Quote:
Originally Posted by New Lightning
Personally I believe that banning the use of practice robots is one of the most ludicrous idea's that I have ever heard proposed as a solution. I get that many teams don't have the resources to build one, and that it gives and "unfair" advantage to the teams that do. But the building and use of practice robots has done more for the develop of level of competition in FIRST than anything else. Second why should we punish the teams who take the time energy and effort to get more resources in order to develop a superior product. If you don't like it, then do something about it on your own team.
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... thus making FIRST more competitive.
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Some folks might be able to make a strong case for the idea that time spent building a practice bot could be better invested demystifying building fun LEGO/VEXIQ bots for new students who don't know how much fun STEM careers can be.
Other folks might make a strong case for the idea that having a practice bot helps teams improve their on-the-field win record, and helps teams put on demos, etc.; and that investing in both of those things will help them attract students who don't know how much fun STEM careers can be.
In either case FIRST hopes the teams invest their time and resources well; and are able to nudge their community cultures in a good direction.
Switching from practice bots back to build seasons ... As you and other posters rightly imply, adjusting the build season is a complex topic. Some folks' musings and suggestions strike other folks as ludicrous. One person's what-if suggestion is another person's troll.
Figuring out what changes, if any, would strengthen FIRST's ability to carry out its primary and related mission(s) is a tough, multi-dimensional nut to crack, especially in an online discussion thread.
Blake