[LeelandS]

I think some argument is starting to be bred out of how things are being said, something that tends to derail good discussion and exchange of ideas. The topic of the thread is to discuss FIRST Choice and the flaws it currently holds. Let's try not to tear apart each other's arguments, okay? *steps off soap box*

FIRST Choice may or may not be flawed depending on how you view it as a whole. I, personally, view FC as a bonus. Not something teams are entitled to, or something that should be distributed to teams in need, but a bonus to stack on the work teams have already done for fundraising. Yes, it does provide a lovely benefit to low-resource teams so they can focus their funding on other essential parts. But at the end of the day, low resource teams existed before FIRST Choice, and, if FIRST Choice ever ends, they will exist after. It's like... Um. It's not really frosting on the cake. But it's like, getting a piece of cake with frosting, and FIRST Choice is the sprinkles. So, because I view FIRST Choice like this, I don't find the system to be flawed at all. It's first come, first serve. It doesn't really get much more fair than that, to me. The items are all donated items. And FIRST is making use of those donated items by giving teams a chance to grab them.

I definitely see how some focus on the benefit it provides to rookie and other lower resource teams. I'm not really smart enough to come up with a system that treats all the teams fairly, so I can't provide too much discussion for how we resolve this. But it does seem a bit unfair that these donated items are going to teams who are less in need. But in the end, every team has the same chance to get them. It's not like veterans got a special password to access FC early. I'm not much of a shopper, so the concept of people camping, waiting for FC to open is a little over my head. But it ended up being a race, and people got what they could. There's not much else I can say. If a team missed out because they couldn't get there in time, I can't say I find it unfair. But I would if I was focused on FC being more important as a boost for low resource teams.

I can only find two things FIRST can do to make FC more fair. They either raise their stock, or lower the points each team is given. And since FIRST can't control the stock of donated items, adjusting prices and lowering the amount of points given seems to be the most logical course of action, at least in my eyes.