[archiver]

Posted by s_alaniz at 04/28/2001 1:16 AM EST


Other on team #57 from Houston Regional co-ordinator.


In Reply to: Back to Defense for a minute.
Posted by Andy Grady on 04/27/2001 8:11 PM EST:



(Phew!)... you have all been apologizing to anyone you
may upset and I have to do that in ADVANCE because I'm
about to say something very unpopular...
FIRST is aware of many of the arguements used to say
there should be head to head competition, and I'd say
anything is possible... HOWEVER... please note that
FIRST is NOT a democracy. It's a competition and you
can express your ire with the system by not
participating... I wouldn't put too much faith in the
idea of a petition to effect change... I'm not saying
you shouldn't do it, but give the folks at FIRST a
little credit... they have a hugh responsibility to
promote FIRST according to it's philosopy and so far,
it would be hard to find any real fault since the
competition has grown every year since it's
inception...I think it's good to express your opinions,
but I think FIRST is right in they direction they've
taken...
As far as the Delphi groups (who seem to get singled
out in these discussions) If the competition demanded a
robust robot... I'm sure Delphi could rise to the
occasion so the notion that these teams might fear a
small defensive robot is ... well.. silly at best.
The "challange" is something I noticed when I worked
for Southwestern Bell... the system is not as
complicated as it is clever... Therein lies the answer
to these competitions and the "giants" that you face...
being much more clever... When we came away ranked 10th
in Archimedes and not picked for an alliance, that was
my first thought.. "we didn't outthink the
competition." OUR fault not Delphi's or anyone elses...
Heck... 10th in a division is nothing to sneer at...and
the competition being tough made that an even greater
accomplishment.
SO if FIRST goes to head to head... we'll be there
ready to compete... if it remains alliances... we'll be
there ready to compete...
Next year there will be quite a few surpizes... I'm
looking forward to the wooden robot that might
emerge... Not my team's... but that's going to be
really cool, AND clever, if they pull it off!
Anyway... that's my 2 cents

Best Wishes

Steve Alaniz