[Justin]

Hello Everyone,

I break my Delphi Board silence with my usual somewhat controversial post. I wonder if perhaps the FIRST community has gotten stagnant and unimaginative. I was reading over the responses to Andy Grady's post about "slinkys" and other balls we've never seen before. I was particularly amused by the responses "we'll they won't use foam balls because they used soccer balls before." FIRST has a tradition of being unpredictable and unique. I also wonder if the FIRST community hasn't stagnated. To me I think that "slinkys" would be great!!! It's new it's unique and it's something that _NO TEAM HAS DONE BEFORE_!! To often I think the teams that have been in this for a while have stagnated their designs a majority of the teams in FIRST have been picking up soccer balls or some other kind of similar ball for the last 5 years, some teams even more, isn't it some kind of drastic change?? I say cut 10 pounds off the weight and 2 inches off the size requirements. Now if FIRST were to do that, my prediction is that the veteran teams, many of whom use the same components year after year would mutiny. I wish instead of declaring that's not fair, or dismissing it as impossible or what have you that we embrace the new challenges put before us and be excited by them. I can think of quite a few games I'd like to see tried w/a robot half the weight and half the size.

My 2 Cents. Comment or Flame away,

-Justin