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Re: Battlebots I.Q.- A serious threat to FIRST or a half thought up cheep copy?
This age old arguement has always been somewhat of a itch in my side. You have two excelent programs which inspire, teach, and celebrate science and technology. On both sides you have wonderful mentors and students competing together in a gracious way. People try to make the arguement that Battlebots is not safe, when in fact it is very safe when you use proper barriers. Dean Kamen says that civilization can't advance through a group's demolition of anothers work. I say most of the robots get dismantled anyway...why not have fun while doing it? I don't buy into the whole political aspect that FIRST tries to portray into its games over the past few years. "Hey lets all be friends and hold hands while we work together to save our planet!" Don't get me wrong, I love alliances...I think it adds a dynamic element that is unmatched. I have a problem with trying to push the idea that somehow competition is bad. I think that any Red Sox or Yankees fan could tell you that competition breeds success and respect. If I am competing with you, I will strive to make a better product than you, you will strive to make a better product than me, and before ya know it...that product is pretty darn good because we keep trying to one up each other. And as for the respect issue, let me go back to the Red Sox, Yankees analogy. As an avid Sox fan, I am passionate about my distaste for the Yankees. I love to watch them lose...but at the same time, without them my team is nothing. I have respect for them because of the level they take my team on. Competition breeds respect, and maybe we need a little more of that in this world.
Back to Battlebots...i stick by my usual stance. If it gets kids interested in Science and Technology...who cares if it is a threat to FIRST. Each entity has its own positives and negatives. FIRST is more game strategic and diverse, while Battlebots focuses heavily on the concept of design and redesign due to the game never changing while keeping exciting by quenching our natural thirst for destruction. This gives the average competition robots fan variety in choice.
I hope Battlebots IQ succeeds. I would love to go to an event if they ever had one within reach. I love FIRST too and I prefer FIRST because of the diverse games and strategy involved...but there is room for co-exsistance.
Have fun,
Andy Grady
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