Quote:
Originally Posted by dlavery
OR -- we have FIRST adopt an even better strategy that makes both the annual shipping nightmare and the withholding allowance unnecessary. VEX, FTC and Lego League figured it out long ago. FRC just has to catch up.
-dave
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VEX & Lego League are completely different beasts! The parts are limited. There is no real fabrication, the robots are easy to carry, move and store. More importantly, THE GAMES ARE ANNOUNCED MONTHS BEFORE COMPETITIONS! For a Vex robot, it doesn't matter much if you've got 4 months or 5 months to work on a robot. It makes a HUGE difference on the scale of FRC if you've got an additional month (or even a week) to work.
(Now, if FRC took a page from the Vex playbook and introduced the 2011 game at the 2010 Championship, that would be different.)
Extending the FRC build season from Kickoff in January to Championships in April will serve to make the gulf between the "have" and "have not" teams even worse (it comes down to mentor availability). A 4 month build is vastly different from a 1.5 month build.
Give us a year-round competition, OR give us a hard "ship-the-robot-put down-your-tools-get-some-sleep-go-back-to-doing-some-homework-remember-that-you-have-a-spouse-and-take-care-of-your-health date".
-Mr. Van
Robodox