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Its an iffy position
I can agree with all parties on this one. FIRST has a habit of making very slight changes to the playingfield which can effect the way robots work. One thing that teams must keep in mind going into a year is that the rules and the field may change at any moment, including at nationals. It is important that all teams build their robots to be compliant, give yourself plenty of space in design to be ready for such things. Where I feel the big issue with FIRST in this case is, was the lack of clarity in the rulings and so forth. Actually this whole year FIRST was very rough around the edges when it came to being clear and concise with the rules. It is important that everyone has an understanding of what the rules are, because the slightest little misunderstanding can cause what Lebanon has experienced here. It may be a good idea for everyone to put their heads together on this one and come up with some way to propose an easy way for FIRST to make sure every aspect of the game is completely clear, so that teams aren't turned away when things like this happen. This includes the question and answer system, rules, and team updates.
One thing is for certain, we have a great tool here for communicating with FIRST what we feel will make the experience better and more rewarding for everybody. Lets not protest, but communicate to FIRST what we feel is the best way to solve this and any other problem in a constructive manner.
Congrats to all,
Andy Grady
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