Thread: Is this in the spirit of things...
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Unread 23-06-2002, 22:29
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#0047 (ChiefDelphi)
  
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Re: P.S. yes I thought of that...(FIRST, Please read!)
Posted by Thomas A. Frank.

Engineer on team #121, The Islanders/Rhode Warrior, from Middletown (RI) High School and Naval Undersea Warfare Center.

Posted on 1/11/2000 7:05 PM MST


In Reply to: P.S. yes I thought of that... posted by Joe Johnson on 1/11/2000 6:36 PM MST:



: The question at hand is a larger one: Is it within the spirit of the competition to maximize your Qualifying Points in ways that are not against the rules but do not involve trying to win.

Joe;

I would opine that this is a strategic decision, and fully within both the letter and spirit of the rules. Sometimes, in business (or in war), you simply back away...discretion is the better part of valor, that sort of thing...

Which leads into an observation of my own - the decision to disqualify a team if they decline to be allied when picked. This is the most absurd decision by FIRST (meaning Dean). Let's say you're the #2 seed. Your machine is highly optimized for one particular piece of the action. You know that another team is the perfect compliment to you. Together you can rule the field. So you really want to pick them. Then the #1 seed comes along and picks you.

Not only have you lost the opportunity to team with who you ideally want to, you've lost control over your own destiny. You are not the alliance captain...you have no say over the third team member...and even if you do convince the #1 seed to pick *your* ideal partner, what do you think the odds are that the alliance captain's team will sit out and let you and your ideal mate fight for the glory?

This seriously diminishes the value of your seeding position, other than being #1.

In the real world, if you decline a job offer, it DOESN'T mean you never work again! Indeed, sometimes it gets you a better offer. FIRST should be the same way.

(Perhaps Dean approves of leveraged buyouts)

I find this particular twist highly unfair, and actually somewhat offensive.

I would like to see the rule changed to allow the top 8 seeds the option of declining without disqualification.

Tom Frank


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