teams and robots.

Re: Alliance Selection Rules
 

Also good for when you get picked by one of these clueless alliance captains.