On the one hand I feel like JWS could do with putting their younger kids into IQ to develop their skills in the proverbial shallow-end and reduce the sheer number of their robots in VRC UK. On the other hand they do a reasonable job of bringing their younger kids up to a competitive level quickly, and there's a strong argument that the best training for VRC is to compete in VRC!
Besides - is it my place to say that an organisation should restrict the number of robots they enter? Perhaps it is not. Clearly VEX has a great positive impact on the students who participate in it. From my experience, I can say with absolute certainty that you don't have to be competing to be the best team in the country to take a great deal away from VEX competition. Even if you're just building a squarebot and are coming into competitions expecting to be back on the M25 by midday - not to insinuate that JWS teams do that, because they rarely enter genuinely weak teams - there are few more worthwhile extra-curricular pursuits than robotics. From that perspective then, I can certainly say that Team Control Freaks do a great thing in giving many students the chance to grasp VEX with both hands - they are to be commended for that
So, why does it not sit easy with me when I open a robotevents page and see a brigade of 3116 entries? I think that it disappoints me a little because I have always liked VEX for its diversity. Sure, there might be a pretty strong bias towards middle class white kids from the home counties (as ever, VRC is a microcosm of STEM at large). But nonetheless, it's a glorious thing to walk into a competition hall and see a rich variety of teams from across the country, each competitor proud to wear the colours of their team or of their school. I like to think that it doesn't really matter if you're from Truro or Inverness or anywhere in-between; that when you're at a VEX competition you're judged based only on the quality of your robot and the strength of your character. Therefore, when the vast majority of students at a competition arrive on the same bus from Hoddesdon, all clad in smartly matching team kit and with the easy confidence bestowed upon those who know from the outset that success is near-guaranteed, it tempers that feeling of camaraderie - of togetherness - a little.
I really don't want this to feel like an attack or even a criticism of JWS and what they have achieved. I respect them immensely as a stalwart and a valiant competitor on the UK VRC circuit. I do not in any way want to place blame on the students or the mentors of the team; for their contribution to VRC has been fantastic year in and year out. It is a source of reassurance to me that no matter how weak or how strong the UK VRC field is, that there will always be good robots bearing the 3116 number, upholding the reputation of the United Kingdom both nationally and at large in worldwide VEX. I just want to explain further my feelings about why more different organisations and regions being represented at VEX competitions is always a good thing in my mind. Having written this, I hope that if I advocate in favour of per-organisation-entry-limits in the future that it will not come across as mean-spirited or covertly strategic - because I can assure you that my intention will always be firstly to safeguard the spirit of competition in VEX robotics in the UK.
That ended up longer than I intended. Thanks to anyone who read all this.
Jack
Opinions expressed are purely my own and may not reflect those of the 3117 Shark Robotics team or of Stanborough School