Please read R17

[Paul Copioli]

Warning! The post got long. read only the first paragraph and you will be fine. Read past the first paragraph and I may make you angry....

As many of you reading my posts in this thread have inferred, I am frustrated with the rule. Why? There are several reasons, but the number one reason is that I had 40 inspired and excited kids on ship day and they are dropping by the day. Is this my fault? Maybe. Is it because I keep telling them, "no, we can't do that because then we can't use it at Detroit (our first comp), so we must wait until after [xxxx]"? Probably. Is it because when they ask me "why?" I can't give them an answer other than, "because it is in the rules and we must obey the rules"? Most definitely, yes. I can't muster up any B.S. to give them a logical reason for the rule. Bottom line is that this rule does not help anything. I have offered my services in the past (see: kit transmission of '04 and '05) and things got better. I will offer them again .. let's see if FIRST takes me up on it.

Now, let's talk about the robots since we do actually have to build them and we pay good money to "play" the game. Without the game, there is no FIRST ... period.

FIRST is sending us mixed signals. We are told (by the rules that are drafted) to finish our robots earlier. We are also having the use of sensors pushed down our throats (see kit of parts sensor listing). Take it from a real robotics engineer who makes robots for a living: using external sensors ALWAYS means more debug time. This is a simple fact. Even if the sensor is "plug and play", real world obstacles come up and have to be debugged. If the students are not allowed to spend the necessary debug time, they will simply get frustrated and stop trying. Those of us that know what it feels like to get a complex machine running after debugging many small problems must share that experience with the students (and anyone else who doesn't know the feeling). Rule R17 goes against that very principle.

#1. I do not like R17 because it doesn't enhance the ability for mentors like me to inspire the students.

#2. I do not like R17 because it hinders the ability for the robots to put on a great show.

#3. I do not like rule R17 because it forces me to be away from my family for two more days after ship if I want to get around #1 and #2.

If you accuse me of not getting FIRST, then you don't know me.

Regards,

Paul