[Zebra_Fact_Man]

I too hold 217 in the highest regard and have personally never seen anything at a competition that would make me think differently.

That said, the one voice I would very much like to here regarding this matter (because I don't think anyone from this team has said anything yet pertaining to the subject) is that of team 1538, The Holy Cows; the team that actually drafted them. If anyone would know about how much 1538 actually knew about the Thunderchickens' damages, I'd be 1538 themselves.

<speculation> My initial guess is that when told the robot was irreparable, someone from from the 1538 camp went over and investigated exactly how bad the damages were and personally assessed the probability of a successful repair (I mean, that's what my team would do, and were not even close to Chairman's caliber). If anyone could fix said fallen robot in time for the playoffs, I think the current World Chairman's Award Winner might be on that short list. [sidenote: Congrats btw on said achievement]
That would personally give me the confidence to make such a risky selection.

Sadly, I did not personally see the match where said fall occurred, however I did see the last match where they sat dead in, and I hadn't the clue what was going on.