[FIXIT]

Thanks everyone for responding to this post.

Let me summarize the results of this post. The problem presented here is real. Some teams get 6 full weeks to build their robot and some don’t. Some teams live in beautiful climates and some don’t. Some teams have more resources than they know what to do with and some have very few resources.

Overall, FIRST is a reflection of the real world. There are companies that have resources: money, great facilities, and a pool of engineering talent available to jump in and tackle any challenge. At the same time, some companies are limited to the resources and talent available in their immediate family. They are the Mom and Pop operations that make up the backbone of our socio-economic culture!

So, what does all this mean? It means that we have an uneven playing field. This is not going to change, and it is something we have to get used to. After all, we live in a competitive world, and the strongest make it to the top. That’s what makes FIRST such a great operation. With FIRST, everyone gets a chance to participate in a wonderful experience that encourages young people to get involved in technology, regardless of their level of experience. FIRST is a learning tool for all.

Now, here is the real dilemma with this weather issue: Some teams are faced with it and others are not. It would be very hard for a Florida team to understand how important a snow plow is during a blizzard. It would be very difficult for a California team to visualize a car hung up on a 3 foot snow drift. I might add that it would be difficult for someone in Ohio to explain what living through a hurricane and flooding is like. We live in different parts of the country and do not face the same weather conditions.

Something else we need to keep in mind is that not all teams are equally blessed with resources. Many of the smaller teams (most FIRST teams) have to rely on the schools to be open in order to get anything done. If the schools are closed, nothing gets worked on. No matter how much you plan for the weather, many students from an urban/rural setting do not have a way to communicate with other team members nor do they have a place to meet outside of school.

So, what do we do to make it fair?

FIRST is not about winning. It’s about transforming a culture, it’s about Gracious Professionalism. According to Woodie Flowers, “In the long run, Gracious Professionalism is part of pursuing a meaningful life. One can add to society and enjoy the satisfaction of knowing one has acted with integrity and sensitivity.” If this is the case, then what do we do for the teams that have lost 5-10 build days? How do we act with “integrity and sensitivity” toward this issue?

Several solutions to this problem have been offered. Any one of them will help level the playing field to some degree. Of course, nothing will be perfect, but at least it is an attempt at doing the right thing. Here is a summary of some interesting thoughts and possible solutions that have been posted on this thread:

1. I would love an extension… (chris31)
2. work-till-you-drop-athons on saturdays before shipdate (65 Xero Huskie)
3. Pretty much unless there is so much snow you can't open your front door you can get to where you need to build a robot. Extending shipdate is definitely not an option though for obvious reasons. Extending the "fix-it" window sounds like a great idea though. (techtiger1)
4. If the weather is bad enough to shut down FedEx, I can definitely understand an extension from Manchester. (Billfred)
5. I say that the shipping date should be extended. (rohit)
6. …with good project management, teams can plan for snowstorms. Hurricanes, tornadoes & flooding are much worse... but a little snow never shuts down the northeast. (Kims Robot)
7. If you are that team that lost 10 days of school thus couldn't work at all on your bot (or any number), FIRST should be able to extend your ship date by that amount. (d.courtney)
8. To meet the existing timeline for regionals getting more than a day simply doesn't work logistically. (Peter Matteson)
9. I think it is unfair that FIRST is refusing to extend the ship date, even if it was by 2 or 3 days, it would help a great amount. (Tiger963)
10. Personally, I think FIRST should allow some more fix-it-window time, but not extend the deadline. (Lil’ Lavery)
11. What FIRST needs is a system that allows everyone 6 weeks, not 6 weeks of fine weather at FIRST HQ, but 6 weeks where you live...(d.courtney)
12. …the only time FIRST should extend is when the shipping company can not pick up the crate on the 20th…(ALIBI)
13. I think a extension of the ship date is a fair decision. (redbarron)
14. The mayor of Cleveland told Clevelanders to say inside and not to come out because it was a weather emergency. (Wickedclown1)
15. …FIRST might consider extending the ship dates of teams who were affected. Either that, or allow specific teams at regionals an extension in their pit times,…(Vashts6583)
16. It was reported that this was the worst blizzard since the late 1970s. Purdue even canceled classes and all operations for 1.5 days, which is EXTREMELY rare. (Michael Hill)
17. Honestly, we would love to have extra time to build, but that's because we drag our feet. No one else is to blame, not even the weather. (billbo911)
18. Should we be given an extension because our school does not allow 24/7 access. We made it both years. Oh and by the way any metal work had to be done with hand tools only. (kawelch)
19. I am not complaining about any of the fine people that help out FIRST or the FIRST staff or anyone... I am just pointing out that this year we have an unprecedented amount of issues...(Bob Steele)
20. geeez....and i was going to say they should knock a week off the build season. less thinking, more building. (johnr)

In summary, most agree that there is a problem. The solution is not an easy one. All we can hope for is FIRST to make the right decision and truly make this a great experience for all!

We are not asking for the playing field to be completely level. We simply want to be able to get to the game!

Thanks!