Bad Weather Affecting Teams

[FIXIT]

I like a challenge, but we are teetering on a state of emergency in Cleveland. I wouldn’t be surprised if they started air lifting supplies in soon. Streets are closed, the snow is getting deeper and deeper, and we are falling farther behind every day the schools are closed. So far this build season the Cleveland schools have been shut down 5 days—it’s really hurting us to lose almost a week.

Correct me if I am wrong, but a few years ago FIRST did extend the ship deadline due to bad weather. It might be a good idea for them to do it again. Even NASA delays its missions due to weather conditions. Gracious professionalism must be willing to alter scheduled deadlines in order to level the playing field for those teams who have lost 5 after-school build sessions. We cannot require students, teachers, and mentors to take unnessary risk traveling in dangerous conditions to make sure we meet a deadline!

If enough teams band together, maybe FIRST will hear us and extend the ship date by a couple days -- at least for the cities suffering from too much winter wonderland.

[Steve S.]

here in greece we got 13" of snow last night and so far another 4" today with 4-6" more possible this evening and 1-3" tonight, schools were closed today along with everything else and most things tonight have been cancelled or closed.....this is the second day off for most teams in the area, today and last tuesday due to bus problems, if it keeps snowing theres a chance we will have a 2nd snow day tomorrow...hoping not

[Alan Anderson]

Originally Posted by FIXIT

...a few years ago FIRST did extend the ship deadline due to bad weather...

I remember the deadline being extended for some teams a few years ago, but I seem to recall that it was because the bad weather meant FedEx was unable to pick up robot crates on the designated ship day.

[ChrisH]

Originally Posted by Alan Anderson

I remember the deadline being extended for some teams a few years ago, but I seem to recall that it was because the bad weather meant FedEx was unable to pick up robot crates on the designated ship day.

That is correct. The problem was not the weather or the problems it caused for teams during Build, it was that teams could not get the trucking companies to come get their robots. FedEx was not the only company not picking up shipments and when trucking companies start staying home you know it's really bad.

The deadline was extended for all teams because it would have been too difficult to sort out who could ship and who couldn't, and besides just because the shipper wouldn't come doesn't mean you couldn't work on your robot while you were waiting.

[JamesByrne]

One other problem that first would have to deal with is the closeness of the 1st regional. If they were to extend my guess is they would extend for everyone, and ship date being the 21st and the first regional starting on the 1st of march.

If they were to extend by this five day period then fedex would have like 2 days to get all these crates to this regional. it is doable but I doubt they would like to push it this close.

we lost 4 or 5 days also where is Washington state, and i know where you guys are coming from. But i agree with the reasoning FIRST gave.

[Goldeye]

It would be pretty impressive if FIRST extended the ship date for all teams by the average time lost for all teams: [(estimated team-days lost)/(total (all >1000) teams)].

It would be a pretty fair way of doing it. The teams that lost a lot would have that chance to overcome serious lost time. However, the short length of that extension, and the fact that all teams get it, would maintain fairness for all teams.