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Unread 28-03-2010, 11:27
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Paul Copioli Paul Copioli is offline
President, VEX Robotics, Inc.
FRC #3310 (Black Hawk Robotics)
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Re: Troy Athens Regional

Quote:
Originally Posted by johnr View Post
I'm sorry but that match where 217 scored for 469 just was----wrong. I must just be old and don't get all this touchy feely , everybody is a winner stuff. I love watching the teams helping each other behind the curtains and even helping their rivals get their bots started on the field. I saw a 217 mentor do just that today. But scoring against yourself is just UNAMERICAN!!!! Yes, i understand you play by the rules you are given but it can still just be wrong. All i can see is if 33 gets some teams to score for them and break -up what ever deals were made. I had to say that last thing to make a point. That is what new teams and outsiders see that don't know 469 and 217. All they see is shenanigans. I sure hope the mc explained what was going on. the webcast sound wasn't working.

johnr (and anyone else who thinks this way),

I am sorry if you think this is just wrong (or unamarican), but please try to look at it from a broader perspective. Before I get into it, I want to make it perfectly clear that I do not like the seeding system this year ... not one bit. I love the game, but the GDC got the seeding system wrong. That is neither here nor there as these are the rules we must play by.

O.K., here goes. This year, playing to win has a slightly different meaning during the seeding rounds, because, quite frankly, winning an individual match means nothing to your overall seeding. Our students, mentors, and teachers try to achieve excellence in everything we do and that doesn't stop with strategy. At Troy the "random match algorithm" put 217 against 469 twice. The first match we did everything possible to win an "elimination round style" match. The result: a 5 - 5 tie. It was the third (or forth) match of the weekend for us so this was the right play as we had no idea how the seedings would play out. Later on Friday we were at like 15th or 16th when we met up against 469 again. By this time it was clear we were not going to catch 33 or 469, but we were dangerously close to not making the top 8. It took about 3 minutes to do the math to conclude that doing the 6 v. 0 was the only logical choice to help boost us into the top 8. Again, given the rules this year, this is a perfectly legitimate strategy. This manuever boosted us at #6 after Friday was over. Our mind set was simple: we wanted to control our own destiny to have the best chance to be in the finals on Saturday afternoon.

If you do not like that strategy, then don't blame us, blame the GDC. By the way, 469 had no less than 5 other teams try the 6 v. 0 against them so why was our match the only one that was called out?

I wonder how many of you that think the 6 v. 0 strategy is wrong also think that declining during eliminations are wrong ...

Excuse me for being a little irritated with this subject, but I am tired of being accused of cheating / doing something wrong / gaming the system when we are simply playing by the rules we are given. I guess I must just be un G.P.
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In full disclosure I am the President of VEX Robotics, a division of Innovation First International.