Now that there is some discussion/feedback on the Michigan tournament structure - thanks for bringing it to the people AND asking for input Dave! - what are we gonna do about it?
A lot of legitimate, and potentially serious, issues have been raised and will likely continue in Dave's thread. Hopefully the people "defending" the new structure take it for what it is: constructive discussion. But now that we are going to be required to do this, we could also get some discussion going on solutions and ideas for improvements. I for one am thankful that competing in FRC has prepared us teams for collaboratively working together to make things better.
So please post your ideas and proposals for solutions. Identify the problem, but focus on the solution. Unlike the Michigan tournament schedule, this thread is open to all teams worldwide
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Problem: When do we do inspections, and how do we not upset the tight competition schedule?
Idea for solution: Since this is an area that requires a fair amount of consistency, and probably on-site consistency for things like safety, weight, and size, make sure that inspections can happen on Thursday and extra-early on Friday so teams who are legitimately ready do not have to endure a traffic jam to get their inspection sticker to compete. We may need to require use of the pre-inspection process that has been in place for years, where teams self-inspect using the available checklist. Maybe ask teams to email their ~80% filled out checklist to the inspector when they bag the bot.
What it will take to succeed: A clearly defined "what to do before the event" checklist. A clearly defined load-in procedure/schedule that is specific to the venue (not an email to the main contact a couple of days before the event). Enough inspectors to handle the crush before matches start. Maybe a more robust and easy-to-use inspection checklist. More communication to teams to remind them to pre-inspect before bagging.
Ken