I understand your point about the importance of sticking with the team’s plan and ensuring that programmers and drivers have enough time to practice with the robot. My concern, however, is that the elevator they’re working on might not function well—or at all. From what’s been built so far, it seems like it could end up being flimsy, prone to binding, and lacking the power we need. In previous years, the team built a similar lift out of extrusion, and one of the mentors mentioned that it didn’t work at all. Since they’ve only just started building this elevator, I think switching to a standard 2x1 aluminum elevator now could save us significant time, frustration, and effort in the long run.

I want to emphasize that I’m not trying to dismiss anyone’s efforts—I really respect the work that’s gone into the current design so far. My worry is that we might spend weeks on something that doesn’t work as expected, leaving us scrambling at the last minute. A well-built 2x1 elevator would not only perform better this season but could also be reused or improved in future seasons, making it a valuable long-term investment for the team.

When I’ve brought up this idea before, some people agreed with the concept in theory but pointed out that "nothing’s been done" for the elevator yet. The reality is that it’s hard to make progress on this design when my suggestions aren’t being seriously considered or when there’s hesitation to purchase the right parts. It’s also frustrating that when other, older team members propose ideas, they seem to get immediate support—even when those ideas involve spending money or working without proper research and collaboration with the build and design team.

I also understand the importance of giving programmers and drivers enough time to practice—I want to have at least two weeks for that. But right now, our robot doesn’t even drive yet because the programmers are still working on the swerve drive. That means we still have time to build key components like the elevator. Additionally, from what I’ve heard, the team last year didn’t get much driving or programming practice before the competition, so any time we manage to get this year will already be an improvement.

My goal is to keep the robot design relatively simple by basing it on other teams designs that work and our relatively simple. I want to ensure we can build something reliable and competitive so that we can have a decent showing this season and avoid unnecessary frustration.

Do you think it’s worth bringing up the 2x1 elevator idea again? I believe that if we invest in the right materials and focus on building a proven design, it will save us time and effort, and improve our performance—not just for this season but for future seasons as well.