[Joe Matt]

As one of those Infineon teams that were everywhere at VCU, I can say that things arn't what they appear to be too. There are two parts of this mail-box that need to be addressed- the 'specialness' and the elimination rounds.

For the elimination rounds, I doubt that there was any push or FIRST mafia behind the decisions. Second, it's toally possable that the announcements for the teams influenced the opinions of the alliances. We may never know, but in FIRST, we just have to hope that people play fair.

As for the 'specialness' that these teams had, it's just unfair. Giving them privalages above normal people in a competition setting is not right. Just because one team has a sponsor should not allow them more benifits when it comes to the regionals or championships. I would be mad if our team or another team had a pass that got them into free breakfasts or better parking. It gives them an advantage that's not right. Now, what would be a better solution? How about instead of passes, giving the teams a free coupon for a free pizza or sodas at the concession stand? It shows your support without the whole VIP status thing.