[Mr_I]

Can we all please take a deep breath and relax before pouncing on that "Post Reply" button? I doubt if anyone is really ready to leave FIRST just because they threw some limitations at us.

Like it or not, FIRST is a brand as well as a philosophy. As such, it is the interest of FIRST to say you have to use FIRST stuff. Just a fact of life, as many before pointed out.

Another thought to consider is the GDC put restrictions on the otherwise infinite number of variations that the minibots could evolve into. Aside from safety reasons (i.e., catapults), they're trying to be realistic in terms of what the judges will have to evaluate in determining which ones are in fact legal minibots and which ones aren't. So they put it simply as "FTC".

And, yes, there's desire to grow the FIRST community, etc. Personally I don't see how FTC-based minibots will bring this about, but hey, I'm only a high school teacher and a FRC coach, maybe I don't have the necessary experiences to understand the logic. So I do what I can do: I support my team and its students, and not rant about things I don't know about.

So as maltz1881 said, "NOW GET OUT THERE AND BUILD BUILD BUILD!!!!! "