Are 8 play regional reasonable?

[Jon Stratis]

Originally Posted by Andrew Schreiber

Ok, I'll rephrase - Would you prefer to give teams more plays because you believe it would benefit them in achieving FIRST's stated mission of Inspiration?

I'm trying to find some common ground here, this isn't a trick. I'm simply asking you, mentor to mentor, would you prefer for your team to get 9 plays or 8? Which is better for inspiring your students?

Again, it depends on the year. Last year, for example, our robot performed horribly on the field. Every match we went out to left our students depressed and angry. I spent a ton of time and energy that year working to keep their spirits up, keep them motivated, and keep them working towards improvements. Every match was a huge emotional drain on everyone, and I know it wasn't inspiring for the students.

Other years are different. We go out there , do what we designed to do, and the students come back happy seeing the robot do what it's supposed to do.

Personally, I try to get my team inspired with the engineering we do, not with the on-field performance. It's difficult, and it's hard. But on-field performance is just so dependent on so many variables that it's something you don't want to rely on. So from an inspiration standpoint, I honestly don't care how many matches we get.