Ken358 thank you for your lucid explanation of your team’s view of the incidents involved (The actual round and the award determination). I graciously accept your apology and am sure that most, if not all of our team members will do the same after reading your post. I don’t want there ever to be any hard feelings that might stand in the way of the success of this program.
For those readers who are not familiar with team 358, they are sponsored by FESTO, a major contributor to the FIRST program and sponsors of several other teams in some capacity or another. They also have run numerous workshops to help teams better understand the function and operation of pneumatics. Every person associated with the team that I’ve ever met including coaches, advisors and engineers were outstanding individuals. In fact, two rounds prior to the incident with the mouse, one of their engineers came to our assistance to help us with a pneumatic problem at a moments notice. I am completely sure that they have never entered a match with the intention of harming or destroying any robot or part thereof. I feel that the problem lies with the message that FIRST is allowing to be sent, no matter how overt or innocuous it may be.
I can understand, in the heat of the moment, any student getting excited or even happy about the events of the round that enabled them to win. I don’t wish to argue whether or not actions were taken or that things were said by students after the mouse’s demise; in the heat of the moment we all can say regrettable things. In fact, I wasn’t too bothered by the actual damage to the mouse and even stated that it could happen in a thread prior to the whole regional competition.
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...?threadid=2933 I WAS upset by the way that FIRST handled the matter. I know that the teams voted on the award, but it was the FIRST judges with the approval of FIRST staff members who used the definitive phrase “Mouse Trap” (Sorry Ken, but that is what the text said you were being given the award for). I feel that there are times when the FIRST staff needs to usurp the decision of the voters when it is not in the best interest of the program and choose the defensive move which received the second greatest number of votes. Like maybe, Team 28 who, without an ally even showing up for the round, went end zone to end zone twice to beat two powerful opponents single handedly!!!! I say this not to keep the award from a very good team like 358, but rather not to foster the idea that damaging robots is something we want to do. Heck, they could even have still given the award to them for that round and mentioned everything that they did which deserved the award---but don’t SMILE when you read the phrase MOUSE TRAP.
I feel like this year we’ve moved two large steps closer to Battlebot mentality to gain a greater “share of the viewing audience”. And it was done at the expense of the basic precepts of the FIRST program. If we really want to encourage students to develop innovative designs and enjoy working with professionals in the engineering field we won’t do it if all they talk about when the return to the pits is how their next robot is going to be a “KILLERBOT”.
Again, please understand that any misunderstanding that might have existed were probably due to “the heat of the moment” and that we harbor no ill feelings, we just want future matches to engender all the goals of the FIRST spirit.
BTW Team 173 gets my vote for the robot of the year. “FEAR ALL YE WHO FACE HIM!!!”