[MikeJ675]

On my former team(I'm now thousands of miles away in college) we had a few rules for the shop, which translated to the competitions as well.

The two semi to completely applicable to the topic at hand are-

1. No discussion of politics in the shop.
2. No discussion of religion in the shop.

I've been of the opinion that religious beliefs are a private matter, and as such, avoid turning it into a topic of conversation unless absolutely necessary.

As long as someone isn't shoving their beliefs into my face, I won't shove back. Prayer by the field is pushing on that boundry.

Like it or not, having a prayer session in the focal point of the entire event tends to force those that are awake to be involved in some way.

If you wish to get together and pray, no matter the religious figure, please do it somewhere that isn't the center of the entire event.

What point does the prayer at fieldside serve that one in another location cannot?

There's a bit more I'd like to say, but it would be verging on throwing some gun powder towards a fire, so I'll end here.