[Mark Garver]

Do you really think your team’s Drivers, Human Player, and Coach look up into the stands during a match to get inspiration to do a better job?

I can only answer for myself, but being a past driver and human player, and currently a coach, I can tell you that I never look into the stands during the duration of a match. Yes, I do look into the stands before a match starts and seeing my team standing has definitely boosted my confidence about a match. I also look to the stands after the match to see either my team standing and cheering because it is a clear victory or to see my team trying to calculate the score to determine if we won.

So I guess I agree, standing does show respect and gives your Drive Team a boost of confidence. But is it really necessary to do during the match… my opinion is no. Show respect to the other spectators trying to enjoy the matches. Teams form opinions about other teams not only on how their robot performs but also how teams act in the pits and stands, being positive or negative.

In addition to sitting during matches, I would like people to follow the same unwritten rule as hockey has; you don’t go to or leave your sits until there is a break. This would mean that people wouldn’t be walking up and down the aisles during matches.

I know our team gets tired of asking for teams in front of us to sit during matches. I am sure this could and has lead to teams being rude in how they ask teams to sit because of having to do it continuously.

I am sure the stands are designed the way they are for a reason…