[Travis Hoffman]

Hey, we don't have the strongest drivetrain in the world, nor do we have an ultra-functional arm, but we do have one of the best strategists and best drivers in FIRST, and when they decide to use the bot and arm for defense like they did today at the Greater Toronto Regional, some amazing action resulted. Ask 1114, 1305, and 1511 if they had an easy time going about their business in the Finals.

There were some powerful and/or maneuverable drivetrains in play at GTR, but they proved to not be as much of a factor as they COULD have been, though (1305's bot sticks out as the lone exception in my mind). Heck, even those teams with marginal drivetrain capabilities failed to take advantage of the opportunity for defense when it was warranted. There were many quarterfinal matches where the weaker offensive teams were content to leave their opponents alone, and guess what, they lost in a not so exciting display of action. The let's go offense, everybody cap mentality FIRST is trying to encourage only works well if the alliances are equally matched offensively. Otherwise, like I've been saying, this style of gameplay simply makes it easier for the more powerful offensive teams to cakewalk their way to victory. In the finals at GTR, we recognized we had no chance in heck of matching the #1 alliance's offensive output. So guess what, we played *just a little* direct defense against them, kept the scores low and close, and were within a few tetras of pulling out a victory. We also just happened to create one of the most reportedly exciting finals experiences many of those in attendance had the pleasure of witnessing. So when FIRST says they want more offense, please don't take them literally. If you believe you can match or exceed your opponent's capping capability, then by all means, have a go at it. However, do not automatically lock yourself into this style of play for the entire competition. Greater Toronto proved this to be true - CONTACT IS OK and makes the game exciting, if you're not running around smashing or tipping over everything in sight. And don't be afraid to use those arms to block access to a goal whose ownership is critical to the outcome of a match. Don't push on the offensive bot's arm, but instead, push on the tetra they're holding, keep your arm straight up in the air, or cover the goal with it. Goes a long way to limiting the effectiveness of an offensive power. Here, it helps to have a strong, maneuverable drivetrain in case the offensive bot decides to attack the goal from a different angle or simply go cap somewhere else. Basketball players use their arms for both offense and defense. It's ok for FIRST teams to do the same. Just remember that like basketball, there are penalties involved for using your arms in an improper manner.

That was the greatest, closest, hardest fought finals action I've ever been a part of. Congratulations to the winning alliance for pulling out a great victory, and THANK YOU to the amazing refs who let the contact and action go on penalty free. No tippping. No ramming. Just excitement. Offense AND Defense. It was a special sight to see.