[Racer26]

@Eric: I agree FIRST HQ seems to be very stuck on the FIRST vs. <other robot competition> bit, ESPECIALLY FTC vs VRC.

Numerous well respected members of the various programs have made the correct assertion that because the COMBINED effect of all of these programs reaches a very small percentage of students, any competition between the programs is both foolish, and flies in the face of the programs' stated goals of changing the culture, and inspiring recognition of STEM fields in students.

The part of the whole ongoing political battle between FIRST and IFI (and by extension VEX) that gets me, is that IFI has maintained the moral high-ground by continuing support for FRC, even in the face of what appears to be direct jabs at them and the viability of their business (No prepunched aluminum parts on minibots that arent FTC parts [straight-up attack on VEX components on minibots, IMO]).

IFI supports FRC a lot (via team IFI [111, 217, 254, 1114], donating VEXpro Victors, donating SPIKEs, etc). Were IFI to decide they'd had enough of FIRST HQ stabbing at them, and stop supporting FRC altogether, the program would surely suffer for it.