Cheating in FRC

[Dinokaiz2]

OP of this CD thread here-

Sorry I wasn't online to read some of the suggestions about things I should've done differently in bringing this issue to light. I've been out all day since I posted this (out at robotics, actually), but now that I'm here, I'd like to answer a few questions.

First of all, I didn't PM the OP over Reddit before posting this. I apologize, it was absolutely an error on my part. I'm going to PM him ASAP because him being blind-sided by this would be terrible.

In spite of this, I don't think I'll be taking down this thread. I didn't mean at all for it to be a public shaming. I meant it to bring this to light, because I really think it's my duty as a fellow FIRSTer to do everything in my power to remedy this situation. It's a tragedy, but IMO, if I stand by, I'm as much in the wrong as the cheaters.

The main reason for this post is to get anyone who knows anything about this situation to please contact a FIRST representative.

When I posted this thread, I was truly concerned for the well-being of this team's members. As it was said earlier in this thread, what's worse than the cheating is the suppression of members who disagree with the mentor's philosophies. I understood when I made this thread that it could hurt the member of their team who posted on Reddit, and that it was possible that it was the OP's job to deal with this, not mine, so I shouldn't butt in. But I weighed that with the suppressive behavior of the mentors and the fact that the OP seemed genuinely concerned. I definitely don't think that the OP was simply unaware of the rules, despite him/her being a rookie. Contributing to that feeling is the fact that someone posted a list of allowed actions that could be misconstrued as cheating, and the OP didn't respond, instead sticking to his/her claims. I could be wrong, but I think it sufficient evidence.

If the OP sees this and is discontent with what I've done, I'm truly sorry for any trouble I've caused you, but this issue needs to stay in the light. If the only person it impacted was you, I would be in the wrong and would absolutely take down this thread. However, it seems that, because you're a "powerhouse team" that often wins regionals, your team's cheating is impacting other teams from your region and teams you meet at World Championships.

In other words, I don't believe that my actions can hurt more than they can help. This thread wont be coming down, at least, not because of me.


UPDATE: I was unable to PM the OP on Reddit because not only was the post deleted, but the account he posted it with as well. I am currently left with no ways within my power to directly contact the OP, anonymous or not. I'm desperately sorry if you've suffered consequences for my actions, OP, but I felt it my duty to do something about it.