# not returning to Dow Red Stick Rumble

Fusion_Clint · #1 12-09-2015, 23:25

If you want an off-season event that makes up rules as they go, and the officials answer your questions with "its an off-season event" then the Dow Red Stick Rumble is for you.

If you want an event where they announce the rule changes from the "in season" game 2 weeks before the event, and then don't have referees that understand either set of rules, then the Dow Red Stick Rumble is for you.

If you want an event that announces that the top five alliances are not allowed to pick each other during the alliance selections, therefore making your scouting worthless, then the Dow Red Stick Rumble is for you.

If you think that the #1 alliance should battle the #2 alliance in the semifinals, while the #3 and #4 alliances watch; then the Dow Red Stick Rumble is for you.

If you want something that resembles a real FIRST tournament to give your team experience, then the Dow Red Stick Rumble is NOT for you.

I wish we would have just taken the refund, when they changed dates at the last minute, instead of jumping through many hoops to support the event.

Before you even go to the read the rules or that's Un-GP; if the rules (that were actually used) had been posted beforehand, we would have had a choice to attend or not. As it played out; well suffice it to say we are not going back.

Karthik · #2 12-09-2015, 23:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fusion_Clint

If you think that the #1 alliance should battle the #2 alliance in the semifinals, while the #3 and #4 alliances watch;

Can you explain the tournament structure that was used in a bit more detail?

Fusion_Clint · #3 12-09-2015, 23:44

Karthik

16 team event

5 three team alliances

(Event director announced during practice rounds it would be 2 team alliances for playoffs, they changed it halfway through qualification rounds)

#1 alliance received first round bye then played winner of #2 vs. #5 for Semi's

Alliance #3 played #4 for Semi's with winner receiving bid to finals

Ryan Dognaux · #4 12-09-2015, 23:45

Yeesh. I'll admit I have no idea how this off-season event was ran - it sounds somewhat poorly from your account. But this could have been posted about in a MUCH more civil manner.

Off-season events aren't the easiest things to run either. Having planned one myself now, it takes a lot of effort to make sure everything runs smoothly. If you attend an off-season event and left with a positive opinion, then the organizers did everything right. That doesn't always happen.

Why not contact the event organizers privately first and suggest improvements? Maybe offer Team Fusion's input next year to make the event run smoother?

I get it - you guys paid money for an event and had a bad experience. I just think there are a few ways to approach improving the situation first before blowing up on Chief Delphi about it.

Akash Rastogi · #5 13-09-2015, 00:04

Rule of thumb - post thoughts a few days after you attend an event. Usually, you will end up not posting at all.

If you volunteer at offseasons or are on the planning committee for one, you will realize that, well, s*%t happens.

I've been at plenty of offseasons in which things need to be changed/adjusted, and you kind of just roll with it. Yes, you are paying $300 for an event, but keep things in perspective here.

Shoot some constructive comments to Dan (MysterE). From his previous posts it seems the date change was not "last minute" and was also out of their control. He posted about it on 8/4/15.

Dan seems like a good guy trying to do well by his students and his community, cut him some slack and offer up support for next time.

Fusion_Clint · #6 13-09-2015, 00:19

When concerns are brought up in time for corrections and you get "its off season who cares" as a response, why would I then contact the same people offline and expect a better result.

Changing from a non-ACT test day to an ACT test day within a months time frame is last minute.

Bottom line, we spent some money and had very bad experience with a brand new drive team. This was the second year in a role this happened from the Dow Red Stick Rumble. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.

Seems like they are more interested in getting credit for hosting an off season event, than actually caring about hosting a good one. Dan the Mystery man, didn't care one bit about what was going on. When I brought up the issues to him (after getting nowhere with the "officials") he said that was their decision.

He did stop dancing long enough for me to give him my drive team's buttons, My students wanted to burn them after this experience, I gave them back instead.

