[scottydoh]

I'd like to start this by saying a few words about the specific volunteer you mentioned. I had the honor of being a member of his inspection team this weekend, and he truly is a great guy and very knowledgeable member of the FIRST community.

First, towards team 514. It seems as though you came in to this either knowing that your bumper set up was illegal or at least questioning it. If you were doubting the legality, you should have brought it up either in the Q&A Forum or during inspection, so things could be clarified for you early in the game, saving you all this trouble. And I certainly hope that you weren't intentionally hiding this in hopes that it would just slip through. I do appreciate the professional and calm matter in which you brought this up.

Second, I do not appreciate the negativity towards the inspectors. Its a stressful task, and it seems as though a few teams are out to intentionally make our job even more difficult. I won't get into details, but there are many things going on behind the scenes that teams never even see/hear about. While I was not the inspector that handled your team, I'm pretty sure I have a very good idea who did. Things slip through and mistakes happen. We as inspectors were not trained to "pat down" every bumper, but you are also expected to know the rules, and follow them, and if you have a question, clarify with one of us. In fact the very first inspection I did on Thursday morning had a questionable bumper set up, consisting of a notch cut out of the bumper. Due to that, I made sure I took a good look at the rest of the bumpers I saw that day.

And finally, towards the 49 other teams at SBPLI. If they noticed something off, they should have notified 514 much earlier, or if they were afraid, at least notify an inspector/ref/judge, all of which would have no problem relaying the information. While you might have been mad at them for "outting" your strategy, it would have actually ended up saving you.

In the end, it can be agreed that no one is directly at fault. All three groups made mistakes, but its over now. Theres nothing left to do but move on and learn for next time.