[Madison]

Originally posted by Ricksta121
"The new tipping rules are directed towards you"
My Reply: "I know "

I'm going to venture a guess here and argue that the "new" (read: clarified interpretation of the) tipping rules weren't directed at you so much as they there to protect you -- and battlecry, for that matter, from the exact sort of behavior you're showing anyway. The point wasn't to single you out, but to give everyone a better understanding of how existing rules would be interpretted. Yet afterward, you are still here whining. Whatever.

Driver Meeting
Tipping was the main topic. I had a few questions but before i had a chance to ask head ref some questions, he had left. My next meeting with him was in our pit. When he was walking towards our pit I knew in the pit of my stomach he was coming over to talk about us having a so called "wedge bot". He said all the same things regarding tipping as were said in the drivers meeting.

That the referee was aware of your team's history, your boastful signature proclaiming the number of robots tipped, and your affinity for making a scene, is a bad thing? Again, I seem to recall so many teams and team members calling, hell, screaming for referees that knew what was going on.

Now that you've run into that ref., it's not such a great thing anymore? Isn't that a double-standard? Or, will you point to other threads here and note, uselessly, that you never supported such a call to action?

You write that you're willing to accept the consequences of your actions, but it's crystal clear that you're not. You are experiencing the consequences of your actions in every event you attend with all of the extra scrutiny you receive.

Why do people pay so much attention to your team? If you'd have kept your mouth shut over the past 6 months and you hadn't whined about how the referees were out to get you, how you shouldn't have been DQ'd, ever, and how you tipped over "X" number of robots, nobody would know you exist.

Face it and please stop being a whore for attention. You're giving FIRST and all the good things I work so hard for a bad name, and it makes me sick.

Accept the consequences and the responsibility for you and your team's behavior over the past several years. Know that every time you compete for a long time to come, your actions, your words, and your adamant denial of fault in everything is going to lead to extra scrutiny. Know that there are teams and individuals in FIRST who will not ever again choose 121 as alliance partners, nor seek their advice or help because of your actions. Know the precedent you've established and own up to that, first. Then you can worry about accepting the consequences for what you've posted here.

I knew this ref had something against our robot.

It seems like, in his opinion, your team has consistently played maliciously throughout the 2003 season. Again, he is aware of that history and is aware of your predeliction toward making a scene. He warned you in advance, probably in an effort to avoid such a scene. It's only something personal, again, because you have to make it personal. Own up to what you've done, suck it up, and move on. Nobody's going to cry you a river because you're acting like a selfish, spoiled, undeserving brat.

The reality of the call at Battlecry, or in Houston, or anwhere else is completely irrelevant. It's the way that you handle such situations that really says the most about your team; particularly moreso than any trophy could ever say. You've handled this, and many, many other similar events in truly bad form, and until that changes, you'll continue to experience negative attention. Maybe, in your eyes, any attention is better than none at all, but that'd be a sad thing to think about.

You've been given the opportunity, fairly or not, to be a better person and a better team than you've ever demonstrated yourselves to be. I'm waiting for the day that you'll all take advantage of that opportunity and behave like adults and, maybe, finally understand that there are more important things to be gained from this program than trophies, bragging rights, or banners.