[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by MysterE

#1 - Screaming at the pedestal does not make it light up.
#2 - Screaming at the referee closest to your side of the field does not make the pedestal light up.
#3 - Screaming at the ball handlers on your side of the field does not make the pedestal light up.
#4 - Screaming at the human player from the other team on your alliance does not make the pedestal light up.

I want to start out this response by saying that #2 isn't true. The referees are the people that determine when a cycle ends. Letting a referee know that the cycle should have ended by now is literally the only thing you can do to get a pedestal lit up when you need it. Maybe it's not the correct referee, but that referee should be able to signal to another that hey, the cycle didn't end.

I was also saddened by the actions of some coaches - especially adults - who felt that they had a right to yell at their drive-team and other drive-teams. I saw clear examples of bullying that left me speechless and saddened. I saw rookie teams treated horribly and watched FIRSTers throw temper tantrums. I even heard coaches cursing out other teams - adults and students alike.

I am not going to sit here and say this isn't a real problem. It definitely happens. I do wish to add though that yelling is going to happen behind the glass no matter what. The lexan shield dampens noise so much, and you need to get attention so quickly, that projecting and raising your voice is the only way to accomplish this. I would not be so quick to interpret any "yelling" as badgering, bullying, or otherwise negative. Often times it is just about trying to get the attention of your alliance as quickly as possible to communicate information as quickly as possible.

I would also like to add that coaches have the right to interact with their own drive team however they want. It's up to the team how their drive coach driver dynamic works. The only place you can judge is in how drive teams interact with each other. If a drive team has practiced and agreed upon having a coach yell during matches, it's not your place to decide that the *internal* communication of that team is inappropriate. Inter-team interaction is a different ballgame though.

To those I say these simple words: Grow up. While I may be preaching to the choir here on CD, there is never any excuse to yell at anyone while on a FIRST field. I don't care if a ref missed a call or if the Human Player misses the pedestal light for a fraction of a second. I don't care if you lose due to someone else's mistake. You do not have the right to act like a jerk.

You're right in that there's no excuse to be a jerk on a FIRST field. I just have to ask you to put yourself in the shoes of a team, competing to win the World Championship, whose pedestal hasn't lit up. You've worked for months and put your heart and soul into your robot and team, and now you might lose your chance at glory because of a field problem. The first thing you can think to do is to get the attention of a ref. You project loudly and attempt to communicate to the ref your problem with the pedestal. This may be loud. I don't think this action is inherently unreasonable.

That is not to say there haven't been drive teams and coaches that were unreasonable - absolutely there were. All I'm trying to say is that every instance of a coach trying to get the attention of a referee using a loud voice isn't inherently wrong and is totally understandable in the intensity of the moment.

I don't mean to minimize your message, but I just want to say that there's a fine line here that people can be on the right side of.