[Nemo]

Why is it considered so bad to leave a couple of people in the pits to quietly work on the robots during opening ceremonies?

Our team went to the R2OC offseason event, and it was amazing to not be harried out of the pits to attend the ceremonies. Our team and the other teams I observed left about two people in the pits and the rest of the team went to the ceremony. The world did not end.

The rules indicate that using power tools or being noisy during ceremonies is not allowed. This implies that work is not absolutely banned at that time. At official regionals I've been to, the policy has tended to be that you can only be in the pit if you haven't passed inspection yet. Why? This policy runs in strong opposition to the natural tendencies of the hard working and time pressed teams at the events. It surely creates a lot of unhappiness and stress for both teams and volunteers. Why is it necessary for us to punish ourselves?

Again, I point out that it is pretty easy for rational teams to send 90% of the team to the ceremony and leave a couple of people behind to quietly and productively get the robot ready to put on the most inspiring show possible. There is quite simply no harm in this. It is not a grave insult to anybody.