[FRC Blog] International Teams -- Game Piece Option

[waialua359]

Originally Posted by Madison

I worry that they're offering this only to international teams in part because they won't have enough available to make it available to all teams.

My initial thoughts also....hope its not true.

[Richard Wallace]

Originally Posted by Madison

I worry that they're offering this only to international teams in part because they won't have enough available to make it available to all teams.

Or, maybe the gamepiece is something much less common outside the US.

Like footballs.

[Noudvanbrunscho]

Originally Posted by Richard Wallace

Or, maybe the gamepiece is something much less common outside the US.

Like footballs.

I dont really see the relation with 'Stronghold' but i'm in!

I hope it's not something with the dimensions from inches - cm, very annoying.

[Jon Stratis]

Originally Posted by Madison

I worry that they're offering this only to international teams in part because they won't have enough available to make it available to all teams.

At least until Jan 9 I'm willing to believe what FIRST said in the blog post - the reason for doing this is only because of the time delay in shipping FIRST Choice items. If US teams can get the game piece in ~1 week through FIRST Choice, then that isn't all that bad. Waiting over half the build season, on the other hand, is horrible, especially if there's no other way to get it except through international shipping.

[IKE]

Originally Posted by bduddy

I'm surprised that no one else has mentioned the implication, that is, that it doesn't appear that the game piece this year will be something universally available such as a soccer ball.

It has been a few years since first picked an "easily available" which I would guess was due to nature of game, but also difficulty of having material available.
Some may miss the days hacking into Walmarts product distribution database to find the highest availability of gamepieces in the tri-state area... I for one do not miss that mad rush.

This would be a really nice feature for all teams, but I imagine nearly essential for many international teams.

[AllenGregoryIV]

Originally Posted by Jon Stratis

At least until Jan 9 I'm willing to believe what FIRST said in the blog post - the reason for doing this is only because of the time delay in shipping FIRST Choice items. If US teams can get the game piece in ~1 week through FIRST Choice, then that isn't all that bad. Waiting over half the build season, on the other hand, is horrible, especially if there's no other way to get it except through international shipping.

Would teams really give up 30% of their FC credit just to get a few game pieces a couple days faster? I just went back and looked and we got our totes on Thursday of week 1. Would getting an extra RC, tote, and Noodle five days earlier been worth it? Our last 30% of just round one FC credit last season got us roughly a 6 awg crimping tool, a victor 888, & a snap action breaker kit.

Also extra game pieces at local kickoff sites would be more logistics to take care of by the kickoff hosts and the people that pack the kits (which has gotten better in the past few years it seems). I guess FIRST could ship them like they do the international teams but you still probably wouldn't get them Saturday.

[JesseK]

Originally Posted by AllenGregoryIV

Would teams really give up 30% of their FC credit just to get a few game pieces a couple days faster? ...

Some US teams didn't get to use all of their credits last year on the things they REALLY wanted, so yes.

edit - don't get me wrong, I think the FIRST Choice system is reasonable as-is - but the game piece thing would be a way to make it better.

[EDesbiens]

What should a rookie team based in Canada choose? Could you help?

[Karthik]

Originally Posted by EDesbiens

What should a rookie team based in Canada choose? Could you help?

Definitely opt in to the extra game pieces at kickoff option. With the prohibitive cost of shipping things across the border as well as the duty and brokerage fees, the more stuff you get included with your kickoff kit the better.

[EDesbiens]

Originally Posted by Karthik

Definitely opt in to the extra game pieces at kickoff option. With the prohibitive cost of shipping things across the border as well as the duty and brokerage fees, the more stuff you get included with your kickoff kit the better.

But it would reduce our possibilities from First choice... Is it that dramatic?

[AdamHeard]

Originally Posted by EDesbiens

But it would reduce our possibilities from First choice... Is it that dramatic?

It's pretty hard to get good items with the last 20-50% of your FIRST choice points anyway, so I figure it's a fair trade.

Game pieces often go early in FIRST choice as well, so by selecting them you're getting two first round picks.

[Karthik]

Originally Posted by EDesbiens

But it would reduce our possibilities from First choice... Is it that dramatic?

It's very dramatic. The shipping cost isn't that bad, but the additional brokerage and duties that are collected after the fact, and often not included in the cost of shipping. Our team has been burned repeatedly with exorbinant bills for shipping things across the border (we got a bill from McMaster this summer for thousands of dollars duties/taxes for the past few years of purchases), so anything we can do to avoid being on the hook for import charges is something we'll take advantage of.

[EDesbiens]

Originally Posted by Karthik

It's very dramatic. The shipping cost isn't that bad, but the additional brokerage and duties that are collected after the fact, and often not included in the cost of shipping. Our team has been burned repeatedly with exorbinant bills for shipping things across the border (we got a bill from McMaster this summer for thousands of dollars duties/taxes for the past few years of purchases), so anything we can do to avoid being on the hook for import charges is something we'll take advantage of.

Oh, that's not a very good thing for low budget teams... Thank you guys for your feedback!

[GeeTwo]

Originally Posted by Madison

I worry that they're offering this only to international teams in part because they won't have enough available to make it available to all teams.

If managed properly, this would actually help make game pieces available. The demand for a FIRST game piece is mostly in a one-month time frame, and constitutes several years of normal demand. If FIRST orders 100,000 game pieces for base kits and competition, the manufacturer is not likely to make all of the 200,000 needed to fill the short-term demand. On the other hand, if many teams make this selection, and FIRST orders 200,000, the manufacturer is much more likely to make the other 100,000.

[EDesbiens]

Originally Posted by GeeTwo

If managed properly, this would actually help make game pieces available. The demand for a FIRST game piece is mostly in a one-month time frame, and constitutes several years of normal demand. If FIRST orders 100,000 game pieces for base kits and competition, the manufacturer is not likely to make all of the 200,000 needed to fill the short-term demand. On the other hand, if many teams make this selection, and FIRST orders 200,000, the manufacturer is much more likely to make the other 100,000.

That is a great explanation! I tought it was more about shipping delays...