2013 Greater Toronto East Regional

[Jaxom]

First, congrats to 2056, 1114, and 1325; a phenomenal win. Congratulations also to 4343, 1241, and 216 for ignoring the memo about not having a chance & making the winning alliance work for it.

Originally Posted by Atonomous

The alliance pick by 2056 to team up with 1114 was boring, and I for one though that this early in the game they would have chosen to play against each other to gain experience and game play knowledge instead of the "steam roller" dominance that you chose. Shame on you both for just grabbing yet another regional win. That is not what I would expect of the high calibre teams that you are. As far as I am concerned, it was a hollow meaningless regional win.

Let me explain....Both teams knew that one of them was going to win this regional, this is a given. Neither of them needed the win to qualify for worlds. It could have been a mutual learning experience that both of them missed. Instead they chose the safe route. Flame on, my heat shields are up and ready.

I'm not sure why Atonomous has a problem with the way alliance selections went. I support all teams picking the best robot to complement them & form a strong alliance; otherwise what's the point of competing? There's been a lot said about sponsorships, showing excellence, etc.; I won't repeat any of that.

The only thing I can think of that might be a good reason to pick someone else is to give that team "elite" playing experience. And I totally reject that as an acceptable reason. Teams at regionals the "elite" teams attend get the chance to play on alliances with them during qualifications, and (probably more importantly) get to see them close up both on & off the field. Any team that doesn't take advantage of proximity to other teams ("elite" or otherwise) to learn is shortchanging themselves & has no business blaming anyone but themselves for not doing so. And in no way should they wait for the other teams to initiate the conversation.

We've had the good fortune to be on winning regional alliances with 2 former World Champion teams. In one case they picked us; in the other they were our best pick. I'd hate to think that either picked us (or accepted our selection) just because they wanted to be nice or help give us experience. I know that the alliances formed because they were good for both teams, and that's the way it should have been.