IRI - Dates, Info and Rule Ideas

[ratdude747]

Originally Posted by Libby K

I think FIRST would beg to differ.
http://www.usfirst.org/aboutus/gracious-professionalism

Under the header of "Core Values"...



As do I.
Just because this year's game involves Coopertition does not mean it's just a game element.
FIRST kind of says it for me, but that's how I see it too. Kindness and respect in the face of fierce competition.

EDIT: Also, Coopertition was coined in the late 90s (as far as its use in the FIRST world), and the 2000 game was called Coopertition:FIRST. Coopertition has been a value long before its use this year.

Well, let me rephrase. Coopertition shouldn't be a core value of FIRST.

Kindness and respect already exist off the field. Its called gracious professionalism.

Kindness and respect already exist on the field... It's called sportsmanship, the field version of gracious professionalism.

I do not see coopertition as either of the two. I see it as a concept that basically says that if you play on the field to win, even in a fair and just manner, and you happen to achive a much higher score than the opponent, you deserve be penalized since you didn't choose to intentionally lower your performance to make the opposition look better.

In addition, coopertition makes things hard for teams that do good "cooperative" things for the sake of truly caring... As soon as you put a price tag on something, yes, there will be more of it, but for the wrong reasons. Such acts should be done out of true kindness, not out of desire for an award or a higher ranking.

Don't get me wrong; I still think GP is a valuable things... But It isn't coopertition.

IMHO, It should be like this:

1. Off the field, everybody is friends and when somebody needs help, somebody else will unconditionally be there to give help. GP is de-facto, not de-jure. Similar to how it is is off the field.
2. On the field, play field, act responsible, exhibit good sportsmanship, and let the best playing alliance win.



I understand coopertition existed long ago but not to the degree it is now... It wasn't as heavily weighted as it is now. It was at a more manageable level where it had little effect on rankings. Back then, you EARNED your rank by playing well and having a good robot, not by intentionally cutting points or by repeatedly performing a basic task that any drivable robot could perform...

Bottom line; the Path to success on the field should solely be through a good robot and well played matches.