[JVN]

Mike,
I saw you guys at BAE, and I like your robot, but did you ever think that maybe you just didn't get chosen?

I mean... you and I both know that 125 should have had a place in the finals, but things don't always (often) happen the way they should. Weird things occur during picking. It seems that sometimes teams are just... bad at picking. Your seeded number often does not affect whether you got picked. I wasn't there, I can't possibly understand what happened... however, I dont think your not getting picked is something FIRST should appolagize for.

What should they have said? "Pick 125... no one has yet picked 125... someone please pick 125"

How can you completely blame this on FIRST?

I can't understand how... just because you appeared on the big screen, this would cause other teams to pass you by. FIRST made an error yes. It happens.

As for your complaints about the reffing...
It is difficult to call an intentional flip. In general, most flips are considered legal, unless a team goes out of their way to maliciously lift up on another robot.

Another note:
It was made very clear to me (at the BAE ref meeting) that once a robot is on it's back... or side... or whatever (incapacitated). That robot is fair game. Other robots can push you around, move you out of the way, whatever. It's all legal.
If you were already down... the additional hit was completely in the right. From what you described I can't see anything malicious that occurred. Team 816 appears completely in the right. The referee calls made during the event are FINAL.

Was it that difficult for your driver to remember which robot was on which alliance, just because of a light color? Again, this seems like a simple harmless mistake. Would it be better to hold up matches for 5 minutes while they go back to their pit and switch lights? Maybe their other cover was broken? There are a thousand reasons for what happened. Having the wrong color on isn't a terrible offense.

I find it disturbing that you would come to a public forum, and slander several other teams, and FIRST itself. None of the charges you have made seem particularly dire, or even noteworthy.

This stuff happens. FIRST does it's best to provide everyone with a positive, fair experience. It does not always succeed. There have been mistakes made in the past, there will be mistakes made in the future, but FIRST is trying it's best to fix things. Slandering the refferees for bad calls, and not knowing the rules (which is something you have not elaborated on... I've heard nothing but praise for the Philly refs) is not necessary. These refs are volunteers who are putting in their time to make this a good experience for YOU. If you disagreed with a call made, or the way a rule was being called, you should have approached the head-ref and let him know of your concerns. This is the way things are done. Not by complaining in a public forum, where the head-ref from the event is unable to defend him/herself.

If you have a problem with something at competition, you approach the other team/ref AT COMPETITON and talk things out. This is how it is, and has been done.

I sympathize with what happened to you, but not with the way it was presented here.

Bagh, lately there are too many threads like this one.