[PhilBot]

I think if something is called a penalty, or foul, by FIRST, it's pretty clear that it's something they don't want you doing. This isn't professional sports where it's just "a guideline".

If you start considering doing ANY prohibited action based on whether it will advance you in the game (either by ranking points, or just by foiling an opponents scoring) then you have totally missed the point of gracious professionalism and "NOT winning at all costs".

Play hard, but play fair. Un-intentional actions that cause fouls are expected... it's a physical game, but planning them as a strategy is starting down that slipery slope where the "means justifies the ends". That is NOT FIRST.

A prime example...

By the time we got to the Finals match at MD yesterday, it was pretty clear what out game strategy was:

Get crates in Auto and move them to our safe zone.
Get a ball.
Put ball in Crate, in Safe Zone.
Lift Crate very high in Safe Zone.

In our last match there was a pretty aggregious foul where an opposing team waited till we started lifting the crate (in our safe zone) and then attemped to swat it out of our grasp. They contacted our crate hard, but failed to dislodge it, and we won the match. They took a 40 point penalty.

When one of our team members approached the other team after the competition to congratulate them on a hard fought match (in general), the team member replied that they would glady take a 40 point penalty if it meant knocking us out of the top spot.

This team member knew that once we lifted, the game was lost to them, so they had planned to "risk a penalty" to force a win. This is a clear example of what FIRST least like about professional sports. If our youth learn that intentional sabotage of other business partners/rivals is acceptable in life, then we're doomed.

I encourage you all to treat penalties as what they are, prohibited intentional actions, and DON'T consider doing them for gain. It just brings everyone down in the long run.

Phil.