[archiver]

Posted by Ben Mitchell at 05/25/2001 11:00 PM EST


Student on team #303, Vulgens Heroes, from Bridgewater-Raritan HS and Bihler.




Judging from what I've seen of the earlier FIRST competition, I am beginning to like 4 versus 0 more and more. At the start of the season, I found 4 versus 0 to be boring, uncompetitive. In the end, I though it was very exciting, adding a whole new dimension of strategy to the game. From what I've seen from the 2 on 2 rounds, it looks like robots crashing into each other, not a contest of skill and mind! From what I’ve heard this year, smashing one's robot into your opponent is NOT what Dean Kamen envisioned as the future of FIRST. I've seen a lot of talk about bringing back two versus two, but I find that less exciting then 4 robots working towards a common goal. Sure, there were times when I wanted, with all my heart and soul, to pick up my team’s joystick and drive the ‘bot like a Humvee in Desert Storm into whoever was blocking the bridge. But I learned that two on two is just that, over and over again! Correct me if I’m wrong, but two on two is just a robotics smash-a-thon with a little strategy involved. 4 versus 0, although not as fiercely competitive, is a little more challenging than a robotics football game. Instead of putting on armor and plating, robots can devote more energy to innovative design to create, build, a balanced bridge with goals and ball atop it, instead of bringing down the hopes and dreams of others. I’m interested in other teams reasons for wanting this sort of game rekindled for the 2002 competition. I’d like to hear some.

Winning teams make poor losers, and I thought all teams were winners in FIRST? I saw a particularly excellent team, with a phenomenal pilot and team, get shot to flames is some old footage that deserves to be buried in a steel coffin in the North Sea. It broke my heart, and made me a little curious as to the motivation of folks to bring it back. I guess those who did well last year want it back, because they have no one to fight this year, save physics, data, and communications between themselves and other teams. I firmly believe the playing field shouldn’t be a war zone. If you want that, you’ve got the wrong organization.

Bringing everybody up as one, not pulling others down to raise yourself, is, or should, be how the game is played.

I am not correct, Dean?


This is my personal opinion, not that of my team
My words are no one’s but my own, and I accept
full responsibility for them

--BEN MITCHELL
TEAM 303