[dlavery]

For this year, you can be a veteran team and still submit an animation as a "rookie" if, and only if, your team has never submitted an animation before. As noted above, if your team has submitted an animation in prior years but it was disqualified for any reason, then it still counts as a submission and you can no longer claim to be a rookie.

However, and this is the important part, this definition is good for this year only. DO NOT assume that the rules will be the same next year. Personally, I believe that a rookie team is a rookie team, and a veteran team is a veteran team (i.e. words mean what words mean). If your team has participated in the FIRST competition for more than one year, then the team is a veteran team - including the animation group. If the team chose not to submit an animation during their rookie year, then it is their choice to pass on this opportunity and they should not be able to submit as "rookies" later.

Otherwise, you could make the same case for every other subgroup on every team. Your team didn't submit a Chairman's Award nomination for the first seven years? No problem, just claim to be a rookie "Chairman's Award Group" and send it in and apply for the "Rookie All-Star" award. Your team never submitted anything for the "Controls Innovation" award, but wrote control system software for the first five years? No problem, just document your six years of experience, claim to be a rookie "Controls Innovation Group" and apply for the award. etc. etc. etc. I think you can see where this would lead.

So I would recommend that if you developed an animation this year, go ahead and submit it. Even if you think it doesn't stand a chance against some other animations, give it a shot. You never know what might happen! And don't automatically assume that the rules will be the same next year. If you want to withhold your submission and try it again as "rookies", and the rules are different in 2005, don't say you were not warned.

-dave