Essentially you are telling us all to ignore the rules of saving seats. Despite the fact that we do not ignore rules about safety glasses, tape, and all sorts of robot and non-robot related rules. I think that many people who are reading this thread and many people in general would sternly object to this.
The fact of the matter is, if there were so many close and good viewing positions as you said, why could some of your team not shift to accommodate the scouts? There were no more than 6 individuals, meaning less than one half of a front row. Additionally, the team was just there for the match, but for the day. The argument that "we got there first" does not hold water in my opinion. Unless the team that is holding those seats has a full row in attendance, there is no right for them to deny others an ideal seat. There was simply no reason for you to not allow the scouts to sit. At the same time, if I recall correctly, there were not enough members of your team to make up the full row.
No one seeks a confrontation. If that were the case, I am quite sure FIRST would be no where near the level it is today. However, why do you suggest that there is something wrong with asking individuals to allow people to sit where there are no other individuals? The fundamental fact is yes, you may have gotten there first, but if there are empty seats, it is the right of other individuals to sit there. Support for your team is important and that can be accomplished by being as vocal as possible from anywhere in the arena =).
One last thing, as a teenage student, recently graduated, I sense a distinct level of disdain for members of my age group. We may be young, but we have all read the rules in this case and know the official stance. We are not boorish nor immature. One of the things that we are also taught in FIRST is to strive to be the best that we can be, which includes questioning when rules are not followed or not enforced.
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Originally Posted by eugenebrooks
I arrived at the location in question right after the confrontation occured, to watch my teams robot perform in its next match.
The fact is that there were many open seats available in front of Curie field when this particular incident occured, all of them providing a good close viewing position suitable for scouts. There were several rows of seats taped off with no one in them (an activity that I am not fond of), and anyone could have sat down in these seats without confrontation. There were also plenty of open seats.
Regardless of the rules, people save seats. People who would prefer to follow the rules can find themselves forced to save seats because everyone else does, producing a catch 22. It is not allowed in the rules, but it will happen anyway. This is human nature. When you run into that, instead of causing a confrontation, pick an open seat, sit down, and watch the match. It is usually not that difficult to find an open seat.
I run into "saved seats" quite often when I make the quick trip out from my support position in the pits to watch my team's robot perform in a match. When I do, I calmly explain that I will be there only for the duration of my team's match and there is rarely any conflict or concern. There is no profit margin in reading people the riot act with regard to the rules. If there is a conflict in spite of my being as accomodating as possible, I move to another seat. I almost never have to do that, and there is no sense in complaining on the rare instances when I do.
If you make an effort to avoid conflict, you are not likely to get one. If, on the other hand, you make an effort to cause a confrontation when interacting with others, you are likely to get what you seek. This is an important lesson to teach teenage students, especially those who are prone to causing confrontations. It does not matter whether you are right, or wrong, with respect to the rules. Causing a confrontation is not GP and we should learn to avoid this behavior, regardless of the situation. This is one of the things that we are supposed to be learning through our participation in FIRST.
Eugene
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