[Justin]

This whole mess @ BattleCry got me thinking about wedgebots. I'm sure that we can go round and round until we have carpel tunnel syndrome about why teams choose to build wedgebots but in my mind it certainly seems that, whether it is the intention to do so or not they are ideal for tipping. So one has to wonder I believe that FIRST does have a rule which prohibits teams for building a device on their robot dedicated solely to the purpose of flipping. Visa vi the Team 121 (yes I know that wasn't their number then) robot of the 1997 competition. So the question is where does this leave wedgebots?? Are the designed specifically to tip?? Maybe yes...maybe no. What are we left with in this debate then?? Well what I think this comes down to is a debate which mirrors the one that tries to determine whether Napster and the like are legal or not?? Proponents point to the fact that Napster and its contemporaries have legitimate uses. Opponents point to the fact that these services are predominately used to pirate music.

A few other observations about wedgebots. They're definitely quite reminiscent of more than a few BattleBots designs I've seen...I make no judgment on whether that is good or bad. Also it seems ironic to me that prior to the year 2001, a game designed specifically to eliminate any malicious activities within the game, I can't remember a wedge bot as such.

Lastly my posts, as it seems sadly like BattleCry, are usually not complete without some degree of controversy. I can't help thinking that a lot of what this is about is teams that are tired of getting picked on. I think there are a whole host of teams out there who probably watched their robots tumble helplessly down the ramp at the hands of 121/126. Rally and BattleCry perhaps they attempted to right these wrongs in the post season. I think what BattleCry 4 might have shown us is that perhaps this is not the right time. It seems to me one of the reasons that teams had such a problem with these calls is that the move 121 performed I've seen it called legal a 100 times before and now all of the sudden it isn't...and why? Because they are 121? Because they have a wedge? Because some teams got beat up on?

Okay really Lastly this time. I have been trying hard to come up with what Woodie and Dean's reaction would have been if they had been there for these finals. It is the first time I remember in my FIRST experience with such widespread booing. In addition I happened to be sitting in front of one team and actually witnessed what looked like mentors stand up and shout "Yeah that's it take out 176." "Ya come on 69 get Aces." In addition the heckled the refs and booed through almost the entire match. If Woodie and Dean had been there...I fear we'd be condemned to a 2001 style game for the remainder of FIRST's existence :-/

My 2 cents and then some probably...

Justin