[DampRobot]

Thanks for the great suggestions Sanddrag. Making those changes would bring a lot of sanity to (and increase the level of competition at) FRC events.

The suggestions in this thread led me to reflect on something that has been bothering me for a long time. Wednesday night load in and inspections are two of many times that I feel bring an adversarial feel to the relationship between volunteers and teams. Almost every time I leave an FRC regional, I feel frustrated by volunteers that seem to enjoy enforcing arbitrary rules that hurt teams rather than help make sure the event run smoothly. Perhaps it's the rules, perhaps it's who's managing them, perhaps it's just the personalities of the volunteers themselves, but whatever it is, it needs to change. In my experience, most teams now feel like volunteers are roadblocks in the way to success rather than partners in running a safe, fun and fair event. This not only degrades the teams experience (which cost them several thousand dollars), but also creates a culture where skirting the rules is considered the norm.

Before you all jump down my throat, I'd like to say that I understand that these wonderful events could not be run without volunteers, and that I've met many respectful, responsible and prudent volunteers that have greatly enhanced my FRC experience. I'm thankful for their commitment and sacrifice. And yes, I understand that the volunteers have had long days, and are under stress. But at almost every event I go to, there seem to be a few volunteers that either enjoy jerking people around because they can or who get a kick out of enforcing arbitrary rules.

Another suggestion: could we not have music on Thursdays? I really don't need to have Miley Cyrus blasted at me while working on the robot. Given the safety culture at FIRST events, I'm surprised this hasn't been stopped already, as being exposed to that many decibels for that long is a serious auditory safety hazard.