"Spare Parts" Rules Are Broken

[Rob]

I think there are three main problems that lead to teams breaking these rules:

1) Teams do not understand the rules.
2) Inspectors do not understand the rules.
3) Teams understand, yet bend the rules because they know #2 is true.

I think #1 is a valid excuse for teams in their rookie year, or teams in their second year who are not as established as others. For these teams the six weeks build schedule is very stressful, and they may not even think about checking the rules on certain things. THIS IS WHY MENTORING TEAMS IS SO IMPORTANT! I personally don't care if we play against a rookie team who is 2 pounds overweight because they had to add a bracket or something to their machine to get it to work. FIRST is meant to inspire and teach. If the members of that team have a working machine that year and learn from their mistakes the next time around, FIRST has had a positive impact on them.

In the case of #2, there is little that can be done. Many inspectors are volunteers who have never before seen some of the kit components. They have no idea what certain rules are, and are only trained to look for certain safety violations. On thursday night at BAE we were looking over scouting photos and noticed that one team powered part of their machine using 2 seat motors. Inspectors do not catch these things because they don't have experience with many of the rules. IF YOU WANT TO HELP THIS SITUATION, VOLUNTEER TO BE AN INSPECTOR AT A REGIONAL! I noticed at UTC that there was a huge gap in knowlege about the rules between certain inspectors. Colleen from team 190 has lots of experience at FIRST, knows the rules, and was an excellent inspector. I am sure that many of you could also be.

#3...These are the teams that simply don't get it. They have no idea what FIRST is really about. They are also the teams that probably most need our help, because FIRST is not having the effect on them that it should. It is tough to do, but we need to ask these teams to comply with the rules in order to maintain the integrity of the rules. FIRST is based on friendship, fellowship, trust, and grcious professionalism. These teams have no idea what those words mean. We can help them by showing them what the rules are, and if they are receptive, suggesting ways they can complete their tasks within the rules.

After analyzing this situation, it is clear that this can only get better by more people being publicly involved. Mentor a team, volunteer at an event, talk to teams about potential rules violations before they become a problem. FIRST is a community, and we are it's citizens. If we want it to be a better place, we need to be more involved.

Have a wonderful time in Atlanta!

Rob