[Robomarfa]

This is my second year in FRC. We bought Rhino two hours after kickoff. Does it feel "too easy?" Sure. I did not want to pass up on a competitive advantage. We did the KoP chassis in our rookie year and did not get it until the end of Week 1. We have limited resources and would have gone the KoP with pneumatics like most others. I predict the end results in six weeks would be very similar with either choice. Except the students will learn about the advantages and disadvantages of a track drive instead of a second year of six-wheel. We all start with some level of COTS after all.

I have a 9th grader who has never programmed and speaks little English. She has learned LabView and has figured out joystick, pneumatics, relays, NavX, Drive, sonar, autonomous, limit switches, Talon soft limits, PID and encoders. Starting at a higher level of software abstraction made this possible. If she wants, she can pursue a proper education in software engineering based upon this introduction. FIRST. Same can be said for mechanical systems. We inspire them to further pursue an interest in engineering or science. FRC is not the College of Engineering. It is one path to the door to the college.

In the end, I think FIRST might consider the pros and cons of sharing the game beforehand with suppliers that make game-specific COTS. That is the real issue under discussion here, not gearboxes. As for me, I'll buy the equivalent of Rhino drive next year if I can. We do not have a machine shop (or hospital or Home Depot) in our county. I want my kids to have a positive experience compared to kids that have their workspace at NASA. Looking at you my fellow Texan friends on 118! Y'all inspire us because of your history and resources. If COTS gives my kids a better overall experience on a very un-level playing field, I'm all in.