Rules - to follow or not to follow, that is the question

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Originally Posted by Mop Iii Top

Why would teams knowingly not follow a rule. It is unlike FIRST Teams to disregard a rule just because it means more work.

T,
You are absolutely right. Very few teams knowingly break the rules. I can count on one hand those that I have personally seen. Many teams, however, don't read all of the rules or only read what they want to believe. i.e. the rule pertaining to maximum size of pneumatic cylinder is read as 'I can use any cylinder' or 'we have always used Globe motors so I am using a Globe again this year. Gee, where is that Globe motor that came in the KOP? OK, I'll just use this one from stock'. This is where the inspector really earns their pay. How do you tell a team that they have the wrong motor when their entire design relies on the use of the illegal motor. There is no easy way to do that but it must be done. I find that openly discussing it with the mentors and students in their pit is the best way. You get the majority of the team hearing the same message. Then you can start to discuss alternatives, how to function without the illegal part, how to establish a timeline to correct the issue and what can be done to compete with the robot in the next match. The first reaction will usually tell you how the next few minutes are going to progress. If the team says "OK, what are we going to do to correct this?" they will fix the problem and my presence is no longer needed. If they argue, I will have them read the rule and see how they interpret it. Again they generally see the difference and find a way to correct it.