[DCA Fan]

I feel like every time we have one of these discussions I turn into an angry old man ranting about "the better days," but seriously, this is just asking for it.

1. Copycats: It's obvious that this idea would only generate clones of the best robots - even moreso than we see now. Even if the GDC were to tweak the game each year, the fundamentals would remain the same. Thus the game would come down to "who can drive/strategize better" rather than "who can design/build better."

2. Rookies: If you thought they had a disadvantage now, coming in during year 2 or 3 would be a nightmare.

3. Build period: FRC as I envision it, is about learning to build a robot given time constraints. It teaches students how to work with a finite time, prioritize what needs to be done and what realistically can be done during build season. This I think is one of the most important lessons, and something I'd hate to see thrown away.

4. Such a change would do nothing to help inspire students to pursue STEM careers. Most of my students come in in their Soph/Junior years. Why would they want to spend years maintaining a robot? I fail to see how this would teach innovation.

5. I could go on, but this really just seems like a budget move. I've been disappointed in FIRST before (leaving Vex was one big one), but this would make me seriously reconsider supporting this program. Mind you this is all speculation without any details, but as it stands, this would make me point prospective schools in other directions.