Re: [BB] What did you do with your weekend?
 

Seeing as it's coming up again, I just wanted to clarify where I think the onus lies, with respect to judges trying to interpret the significance of their observations with respect to an entire team.

As a matter of good practice, teams should strive to avoid situations where their insignia could lead a person to believe that something disreputable was happening with the team's approval. But shirts are memorabilia too, and naturally, the most authentic pieces are the most valuable, and indeed the best ones to give your friends. So there needs to be some balance. Teams should probably only be handing out their actual uniforms to people they trust...and non-team members wearing those uniforms should probably be aware of what they appear to be to an uninformed observer. (In other words, if you're wearing another team's shirt, be nice.) For random people receiving gifts or souvenirs, maybe they should be provided with something different to at least minimize the possibility of confusion.

But more importantly, judges need to be aware that the opinion of one person doesn't necessarily reflect the mindset of a team. (The same goes for inspectors for that matter, since they're often in similar situations where they might have to evaluate a team's intentions based on the conduct of individuals.) The judges need to be keenly aware of the nature of the contact they're making, and the inferences they draw. If an objectionable remark was overheard while they interviewing a team in a formal setting, did the other team members react positively/negatively? Or was this overheard in a queueing line (e.g. reacting to a call from a past match in private conversation) or a hallway (e.g. a person wearing a shirt with a team's number on it, saying something offensive)? And is the person making the remark in a position of leadership or influence?

And incidentally, the judges are going to have to figure out whether the gracious professionalism award is for the team that is most professional in aggregate, most professional per capita, most consistently professional, or something else. (Owing to the inherent subjectivity and the short amount of time judges spend directly interacting with a team, maybe it's always going to be "something else" by default.)

Re: [BB] What did you do with your weekend?
 

The Gracious Professionalism is definitely a team award so the team has to be considered as a whole, which means that one person on the team could undermine the chances of the whole team earning the award.

The individual's behavior will most likely influence the decision of the judges, especially if it is a close contest between three teams as mentioned in Bill's Blog. The behavior weighed against the team and lowered their standing in the considerations.

Re: [BB] What did you do with your weekend?
 

What strikes me about this exchange is that the comment wasn't directed at a fellow team member, an alliance partner, a parent, a sponsor - it was directed at AN FTA. The single most critical position at any event. Without an FTA, an event just plain won't run (assuming the use of official FRC equipment). The manuals give the FTA complete and final authority. This individual should be treated with utmost respect in any situation, reagardless of situation or circumstance.
I can't speak on behalf of other teams, but in our team, I don't tell the students they have to be respectful. I DON'T HAVE TO.

If I have a student that, after a fall semester and entire build season, I have reservations about that student representing our school and team well while at an event, I have no problem un-inviting that student to the event. Competitions are a reward for months of hard work; if a student cannot behave during those three days, that student should not be there.

I can't count the number of times I've seen the reprimand on CD of "no matter what the disclaimer, you're always representing your team." Doesn't this extend beyond the interwebs and into competition?

Re: [BB] What did you do with your weekend?
 

Why should I treat an FTA any better than anyone else? They are a person and if your reaction to any other person is a series of profanities then so be it.*



*It is still wrong but at least you are treating everyone fairly.

Re: [BB] What did you do with your weekend?
 

So, in a dispute, you'd use the same language with your sibling or college roommate as you would the Governor of Michigan?
If that's acceptable behavior, then we as culture-changers have a lot of work to do.

Re: [BB] What did you do with your weekend?
 

And you would treat the guy who cleans toilets after hours differently than you would your Governor? They are both humans who deserve the same amount of respect as you would hope they would give you.

Re: [BB] What did you do with your weekend?
 

Anyone you don't know personally deserves the same amount of respect regardless of who they are or what they do. What Taylor brought up is the differentiation between someone you know well, i.e. sibling or roommate, and a complete stranger.

I'm sure most of us communicate with our families and friends in a much more informal or casual way than we do with people we don't regularly speak with.

Re: [BB] What did you do with your weekend?
 

I will concede the point that treating a stranger the same way you would treat your brother may result in problems. I stand by my claim that if we respected everyone no matter their station the world would be better.

This student was in the wrong because he was disrespecting a fellow person. Had he said those exact words to the safety glasses attendant I would hope we would be having this exact conversation because who they were disrespecting shouldn't matter. It is still disrespect.

Re: [BB] What did you do with your weekend?
 

The documentation given to the teams doesn't even mention the FTA. They don't know what he/she is.

Although observing the FTA's role might soon convince them otherwise, at first glance, they don't know that the FTA is any different from the person badgering them about sweeping out their pit. It's understandable that some teams therefore don't take the FTA seriously, because they don't understand the position.

(This is a longstanding oversight: the teams need to know what's expected of them in order to adjust their behaviour appropriately. The "At the Event" section should summarize the decision authority matrix.)

As for authority, that needs to be qualified a bit: they can make decisions that nobody else would be in a position to make (acting in FIRST HQ's stead when circumstances dictate it), but that power should be thought of as a reserve power. You only use it because it's the last option available, and you only use it to the extent absolutely necessary. In particular, teams should not expect them to overrule a terrible call made on the field or a bad decision made at inspection, though they may note the incident in their report. Those issues are properly addressed to the head/lead officials, with whom ultimate authority rests. Similarly, volunteers shouldn't expect the FTA to overrule the volunteer co-ordinator on personnel matters, or the event manager on logistics.

Re: [BB] What did you do with your weekend?
 

If that student was close enough to the FTA to engage him in conversation, and berate them in the manner reported, I'm betting that he/she was part of the drive team. If they didn't know already, the drive team very quickly learns the importance of the FTA and their role.

As said before, a good FTA will make or break a competition and is the final authority on field and game management issues.

(All this applies to the FTAA as well. The job is big enough you need two people).

Re: [BB] What did you do with your weekend?
 

Personally I know an FTA well enough that I will poke fun at him on occasion sometimes about FIRST / field related issues as well as completely unrelated issues. However I've also watched him and worked with him on the field and he knows EXACTLY what he's doing, I would _never_ question him on a technical call even if it seems wrong to me, instead I would follow any instructions he gave knowing that he's doing exactly what he is trained to do and the problem will get fixed.

Another thing that might get on some people's nerves is the fact that sometimes the things the FTA does take time to take effect. Anyone that works with computers knows that computers take time to do things, progress bars are rampant when computers are involved, its a fact. The field is not different, it runs on computers and therefore sometimes you have to wait till the computer is ready.

The last thing and the thing that I'm guessing triggered that student's comment was when FTA has to make the tough decision that the match must start without being able to connect that robot. Yes, it's frustrating, I've had it happen to me, I think once at a regional and once or twice at battlecry. Here's the thing, when that happens I don't get mad, I talk to the FTA to make sure I know how to fix the problem because if the FTA can't fix it on the field it is probably a problem with your robot, not with the field. One thing that people also need to realize is so that everyone can have the number of qualifications that they are promised and go home / to their hotel at a reasonable hour. Matches need to start on time, yes there is a little push and pull but in the end matches need to happen in a timely way. The FTA is not happy about starting the match without making your robot work however it has to be done.

Overall the point of this post is they know what they are doing, yes they are people, fun to joke with, and can make mistakes, but they also know exactly what they are doing.