Collaborative Scouting Plans for the Colorado Regional

[CAPTIN_CAPSLOCK]

As the head scout for team 1339 (AngelBotics of Denver, Colorado), I spent much of the very long car ride home from Salt Lake City considering my options for scouting at the CO Regional. After considering everything from minor changes to adopting an entirely new system, I came to the conclusion that cooperative scouting was what made my system this year, a relatively program consisting of polaroids and manilla folders, exceptional.

At first glance, there is very little advantage that a stack of manilla folders has over an advanced cloud stored computerized application with rigorous data entry: lose a folder and you've lost every detail of information you had on that team. Papers tear, photos don't always develop right, ink gets smudged, and God help you if you don't have at least three pencils and an additional film pack on you at all times.

Halfway through Thrusday and I was already regretting my archaic files and photos: data collection was taking too long, I was always rifling through my messenger bag looking for the right folder, and I had burned through more lead than an '80s action hero. But my negative outlook was not to last: soon, multiple teams were not only complementing my stylized collection method, they were asking to borrow or take pictures of my files on teams they would soon be playing with or against. I had gone from a frustrated and overwhelmed scout operating with only two partners to an information broker by the second half of Friday: come Thursday, I was handing out files constantly. This was the strength of my chosen system: rapid sharing of information.

However, I was still limited in resources, so midway through Thursday, I contacted the scouting head of team 2996 (Cougars Gone Wired of Colorado Springs, Colorado) and asked for three additional scouts; the Cougars instantly agreed. Now properly manned and equipped, the joint scouting endeavor between AngelBotics and Cougars Gone Wired were prepared for the coming day's events; Friday morning we sat down next to the videography crew that team 1410 (GWHS Robotics of Denver, Colorado) had set up in the upper stands and started recording scores, fouls, passes, defensive maneuvers, and more.

However, cooperation extended beyond the stadium; I found that my team was sharing our hotel with team 159 (Alpine Robotics of Fort Collins, Colorado), team 1566 (Ammo Knights of Idaho Falls, Idaho), and team 1700 (Gatorbotics of Palo Alto, California). Thursday morning, before even leaving the hotel lobby, I had already gotten a detailed file on team 159. Friday evening, I had fully exchanged information and strategy with team 1566. I was quite honestly amazed at how far a camera, clipboard, and cooperative attitude got me.

However, this isn't just a long winded boast-post; I want to build on the connections I made in Utah with my scouting efforts in Denver, which is why I need the help of other Colorado scouts. I don't want the aggressive nature of this year's game to get in the way of friendly cooperation off the field. So, if you are a team going to the CO regional, especially if you are a member of 159, 2669, or 1410, please leave a post below so that we can discuss scouting strategy for the coming regional.

In short: as scouts, it is not our job to be aggressive and anti-social; it is our job to share knowledge and help each prepare for matches; I want to facilitate that with thoughtful and cooperative planning.