[CLandrum3081]

Nothing I'm about to say is going to be said for argument purposes. Just posting my opinion on this issue I've struggled with as well.

I think there's the obvious catch of teams at week 6 competitions having an advantage over teams at week 1 competitions. Yeah, that still happens anyway, between the extra time to fabricate those 30 pounds and being able to watch some matches on TBA and every other reason we could come up with.

But without bag day, teams at week 6 competitions could just as easily decide not to build anything other than a chassis before week 2. It would be stupid because they would have less time, but who needs that when you can already see what works and what doesn't? What the teams that are going to championships are doing? Are they all shooters? Are they all climbers? Oh, they're all climbers! Let's make ours climb too!

As for the practice bot thing, I'll provide an example of my own team. We have very limited resources and even fewer hands to work on our robot. One element of our robot is currently on nothing but an extra chassis. That element will be our thirty pounds. We didn't build a whole second robot. We have our basically-done robot sitting happily in its bag and crate, waiting for our week 2 regional. We will practice with just the chassis and the element. That's all we need.

I guess what I'm trying to say is...for teams who think they need a whole extra bot for practice...think again. Last year, we basically just practiced with a chassis that could knock down a bridge. We won our regional and went to St. Louis - with money, I might add, we begged frantically for in less than three weeks. We scrambled, but we made it. There's something inspiring about a ragtag, previously mediocre team that makes it to the World Championship.

Besides competition - why are we in robotics? I certainly wouldn't have joined if I thought it was like any other sport. You can see sports as unfair too - there's always going to be a better, stronger, faster team. But did they get that way because they were well-funded? Unlikely. Because their team has been around for twenty years? Well, it certainly hasn't helped our high school sports teams. Did they get that way because they worked for it? More likely. Part of why I quit other sports was because of the attitude - that "we're the best team in the world if we win" and "it's not our fault we lost" attitude. I certainly didn't come to robotics to hear more of it.

I joined to learn about science, technology, and engineering. Doing well is a bonus. Sometimes, it doesn't take a second robot or being able to use all $4000 in your budget - it takes determination, a little luck - and maybe a better attitude.

Hope that helps.