[Eric Reed]

254 ALWAYS does well...they are simply a superb team. I don't know their exact record, but I want to say they've probably won something like 6 out of the last 8 regionals they've attended. So their victory in Sacramento should not be seen as evidence that collaboration is either good or bad.

Moreover, the students know the robot. When they have trouble, there are about 10 students (and two adults) actively working to get things fixed.

In fact, they did have some pervasive problems with their cable. Being an excellent team with an excellent robot, they still performed incredibly well.

I've personally decided that collaboration is now just another choice that teams can make, depending on their own philosophy. I think team 60 and 254 are model teams that really "get it".

Eric.