[A. Snodgrass]

A lot of experiments were done this year in the way the competition was done. One was how teams were inspected, and there were others, including active use of the message board system. A lot of problems that I saw this year develop came from conflicts over interpretation and the message board. However, I didnt see as many flaws as expected with the GAME. No game is perfect, and it is difficult for FIRST that the game changes every year. That means they cant set out rules to follow year in year out which specifically address problems which dont pertain to safety issues.

The game wasnt impossible to win in the elimination rounds, even if you did lose the first match. If you did well in the second match, and did better then the other team did in the first match, then it was still very possible to advance. I also liked the way the scoring went this year, although justin frankly you misrepresented it. It was two times the opponents score plus your own. This way you gained credit for the points that you gained, but you also gained points for what your opponent did if you won.

Also an opportunity for LEARNING still occured in this game. The business plan award for example. This might seem useless to you but I can see how the reasoning behind that award could be very valid. It encourages teams to structure how they are run more like a business would be run, and possibly help them be more efficient during the build season. If FIRST was just about building the robot...what would separate it from other competitions? The point behind this competition is to inspire the students who participate in it. Also it is to give students who are interested in science and technology something to do that they can look back on, and give them something that allows them to work as a team. Where did this game fail at giving them that opportunity?

Maybe this years game wasnt perfect, but if you REALLY have an objection instead of venting in here, bring it up at the team forum in a reasonable manner. Try to think of the reasons why the game was created the way it was. This years game wasn't targeted at marketing the segway, and I find it sad that you thought it was. FIRST was never totally about the game. The game is the end result but it isnt the whole point behind the competition. When you forget that....it makes it difficult to have as much fun as you could otherwise.