[Waynep]

Two Words: SOFT DEFENSE
Any robot can be an effective defensive partner if they play defense smart. There are a lot of teams that don't realize that you don't have to be the strongest bot or be the bully who rams, or has a wedge to be a defensive robot. Give me any robot and I will get them to play effective defense by getting in the way or pushing in the right spots. Good example is 1708, when we put them in using the kit bot they did nothing different then what we would have done had 395 been running and did an incredible job against MOE. (MOE I say this with all due respect as you had an outstanding robot and was the most threatening to us as a capper). Positional defense is more important than taking out one paticular robot. When robots become bullies they lose sight of what else is going on on the field and wind up wasting their time tangling with one robot. And as others have said, it's not in the SPIRIT of FIRST; everyone has worked very hard to get their robots here to compete so you should be mindful of what they put so much time and effort into. You do not have to hit hard to play defense, nor should you in my opinion. Also, set boundaries to avoid taking penalties and to provide best coverage. Make soft defense clear on your alliance during strategy meetings for your opponents sake and for your alliance.
-wayne