[Al Skierkiewicz]

Guys,
I think we have to tender our discussions on issues like the 6v0 strategies with something else in mind. Whether the GDC had intended this strategy or not, the rules did allow it. Potentially, every year the rules may allow something that not all of us will feel is gracious, fair or good for spectators. Teams will use the rule to advance or play different strategy than the majority of the remaining teams. We should not pass judgement on these teams. They are simply using the rules all of us are presented with in a way we might have not considered. Was this a good use of the rules? Yes, the team finished as first seed and in a great (and enviable) picking position. Isn't that what we all strive to do. Isn't that what your strategy meetings discuss? In a competition where you are striving to show your sponsor, your school or your district that you can compete on the big stage, aren't we all using the rules to advance the team?
For the newcomers, we were part of such a controversy once. One year the game rules awarded bonus points for a robot that was supported above the floor by another robot. We saw the potential for a match where a robot might not be able to play. We also saw the potential for a team to place one robot on top of another prior to the match start. We asked the Q&A if that was legal and the response was a firm "yes". When faced with a match in which two alliance partners were unable to drive, we placed one on top of the other for the bonus. We took a lot of heat for that decision just like the teams discussed above. I can tell you right now that the discussion that has transpired so far is more ungracious (to the teams involved) than the original decision itself. We don't have to like it but it was a legal strategy. They used the rules and they succeeded. Yay!