The Triplet Challenge

[Alexander McGee]

Originally Posted by rourke

Jack,
I will excuse your naivety and your cynicism. This doomsday scenario will NOT happen on my watch! You will NOT see eight coalitions bringing six teams so that the other half of the filed may as well pack-up during lunch!!! I will NOT be a party to that.

But I GUARANTEE you will see bus-loads of inspired students flocking to FIRST events because they are inspired by the opportunity to which they have been afforded. And many will be there because collaboration makes it possible.

Now, everyone please stop saying the world is flat. There is irrefutable evidence that it is round, and collaboration is here to stay -- in every imaginable fashion under the rules. Now let's embrace it in a responsible manner. I was (naively) hoping that teams would post what they were planning - because I know there are some unique and creative things planned. I thought we would benefit from hearing about it! The negative spin only keeps the real activity underground -- which only hurts those that need it most!!!

As I scan the sections of the ChiefDelphi Forums, I see that there is a section missing. I now think it's time that there is a Forum Category dedicated to Collaboration. This no longer belongs in the General Forums.

It bothers me that you would refer to this as a “doomsday” scenario. One would think that you would love the idea of this, as it is what collaboration is and has ended up being for your teams at the events that you have been to.

I am a bit bothered by your assertiveness in this matter, as well as the way you seem to address the FIRST community. We are not ignorant nor are we unintelligent, and the “world is flat” digression is a bit condescending.

There are people who do not like collaborations. Period. Read some of the posts in this thread and others, you will see. Blatantly telling them that they are wrong and need to “embrace” it is unacceptable. People are entitled to their opinions and are certainly not going to change their minds any time soon.

You have three excellent, wonderfully designed robots which have won events several times. However, lots of people don’t like how you have been pairing up with your collaborators. The way they see it, you are in it to win. And, in some of their minds, if you are in it to win, you can’t be doing it for the right reason, which is inspiring students.

Yes, you will tell me and have that your students are inspired by what they have seen, but aren’t there better ways? I don’t pretend to know how your teams operate, and am not going to make any assumptions, but how inspired can your students be when there is spite surrounding you at the events? Everywhere I went at GLR, I heard spite about your teams and how “unfair” it was all day long. Is this really what you want?

Let’s hear from some of your students. Let them be the voice of your ideals and your method. You will not convince the community at large by simply telling them they don’t understand, and if you fail to convince them, the spite won’t ever go away.