Scouting is a XXXXX ( students please watch you use of words - Martus), but yes-- it's very useful. I scouted for most of the day of the practice rounds, and did about 2-3 hours worth of it on the 2nd day. Anyone on our team that wasn't working in the pit was scouting the matches. Yeah... scouting is a XXXX ( same here - we do not tolerate this lanuage - martus).
We had a meeting back at the hotel after the practice rounds, talking about the good robots we saw and strategizing in case we had to play against them.
But it all paid off.
It's my first year on the team, and it really wasn't until regionals that I saw what all of our hard work had led up to. FIRST is the most rewarding thing I've ever been a part of... and to think, I had only joined to get out of my science fair project.
But I've been sucked in. Not that it's a bad thing...