[billbo911]

My roles as a volunteer have been as an RI last year at an event where my team participated, and as an FTAA at two events this year where we participated as well. Of the two, I can tell you it is BY FAR easier to be an RI and remain independent from and impartial toward your team.

When there are multiple RI's, it is very easy to have someone else inspect your team. You can still give your team advice on modifications and repairs, but ALWAYS have another RI sign of on the re-inspection.

As an FTAA, it's not quite that easy. There are not always multiple FTAA's available to have someone else interact with your team. If you are fortunate enough to work with two or more FTAA's, it get's a bit easier. (We actually had all 4 FTAA's at one event from our team, and 3 FTAA's at the other this year. Fortunately the FTA at both events were from different teams, so it made impartiality possible.)

The bottom line is, don't hesitate to volunteer, just know that you may be in situations where you need to walk away. It's not always easy to do, but sometimes it is necessary.