Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnBoucher
Please don't forget, the teams are the customers and FIRST is the vendor. FIRST has an obligation to communicate to the customer when changes to the product are being made.
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I don't really see it that way at all. FIRST is a non-profit organization, and all of us are members of that organization, not customers. Yes, we have to make payments (fees) to participate in various events, whether regionals or CMP. I believe FIRST *did* communicate a change to the product (hence this thread), and it was primarily a logistical one (moving fields and swapping fields), not a substantive one. The fundamental aspects of 'the product' haven't changed... You get to compete with all the regional winners, chairman's winner's etc. The field will still be 27'x54' just as you expected.
Now, if they said we don't have time/space to run Einstein so we'll just have four co-champion alliances, or if they said the fields will be under water, that would be a change to product :-)
The rules include a section on Tournaments, and I think most, if not all of those rules (include informing you of changes via Team updates and Q&A) are still applicable --
If they answered all the questions being raised here, those answers would elicit a bunch more questions. I suspect they don't even know all the answers to the first order questions yet, as Bill alluded to in his blog post. They are trying to stage a huge event with tons of logistics to consider, let them do their job and cut them some slack.... With a new venue as well as other motivations to change/improve things, some things won't be as you would most like it. Others may find things that have bugged them for years is worlds better.. Just like engineering, there will be tradeoffs and decisions need to be made.
P.S. Go tell the high school [Foot|Base|Basket]Ball team that you are complaining because you have to play on two or three different fields with different refs! I don't think they'll have much sympathy for you as they play on numerous fields throughout their season and post-season.
John Vriezen
Team 2530 "Inconceivable"
Mentor, Drive Coach, Inspector