New year message from the FRA

-2>Sorry for a) a rather long post and b) the time it has taken to write it - however I wanted to make reference to all the valid and useful points raised since my previous post

1, 2, buckle my shoe. A long read. No need to apologise though Tim. I€™ve just taken a tenner from my dads wallet and given it back to him as my membership fee, I€™m number 201. I don€™t have a problem with the payment. I don€™t have a problem with the FRA.

If teams have an issue with the FRA, I don€™t understand why they don€™t go to events that do not support the FRA agenda, surely this is a place for those that dont like the FRA.

Some may say that there are not many of these events, does that not tell us something.

This thread doesn€™t make any sense to me, it seems like a waste of time. Nobody is going to gain anything from it.

The FRA is not going to change their mind on the matter, and, by the sound of it Tim, neither are you.

Im sure this is answer to atleast one of your questions..?

Xx
http://www.tom.comwww.tom.com

tom just nip back to your dads wallet and swipe a tenner for me and do my membership. cheers mate :)

LOL, shall i give a donation from you aswell!!:talker:

cool. i will give membership at swindon and donation for the trophies there too.

Well its quite simple really and always has been my view.

When us event organisers run our events, firstly they are advertised on the FRA website and on the Forum.

Roboteers enjoy the privalidge of being able to chat on the FRA forum just as we are discussing here at the moment.

The FRA provide us with the rules and regulations we use to run our events with, and a set of standard safety guidelines to build our arenas to.

Behind all of these documents which have been written by volunteers in their own time are people, and they need protecting by insurance. This insurance has to be paid for by someone and unfortunately its roboteers. Nothing comes for free.

No matter who you are, or what your principals are, when you come to an event, by just being there you are then im my opinion part of the FRA. Your attending an FRA sanctioned event, youve built your robot using the FRA rules, and your fighting in an arena which you know is safe becuse it has been built to the FRA guildlines. You are in fact there because of the FRA.


Now the problem obviously comes when we run an event and we have a selection of non members and members, it just gets complicated.
Why should some get it for free, when the majority put their hands in their pockets and help with funding. To me it is hypocritical on one hand to say i dont agree with the FRA, yet im quiet happy to come to an event which is governed by the FRA.

It simple, everyone needs to be a member, and then everyone is on a level playing field.

The FRA are now looking into getting some trophies, and people have been asked to donate towards them.... I know there will be a few which put therehands in their pocket and donate, but then i also know there will be a few which keep quiet, yet will be happy to attend the Uk Champs and maybe even win the trophies which everyone else has paid for... thats life !!

I come back to my post, and I don€™t understand why people DONT want to join together and all move forward. Why do we have to squabble like kids over the most stupid of things, and loose sight of the real deal.

We need events to run our robots, we need robots to run our events, we need a set of rules to build to, we need arenas built to a safe standard€¦. Before the FRA people were running events in playgrounds, weapons were bring used, we even had wooden arenas, look at us now€¦ as safe as we have ever been, and why is that€¦. Because of the FRA and its volunteers.

I ask again€¦ why do people not want to be a part of it, yet are quite happy to reap the benefits?

Do we really live in a culture of take take take and dont give anything back?

Im still waiting for someones valid reason why they dont want to support, be a part of, or join the FRA.

Have any of you ever even gone out of your way and gone to an FRA meeting? maybe not. If you dont like something n the FRA why dont you get involved and change it, maybe you dont want to do the work like others do behind the scenes?

I really dont understand, and i hope someone enlightens me soon !!!

John
http://www.RoamingRobots.co.ukwww.RoamingRobots.co.uk

Tom - Ill keep my response short if I can :wink:

Glad you have joined the FRA.

I am not asking the FRA to change their minds - I am asking the event organisers (and the FRA governing body as attendees at said meeting) as to why they have chosen to adopt the policy.

Andy has answered my second question but saying that not doing it is to the detriment of 98% of roboteers requires the first question (regarding the benefits) to be answered.

If any event organiser can answer my question on the benefits it would be appreciated

- it really is that simple, I might suprise you all and agree with them and we can put an end to the conversation! :)

I can sympathise with Tims comments, but I also argee with Jonno. Since I attended the last FRA meeting I am happier with how things are run. However Im still not happy with my regional rep, I would have liked some feed back via email from him about the last meeting (once the minute had been ratified). I believe this does happen in other regions. I would also like an email from my rep with the next meeting approaching to see say what my views would be on any points that will be discussed. How can the rep be said to be representing us if this doesnt happen?

I do fully support the FRA, although I do understand the reasons why people have personal disagreements with committee members, as I have had in the past. In an ideal world we should all forgive and forget and move forward.

Jonno, many thanks for a detailed answer (I was still typing my last post as you posted hence still asking the question)

I understand and respect everything that you have said - as I said before I would love it if everyone chose to be a member of the FRA and the reasons you highlight should be enough for most (they are the reasons why I have been a member before and why in all likelyhood I will be a member again in the future)

I just do not like excluding members of our community and we already have at least one example in this thread of a roboteer who was considering returning who will not now. Someone who I might add has contributed in the past with his own approach and who cant really be labelled take take take as a result.

I respect your decision whilst not agreeing with it and appreciate you giving your reasons.

ok,

I dont lable everyone in the take take take bracket and the person your talking about is certainly not in that bracket what so ever....

So you now say you will most probably join, im glad to hear it. Your initial post led me, ( maybe i was wrong ) to beleve that you fell into the bracket of not likingthe FRA, not liking that you were being forced to join, and so you wouldnt be joining.

However I dont see why by the 3 main event organisors chosing to make it compulsary would have to exclude anyone.

Or is this a case of male pride getting in the way ? At the end of the day people do have a choice.

I dont disagree with some of the statements that have been written, but what im asking is what are peoples problems as to why they dont want to join.... weve established that it isnt about the money, so what is it?

That is what is confusing me, and ill wait to find out.

Not singling you out Ewan, but as far as i am aware you havnt been to any events for a long time.... you had your business advertised on the FRA forum for a long time, namely the online shop, were you a member of the FRA at that time? if not, do you not think it was a bit hypocritical? if you were a member then great... but then that means at some point you decided to not like the FRA anymore, what was it that changed your mind ? And how come all of a sudden you got involved to tell us how you dont want to join... are you planning a come back ?

Im just interested.. in anti FRA peoples opinions, but its all gone quiet.

john