We had a fast, non-magnetic minibot that we showed everyone in the video right after ship.
We couldn't deploy it reliably.
We saw what 148 and 1429 did at Alamo, and said, "huh, so that's how you do it..." and set off to make one better than those.
FIRST has changed, John, you're right.
Check out this golden oldie from 2002:
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1608
A similar discussion, but instead of designs, we were arguing about whether STRATEGIES ought to be made public and copied. As in, "My team's robot will score a lot of tubes, then run back and deploy a minibot". That kind of strategy.
Anyway, if you want a secret, keep a secret. If you want to be flattered, show everyone your robot, and see if they copy it; but don't get your feelings hurt when they do - that was the point all along.