[Greg Needel]

The main reason I agree with FIRST in this case is mainly because of time frame. While as someone who is starting a rookie team this year I would love to get my hands on a controller the right decision has been made.

If teams chosen will be getting the controller September 15th and will be doing work for a couple months. The issues I see is the time frame for fixing problems before kickoff. If a team discovers a hardware or interface bug there will be little or no time to fix it before they need to be in the kits. Putting it in the hands of teams that may have the ability to fix those problems will be crucial.

For example it was veterans who came up with the new match pairing algorithm. Back in the Hatch days I remember watching some of my peers debugging the Hatch software on the fly week one so the other regonals could go off. I am not saying that young teams don't have the expertise to do this, but I would rather put my money on someone who has a track record of success.

As for the arguments about giving veteran teams a huge advantage let me put it bluntly. The teams in question constantly have that advantage over everyone else. While it may not be as obvious as this situation when it comes down to it those teams have the experience, the resources, the people, and ultimately the right combination that can only come from years of hard work. If you honestly think that getting your controller a few months early will magically boost your performance to that of 1114, 330, 245, and others you are sadly mistaken. If you are a good team then the shared experiences of the other veterans will make you stronger, and if you are struggling rookie team don't worry other people will have your back.