[hrench]

We're a mostly self-funded team, nine-kids and from a small town--tight as budgets get. But we have a program called 'no robot left behind' (NLRB)where we intentionally bring bins and bins of COTs stuff and happily give it away.

Since my robot never broke during champs, I spent most of my time with rookie teams devising crazy schemes to make them more competitive--then giving them the parts or listening to the pageing system and trying to beat the other chairmans competitors to the call.

And I'll willingly admit that it's probably because we're trying to win chairman's awards. Even though those teams that you give things to aren't chairman's judges, what everyone thinks of you has a big effect on chairmans.

Also, because we have a huge stock of parts from an 11 year history, many of the parts aren't a problem. Sometimes we need the parts back (Festo, Talon) but most of the time, no problem We have crates of unused motors. Cylinders too. If we help you build a new 'system' we'd rather you keep it so you'll be competive in off-season. Yes, rookie teams, we DO like to compete again...

Don't worry about buying parts. Find the teams trying for chairman's--they'll probably give them to you. We have eight RCAs.