**FIRST EMAIL**/2008 FRC Competition Manual Sections Posted

[Ian Curtis]

I think you misunderstood me, and I was over generalizing. It is not the fault of the inspector that we miss practice matches, but our own, becuase we choose to fix problems earlier in the day and work through a practice match. We could chose to wait, but we'd rather get practice in at the end of the day with a complete robot than get in more practice with a less complete one.

Also, as BAE is a first week regional, usually the first 5 or so practice matches average about 2 teams showing up. I would assume other teams are making the same choices as we are.

My experiences with inspectors have been very positive. I can still recall fondly the first inspector we ever had, who told us we had to rewire a significant part of our ground wiring (we ran out of black wire near the end of the season ). Managing to stay in someones good graces after telling them they have to rewire a robot, is a skill I'd love to have.

Originally Posted by Mike Betts

Ian,

Having a team miss a scheduled practice is the last thing that the your inspection team wants. As far as I am concerned, no team should ever miss a practice due to the inspection process (the only excuse being a serious safety concern by the inspector).

I suggest that you talk to your lead inspector as soon as possible and explain what happened to your team in the past. He or she can be contacted via your Regional Director.

If you had a "legitimate" experience issue, the LI and RD will make sure that it does not happen again. Note that I placed legitimate in quotes. Most teams miss matches because either they can not operate or they choose not to practice (it happens more often than you would think...).

Regards,

Mike