pic: 1281 works out before finals at the Waterloo regional

[Richard Wallace]

I assisted Tristan (lead inspector at Waterloo) when 1281 was inspected before the eliminations. We carefully considered the safety of the bracing scheme used to attach the large weight, and ultimately decided it was OK. The team did remove the two vises shown in the photo here -- weight exceeded the limit by about 2.6# as shown, and as previously stated the vises could not be made secure enough in time for competition. I think Tristan made the right call in allowing 1281 to pass inspection with these modifications. [BTW, Al is right -- we should have made them add the large weight to the BOM. If the total BOM cost had been close to the limit, we'd have considered that more carefully.]

Congratulations to 1281 for finding a quick way to improve defensive capability and help their alliance win, and to the entire winning alliance for a fantastic performance at Waterloo.