disillusionment.

[Bill Whitley]

I wonder if the people who have replied understand the type of season that some teams go through. Imagine a season where your robot doesn't work.

Imagine that your robot DOES NOT MOVE in a single match at regionals, so you completely redesign/rebuild the drive system, all new treads, all new mounting, new everything. Then, your robot still DOES NOT MOVE in a single match at nationals.

Imagine that the next year, your robot drivetrain works properly in 4 matches between regionals and nationals. Imagine the system you design for picking up balls doesn't work, imagine the system you design for lifting the robot doesnt work. Imagine that in every match you participated in, you completed your end of the strategy bargain in 1 match, thats in a regional, nationals, and one after season competition, 1 match.

Imagine the next year, you design a robot to specialize in one thing, and your robot for all of regionals, cannot cross the bridge. At nationals, your robot can move (FINALLY!), but cannot complete the task you designed it to do.

I am not going to get into the politics of my team, and why we had no funding, and no engineering support, and a coach who did more to harm the team than help it. But put yourself in my shoes, those were the results of my 3 years of effort. Regionals are not as much fun as nationals. Nationals were a light at the end of the tunnel.

With these kind of seasons, FIRST IS NOT ALWAYS FUN! Try stratagizing before a match, and telling the other team that you don't know if your robot can move. Tell a team that you don't know if you can get over the bridge. Tell a team that you think you can get over the bridge, only to watch your robot BREAK while on the bridge. THIS IS NOT FUN!

Nationals is fun. Regionals are not as much fun as nationals. Simply walking from the pits to the field at nationals in an experience. Walking down a tunnel from a practice court to the basketball court at Eastern Michigan University is not fun. The two are incomparable. Regionals do not compare to nationals.

Welcome to my world of FIRST.

Peace,
Bill Whitley