DampRobot, beautifully articulated. I couldn't have said it better myself. I want to like the volunteers, I really do, and most times I do, but not always. The 'arbitrary' nature of certain rules ( and the sometimes ruthless enforcement of said arbitrary rules) really is the element that bugs us logical thinking engineer types, always searching for optimization, efficiency, and an answer to "why?". In some cases, it does become a competition of who can " play" the rules the best.
Quote:
Originally Posted by notmattlythgoe
Not to be harsh, but maybe that's a problem with pit design. Our team can unload and setup our pit without stepping outside of it.
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If 973 rolls in their Super Pit and pops a couple latches and is ready to compete or I make 14 trips carrying in cardboard boxes and plastic crates and unpacking it all, what's the difference?
I'll tell you the difference: Thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours. I don't have the funds nor time to make the pit area you describe. Your team figured it out. Good for you. Even with our sponsors-plastered vinyl-wrapped trailer, team-owned tow vehicle and 14 years experience, we still have not been able to make a nice looking and functional pit area that sets up quick, and comparatively we're at a disadvantage to those who have.
*Disclaimer
And I don't mean this post to reflect negatively on 973 in any way, quite on the contrary. I'm just completely envious of their pit. It's a masterpiece. They saw a problem and solved it in magnificent fashion, and I wish I could say we've done the same. And before Adam says it, yes, rather than mentioning what I don't have, I should work harder to get what I want.
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Realistically though, resources are not infinite. There are limits to what teams can do, and we shouldn't have to jump through ridiculous hoops (**cough** practice bot after bagging) for the 80th percentile teams to bridge that huge performance gap to becoming 90th percentile teams.