[SenorZ]

I "think" I've commented on this thread before... but a recent event at a scrimmage made me think of this again.

Standing near the field entrance, waiting for a match to end to ask officials about a lost robot part (!), a group of three students (from a long-standing veteran team) waiting to enter the field SHOVED past me saying "Robot!" I was literally the ONLY person within a 5' radius, and there was plenty of room. I almost lost my cool, but as a teacher I remembered these are students, and this was a teachable moment.

I stopped them and said, "Next time, you should say 'Excuse me,' and not push a person to the side." They nodded and went on their way.

Who knows if this had an impact. But team captains and mentors need to enforce this sort of courtesy among their crews. At competitions I've escorted a cart with robot and drive team through a crowd with barely a word. The key is not being rushed, I suppose.