Quote:
Originally Posted by Nate Laverdure
Seems that they did not. Shame on them!
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Prior to bag day, there is little that FIRST does to mitigate the uneven playing field that is FRC. There are always teams that, at the current juncture, are more fortunate in terms of funding, resources, experience... etc. However, at competition, it is my opinion that this glaring disparity is mitigated to an acceptable extent. What you did before bag day (out of bag windows included for district teams) is what you get take out of the bag when you arrive at competition. That is the same for every team. For the teams that build 2 practice robots, to the teams that work until 11:59 on bag day to complete a single robot.
While legal, I think that what 900 has done has provided us a peak through the looking glass. In the arms race that to a large extent is FRC, the disparity between teams will only continue to grow if events like this are allowed to continue. Many teams in FRC build practice robots, and for good reason. But the vast majority, apparently 900 excluded, most likely operate on the understanding that the practice robot will remain a test-bed that stays at home while the competition robot goes away to play.
I commend 900 for identifying a way to gain a competitive advantage, however I am of the opinion that this one in particular pushes the bounds of being within the spirit of the rules.