[Sam Slade]

First off, I want to preference my post by congratulating ALL 4 of the championship winners. It was a great strategy and well within the rules. I have no issues with the strategy.

I understand and support finding ways for any team to contribute more to an alliance. At the Southfield District in Michigan this year, a team took a cardboard trash bin from the event and taped it to their robot for the elimination matches. During the match, they loaded their alliance's remaining noodles in it and drove to the landfill to score points. No one cried "Foul" there, nor should they have. Teams then expanded to sharing can burglars and ramps, again with no one crying "Foul" (that I can remember anyways).

The strategy that this alliance came up with was brilliant. It sounds like it was an amazing experience for all involved. They didn't break any rules, no one was bullied into doing anything, they simply came up with a strategy to try to win.

I am, however, a little concerned with what "cheesecaking" may become. Are we going to continue down this path to the point at which a team simply builds three robots and slaps their partners' numbers on them for the match?Again, I am not accusing anyone of doing anything wrong. I am simply wondering what the future holds.

Again congratulations to ALL 4 of the championship winners. To insinuate that a team does not deserve the championship win as part of the alliance just because they didn't play in a match is absurd. Does a backup quarterback "not deserve" a ring when their team wins a Superbowl? Everyone has their role to fill. That's what makes you a team/alliance.