Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon Stratis
Aren't Sophomores/Juniors inherently at a disadvantage when put up against a senior? By the simple virtue of being around longer, seniors have done more, and very likely have more leadership on their team (In our team, all captains have been seniors for 7 years, until this year with our first Junior as a captain).
So, even if Juniors are preferred, judges likely look at the students and think "Hmmm... A senior who is the captain of the team and did all this stuff for the past three years, or a Junior with 2 past years and less team leadership?"
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That is true, but I have seen sophomores and juniors who have taken on high roles of leadership. On my team, we have had plenty of Vice Presidents who were Sophomores (even currently!) and presidents who were Juniors, who also were drivers, designed key components, and so on and so forth.
In addition, FIRST is springing this on us so suddenly.
This is something a lot of current seniors have been working for. We have all toiled away countless hours working with FRC and mentoring FLL teams, partly so we can get some recognition and hope to win this prestigious award. Because of this new decision, I bet that a lot of seniors (me included) are disappointed that they did not even have a chance. (In the past, the seniors have usually been the ones recommended) If this is something FIRST is really bent upon, they need to let us know at least a season in advance.