Quote:
Originally Posted by JamesBrown
The only advice I can extend is send some one from your team over to there pit immediatly after their last match before the match with you. Have this person check and make sure the bot is all set for the next match, if it isn't offer them parts/help. When your team goes to que for the match, if you don't see your alliance partners coming stop by their pit and ask if they are coming. If they still no-show or field a broken bot then just go out there, play your game and show what your bot can do. The teams that you want to ba picked by don't care about your win/loss record, just your performance.
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I'm going to chime in on this one, since the 2 robots you mentioned, were well known at the Curie inspection area.
I'm not going to mention team numbers, (but the teams were right next to each other in the pits), but both of them showed up with illegal part (pneumatics and transmissions) on their robots, and didn't get their initial inspections until mid/late afternoon on Thursday.
As I pointed it out in another thread, Kudos go to Teams 1114 and 599 (whom didn't even have a FRC team at the championships .. ), both of the teams had several students (and some mentors), who camped out in one of the pits until the robot was running. There were a couple other teams who came over and helped, but I don't recall their numbers (sorry.) - I heard several times that the reason 1114 was helping, was because 1114 had a match with them and did not want to go in 2v3. On Friday, there was at least 1 inspector camped out at each pit until the teams passed.
With that being said, the students on the actual teams did not appear to be that motivated, especially when judges attempted to talk to the students (one instance, the students actually argued in front of the judge, who was going to talk to her; no one wanted to do it .. I was SHOCKED - typically my students swarm the judges when they come to our pits).
Personally, I think substituting robots wouldn't be fair - how would it be picked? and it would go against what FIRST tries to accomplish in the pits; teams working together to achieve a common goal.
It's sad to see weak alliances, and no show bots (and in the end, it really hurts other teams - look at 180 on Curie, SF at their regional, but finished 1-5-1, and seeded in the mid 70's .. was it their fault? Absolutely not), but it's a part of the game. I said it in other threads, but 180 should of been drafted. Sadly, the system doesn't always work as it should.
Keep in mind, while wins help, people who know how to do scouting, can see the potential of bots that lose matches. Anyone scouting a match when it's 2v3, knows that the side with 3 bots will almost always win. But, 2 robots can still play one hell of a defensive game against the 3. If your team is in an alliance that has a no show, make sure YOUR team uses it as an example of what not to do. Reading the (robot) rules during build season, paying attention to the inspection sheet, gathering every single spare part for your robot, having an experienced pit crew, and preventive maintenance on your robot, will put you in a much better position. Sending your spare teammates or students out to teams that you're going to be running with is a good idea also (only if your robot is running perfectly
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And I gotta say it one more time (not to hijack the thread) - 1114 and 599, you guys rock. I'm not too familiar with 1114, but 599 has been at most of the regionals my team made it to, and their team never ceases to amaze me. You guys are probably the only CA team that I wouldn't mind being beat at a Chairmans award for. How's that for GP?
