Internet at Competitions

[techhelpbb]

Originally Posted by rsegrest

Thank you for the clarification. I was under the impression the individual found the hole and decided to randomly mess with people and was unaware that they had pointed it out to FIRST. And I completely agree with your comments on Al. I have often posted questions to him on Delphi to get a seasoned expert inspectors opinion!

There are things worth having a heated debate about: things that do great harm to FIRST like interfering with the fields and radios.

There are things not worth having a heated debate about: whether or not hot glue to hold PWM wires is legal. It makes little difference as long as the need to hold the wires is acknowledged and an acceptable alternative is offered.

I often seem to be argumentative when in reality I just want clarity as to avoid further conflict. When a team shows up to events you are not always dealing with the same people. There can be inconsistency introduced and that is confusing and impacts the quality of performance for everyone. In this case Al is a resource that offers consistency because the inspectors generally answer to him as lead inspector. Although Al can't officially dictate rules like the GDC can it makes little sense to document a disagreement with him unless there is a real risk to make it worth it. That said I do want to thank Al for his time because his role is not an easy one.

It is important for FIRST to be consistent on some things. Interfering with the fields is one of them. If you know you can interfere you should not do it without FIRST's consent as a test. The same would be true as a spectator that is not aligned to a team. In this case at least there was something FIRST could extract as a form of punishment. As a spectator I guess the best they can do is take your name, information and toss you out of the venue.

I am not clear if there is an official response to this sort of interference in the future. At the moment it seems to be an optional response. With the field as it is I suspect that eventually FIRST will have to make some decisions about what is the proper response to a problem such as field interference so there is clarity on what is to be done. Otherwise I perceive the potential for conflict that is not managed with the guidance of FIRST from the top, down.