George -
I must admit to being dismayed at your
ruling. Especially coming just four days before the
competition!
You say that we can have team members not at the
table hold a box containing attachments. But the Housekeeping
rule states "Team members not at the table may not hold competition
objects of any type". So we can't do that.
Base is 20" x 14" by 18", but at the table you
allow us a box that's smaller than base itself. Robots vary in size
considerably as do attachements and strategic objects. There is no
restriction in the rules on the aggregate size of your attachments or strategic
objects. There is a significant chance that the team's collection of
attachments/objects won't even fit in the box you proscribe, much less
along with the robot. It is even legal to make a strategic option or
attachment that won't fit by itself in the box you proscribe.
I've only been to two regional tournaments and one
state tournament but I have already seen a variety of ways that teams manage
this issue. In none of the matches I've ever observed has anyone
brought a large or difficult to manage table, cart or box. It is in the
team's interest to bring a managable platform, isn't it?
Last year at regionals and states we utilized a
modestly-sized rolling A/V cart (like every school library uses to put an
overhead projector on). It actually improved the competition flow as we
could put everything on it ahead of time and just roll it up next to the
table. Afterwards, we had plenty of space to put our attachments and robot
away quickly without dumping everthing into a box and having to put attachments
back together later.
I certainly appreciate your desire to make
everything run smoothly but I fear that in trying to solve a minor,
potential problem you are creating unnecessary real problems for lots
of teams including, potentially, both of mine.
Considering the effect of your ruling and the
lateness of it, I respectfully request that you reconsider it. It would be
just as effective to state something like the following:
In order to ensure the smooth flow of teams
in the robot competition area, boxes, tables or carts used to hold robots and
their attachments at the competition table must be modest in size and easily
managed. If, during practice rounds, your team's management of its box,
table or cart impedes the flow of competition the head referee may
disallow its use in subsequent rounds. If you have any doubts about your
solution, bring a suitable backup.
A ruling like this would allow teams to
bring boxes, tables or carts appropriate to their own team's needs just
like before and 99% of them would be just fine. If someone shows
up with a 4' x 6' table that takes 5 minutes to set up, then you can deal with
it and they can't say they were not warned.
If you feel this strongly about the
subject, I suggest you ask them to modify the rules for
next year to mandate the size and type of containers
that can be used at the table rather than change the rules for
this year just days before the tournament. Then it would
be just one more part of the challenge to design all your attachments to fit
into the right sized box.
I have great respect and gratitude for all the
judges, referees, and other volunteers in FLL so I don't complain about anything
lightly, but in this case I felt I needed to speak up. I hope you take
this as a positive, constructive suggestion for a better solution rather
than a rant. We all want the best experience for all the
teams.
Stuart Roll
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2008 4:55
PM
Subject: [VADCFLL-L] Tables & Carts
at the Competition Table
Hello
Sean,
I
am one of the two head referees for the NOVA/Sterling tournament. The question
you raised regarding the use of a table or rolling cart at the robot
performance table is asked every year, and answered differently depending on
level of the competition, i.e., Regional, State, or World tournament. The
primary considerations are available space at and around the tournament
tables, and the logistics for teams to bring, setup, and remove their cart
from the competition area. In our venue there appears to be available space;
however, once you factor in teams anxiously waiting their turn, spectators,
and referees, space becomes limited. Even more important is the timely and
orderly flow of teams to and from the competition tables in order to maintain
a deterministic process that keeps to the published schedule. Schedule slips
significantly complicate the judging schedule for all teams and can adversely
affect a team’s performance. It is for these reasons that tables and carts are
not permitted at the World Festival tournament in Atlanta. Given that the
World tournament is the “Super Bowl” of FLL, teams should practice in Regional
and State tournaments using the same guidelines.
Accordingly,
tables and carts are not permitted in the competition area at the Sterling
tournament.
Teams
can, however, utilize a storage bin that can be held by a team member(s)
behind the cheering line (2 feet) or placed beneath the competition table for
storage of attachments utilized during competition. The storage bin should be
relatively small (less than 18”x16”x12”) and portable to facilitate its
use.
Best
of luck at the tournament!
Best
regards,
George
Gonzalez
Team
Tiki – FTC #2859
-----Original
Message-----
From: "Sean M. Paus" <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Mon, 10
Nov 2008 09:01:46
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:
Re: FLL Sterling 1 Welcome letter & Program Brochure
[log in to unmask] wrote:
>
Look in the "what to bring" section. There will be practice tables in
>
the pit area.
>
> I hope it answers your
question.
Actually, what I meant was a small folding table the boys
could use for
housekeeping while they are at the Robot
performance.
Sean
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