[AdamHeard]

We picked a team at our first regional that was a Ri3d, but with a better pneumatic hanger.

These kids were a new team, they weren't good last year, but they were STOKED to be scoring this season.

Ri3d and others might be distracting to midlevel teams (Top teams certainly will value the data provided, and objectively integrate it with their own testing and ideas to achieve a better product), but to the really struggling teams (especially without mentors) they are incredibly helpful. I said this elsewhere, but it's naive of us to assume that all teams should follow the ideal design process. For some, it's copy or nothing. Ideally, after having a fun season, they are motivated to learn and grow and move up. Certainly they are more likely to do this after doing a ri3d than a kitbot with nothing else.

The benefit to these teams is huge, you're talking about kids who possibly would have hated the program instead having a fun and inspirational season. The downside of some teams being distracted by designs that they can't help but copy is negligible in comparison.

Also, as this programs grows and hits the scale we're all dreaming of, more and more things like this are going to happen. It's unavoidable, and should be embraced as part of the future.