Ryan Dognaux · #7 13-09-2015, 00:24

To paraphrase - "I don't like the way this volunteer-ran off-season event happened."

Cool Team 364. What will you do to help make it better next year? As the most veteran team from the state of Mississipi, I hope to hear more than just complaints. You should be setting the example for other teams on how to deal with a situation like this.

Akash Rastogi · #8 13-09-2015, 00:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fusion_Clint

When concerns are brought up in time for corrections and you get "its off season who cares" as a response, why would I then contact the same people offline and expect a better result.

Changing from a non-ACT test day to an ACT test day within a months time frame is last minute.

Bottom line, we spend some money and had very bad experience with a brand new drive team. Second year in a role from the Dow Red Stick Rumble.

Seems like they are more interested in getting credit for hosting an off season event, than actually caring about hosting a good one. Dan the Mystery man, didn't care one bit about what was going on. When I brought up the issues to him (after getting nowhere with the "officials") he said that was their decision.

He did stop dancing long enough for me to give him my drive teams buttons, My students wanted to burn them after this experience. So I gave them back, instead.

This is quite out of line. I suggest you cool off before posting anything more that sheds more negative light on you than the event itself. Ask to help plan the event instead of tearing it down.

ChuckDickerson · #9 13-09-2015, 00:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fusion_Clint

Dan the Mystery man, didn't care one bit about what was going on. When I brought up the issues to him (after getting nowhere with the "officials") he said that was their decision.

Clint, Daniel isn't a mystery man, he is the FIRST Senior Mentor for Louisiana so he was the "official" since officially he represents FIRST.

Ryan Dognaux · #10 13-09-2015, 00:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fusion_Clint

My students wanted to burn them after this experience, I gave them back instead.

Wow. Maybe he just didn't want to interact with you or your team's attitude anymore? If your posts represent how your team operates then I know I sure wouldn't want to deal with that.

Fusion_Clint · #11 13-09-2015, 00:33

Chuck,

That is what makes his lack of caring even more frustrating.

Fusion_Clint · #12 13-09-2015, 00:36

Ryan Dognaux,

We were nothing but proper at the event. But, we could only take the poor event so long (every spur of the moment rule change was against our team).

Feel free to attend with your team next year, we will choose to spend our money more wisely.

connor.worley · #13 13-09-2015, 00:41

I don't understand some of these responses at all. I don't know the details of the event, but in general, "trying your best" doesn't cut it when you're dealing with other people's money. If you can't deliver, criticism can and should happen.

Ryan Dognaux · #14 13-09-2015, 00:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fusion_Clint

Ryan Dognaux,

We were nothing but proper at the event. But, we could only take the poor event so long.

Feel free to attend with your team next year, we will choose to spend our money more wisely.

Maybe we will, we haven't been down to Louisiana yet - and heck, we'd even volunteer our team to help with organizing and planning.

I know what we won't do - get on Chief Delphi and complain about it in the way you have. Constructive criticism is one thing, but that's not what's happening here.

Again, you're the most veteran team from Mississippi. Have some class and handle this appropriately or simply don't attend next year.

Quote:

Originally Posted by connor.worley

I don't understand some of these responses at all. I don't know the details of the event, but in general, "trying your best" doesn't cut it when you're dealing with other people's money. If you can't deliver, criticism can and should happen.

There's a right way and a wrong way to handle things. Tactfully stating what went wrong and right at the event would be a way to start. Simply posting how horrible things went isn't really a great way to make things better.

I also applaud them for 'trying their best' to host an off-season event in Louisiana. Nearly every state should have an off-season event, maybe 3337 is just trying to supply that to their local teams?

Fusion_Clint · #15 13-09-2015, 00:50

Ryan Dognaux,

We did that last year, this year we let everyone else know to avoid this one.

Your choice, we are done with this off-season event. Because it is off-season No should care based on the Dow Red Stick Rumble officials.

I'm baffled that this many people care about this off-season event, when the people that ran it did not.

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