[Abhishek R]

This has been getting to me for a while now, but I thought the thread would die down earlier...

Repeating yourself over and over again and trying to force your opinion upon another is not a trait of "gracious professionalism," which is another goal of FIRST. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and there comes a point where one is no longer rationally discussing it and listening to the points of others' but treating it as a one-way street. I am absolutely certain everyone here has the best interests of FIRST in mind. And there is a difference in how each offseason likes to do things.

To use an extreme example, if the goal is to be more inclusive, then why, during the official season, don't the top teams at a regional pick some rookies or teams that haven't been to eliminations before, in order to give them the learning experience and excitement of being in the knockout stages? The answer is simple; everyone is trying to compete and if the captain believes that team will not give the alliance the best possible shot of winning the event, they won't be picked. Now if an offseason decides their goal is to model an official competition, then it is the CHOICE of the captain to pick whoever they would like, and it is not another teams' place to approve/disapprove of their pick. If the offseason event's goal does not match the specific goals of your own team, that's fine, everyone is acting in good faith towards the best interests of their team - but no one is forcing you to attend the competition.