Some thoughts on rules, refs, and ranking

[AmoryG]

Originally Posted by alex334

Yes, FIRST does a very good job. It got me to where I am today. The volunteers are amazing and you can never thank them enough. Yes, the attitude of FIRST is pretty great. However, that doesn't mean it cannot greatly improve. You should always be seeking to improve. I wanted to call attention to a few things that I noticed that could/might be improved. I wanted to see some explanations for both sides of the argument in all cases. If something is not possible, that's fine, I'll accept that. I just wanted clarifications on a few thoughts.

I definitely agree that FIRST has glaring issues, and that we should work to improve FIRST by eliminating these problems. It just seemed to me that when you said you lost a lot of respect and that you were done with FIRST, you were giving it up because of these existing problems.

Originally Posted by alex334

The thing for me with powerhouse teams is that they inspire others. I always drew inspiration from 254. I always wanted to and still do want to become more like them. If they shine in competition and seed high, that gives teams a clear goal. But if teams like that are not in the top spots, what message does that send?

To me it means that the elite sometimes struggle and the lesser teams sometimes excel. It says nothing other than there's parity within FIRST that often doesn't exist in other competitions. Parity means teams have to work hard to remain the best, and with hard work you can become the best. I actually think that's a pretty good message to send.