Hi, I am the driver of team 368's robot, and I think since I was directly involved in this, I should post something to stop this thread. I think too much emphasis is being put on winning in this thread. Yes, winning would have been nice, but FIRST is NOT only about winning. It is about learning, being inspired and being gracious professionals.
As a driver, I admit that also I thought it was a questionable call, being that I did not recall that particular rule. I believe I did not drive 254's robot into our teammate and the ruling has never called before, BUT with the pressure and intensity of the matches it may have been over looked and as I had said in the beginning, the ref's call is final. I probably did not notice it, because I was really into the game. I really appreciated the referee calling me over to explain the ruling to me. If the referee felt that I was reckless with the robot and I had endangered someone, I would rather have be called for a penalty than injure someone. I trust the referees to make whatever decision they believe they should make. This is also part of the game. If FIRST says that they cannot be questioned, take it in the spirit of the game, and move on.
I would have loved to win; Team 368 has been always trying to win at the SV regional, but being gracious professional’s means more then just winning. I was glad to just be in the finals, after a lot of bad breaks, ending with our ranking the lowest ever in McKinley history. Thanks for picking us 1097 and 852! You guys were an awesome alliance
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Team 254’s alliance deserved the win regardless of what others may think. We gave it our all and tried our best. What’s done is done and that should be left on the field. I was just glad to have been able to give their alliance a run for their money. Congrats! You guys were awesome.
Dear Ductapejason, thanks for your support of our alliance. We appreciate it, but Mr. Morrella was directly involved in giving us an opportunity to even BE associated with FIRST Robotics, let alone, allowing us to be able to compete in FIRST Robotics competitions. He came all the way down to Hawaii with a couple students to encourage us to join FIRST. I am thankful that I could have even been in such an exciting match, and that we even HAD the chance to compete for first place. We understand that emotions were high, and I’m sure you feel like you opened Pandora’s Box. So everyone please let this thread die out. There is no sense in writing anymore about this ruling.
I love FIRST robotics for what it stands. The competition is an exciting part of it, but please don’t let it distract us from the real ideals of FIRST; Gracious Professionalism.
- Ike Nagamine