[Sarah Johnson]

Well, in response to the beginning question of the thread...

It may be disappointing for many that an incredible drive train is not the absolutely Huge advantage it has been in past years. However, I think that this aspect of the game is one of the best things that FIRST has done. I think that because it is easier for rookies to put together a chassis that will work tolerably well, the game is in fact more exciting!

I think that being able to drive well still is an important advantage, but it is not essential to the game. A tolerably good drive train with a decent arm can almost always score just as many tetras as a killer drive train with the same arm. It is just not that important. But I consider this an awesome aspect of the game because it allows anyone to feel their robot is a success. Having a sweet drive train is awesome, but I don't feel that it should be the main focus of the robot.

Maybe next year a sweet drive train will give more of an advantage to teams, but for now, I think this year is a great game, especially because a complicated drive system is not as important.