New CRIO in the KOP next year?

[heydowns]

Originally Posted by Stu Bloom

And, if the fact that the original KOP cRIOs were 100% donated should make a difference in next years team fees, then why were the fees not reduced this year??

That was my thought exactly when this was mentioned during the speeches in Atlanta.... I was kind of shocked to hear that. Though, I suppose it is possible that the "cushion" provided by the donation may have simply allowed FIRST to absorb other increases and keep entry fees fixed. As an outsider, it is really hard to say - everything is simply speculation.

A significant barrier to team entry and continuation is the cost of the program. If teams could realize an optional cost reduction in exchange for reuse of some of the more durable parts, I would be all for that.

Personally, I would like to see the cRIO and its IO modules reused year-to-year (with option to replace at FIRST discounted prices, as NI currently offers), but be issued new PD, sidecars, bumpers, etc.
The connections made at the IO modules to the bumpers/sidecars are quick and easy to change out and would make moving the cRIO between robots easy.

I like this approach not only for cost reasons, but for "green" reasons.