Team Torque and Roaming Robots

[Scorpionbuilder]

Re: Team Torque and Roaming Robots

OK you say things to be brought out into th open. Be it on your head - I AM NO PUPPPET as you suggest . Profanity prevents me from saying what I think at this moment in time. Which leads me to say what I have already stated. Nothing you or anyoneelse says will change my mind. I have never lived on Tracey Island hence strings don't apply me If you have not worked this out I am sorry

[geeza]

Re: Team Torque and Roaming Robots

Since this is now public I will have my say was going to wait until the meeting and until I had all the details.

At the time of the incident Jonno should have involved the police if he suspected a crime and not the FRA on such a scale. The FRA are do not have the ability to deal out justice in such a case. Yes we now have a code of conduct which Im sure will be looked at the meeting in 2 weeks.

Personally I respect and like all the people involved and I don't want to see another witch hunt carried out as has happened in the past. The FRA can act over permissions on this forum, but it is really up to the EO to say wether a person is welcome at their events. I think this should be resolved as quickly as possible, but without getting current feelings from the people involved I don't want to say if any punishments should be carried out.

[robotwars]

Re: Team Torque and Roaming Robots

Thanks mike for posting all the evidence, it feels great that I can actually talk about it freely for the first time since May !

Seeing as your posting all the facts€¦ You€™re missing something else.

3 phone calls to Jenny from myself, just after the incident, where I put her on the spot, asked her about the robot kit, and she reluctantly squirms and made up 3 different stories to try and explain why John Bell had the parts after she gave them to him.

Number 1 phone call. When asked why he had them?
She claimed after a long moment of silence €œJohn Bell has the robot parts to use as a template to make Debbie a robot.€
After which I Phoned John Bell, and he disagreed, and insisted she gave him the parts TO USE to make a robot.

Number 2 phone call.
She claimed that she doesn€™t know how they got to John Bell,€ there has been a big miscommunication €œ

Number 3 and current stance.
She doesn€™t know how John Bell got the parts, €œwhen she left the robot parts were on the table€, when asked, so are you saying John Bell or Debbie must have taken them, she replied €œyes they must€œ even though two other statements prove she€™s lying, and the parts never made it to the table ( also in the report ).


A point I need to make clear€¦.I didn€™t instigate the FRA investigation, they did that because even though Jenny had this ongoing, she then decided to stand for FRA president€¦. Good Idea don€™t you think ! ! Again it wasn€™t me who brought the FRA int this, Jenny did.
It was a personal thing between myself , jenny and Geoff, no one else.

I did my own investigation, made my own findings based on facts given by all parties, I admit it, at that point it didn€™t matter to me what the FRA found, I made my own mind up, even though Mike Ham Macy did find that she lied in her story, and clearly was the one who took the parts. ( is that not a guilty verdict? ) I had already banned them anyway.
The FRA investigation is a completely separate issue, as Kane clarifies in his email to Karoline.

You can all read in the emails, I gave her plenty of chance to simply own up, and we could deal with it, however she insisted on not doing so, so its gone this way. You will also read that it was quite amicable until Karoline got involved, and then it took a turn for the worst.

You will also read, that to date I have not actually banned Team Torque, only Geoff and Jenny have been asked not to come to RR events for the foreseeable future. I understand loyalties within a team so understand why we will probably never see the rest of the team, that€™s no problem for me in the current situation.

If anyone found that someone had helped themselves to your £250 tool kit, but then when questioned about it, changed the story and tried to cover it up, would you want to see them at events in the future like nothing has happened?? I wouldn€™t trust them again, and wouldn€™t want to be at an event with them.



Other points

If you would like to know how RR can host UK champs without Team Torque€¦ why not?

I have organised it for 2010 as once again the FRA hasn€™t done anything about it, Grant is right, I haven€™t been contacted by the FRA, I contacted Alan, to make sure he wasn€™t planning anything, ( which he wasn€™t ), so I organised it. 3 years ago the FRA was going to get trophies made, still waiting !!

Once again, I€™m driving things forward, So yes I will be hosting it without them, sorry if you don€™t like it that€™s the way it is.

Am I going against the FRA by excluding two members from my events, ( not a team ), in simple terms NO, its my choice, that€™s my right as they are my events and I make the rules.

Quote from Mike €œ the team has been exonerated by the FRA €œ where did that happen, I thought it was all about Jenny, not the whole team, although It appears that the other half of €œ Team Torque €œ have taken it upon themselves to act on and behalf of Jenny and Geoff, and are once again fighting their battles.

This was a private matter between Roaming Robots, Geoff and Jenny, It only became an FRA matter when Jenny decided to stand for president, I ask you, if you have the accusation of theft over your head, do you decide to run for president of an association?? I think not, that€™s when it turned all political and the FRA got involved because it reluctantly had to.

Even though they had no right to post the report, and even my private msn conversations, I€™m actually pleased that all the evidence has been posted so people can see the whole truth, and see that my head is held up high and my conscience is clear.

In simple terms it was a theft, . I made my mind up, and banned two members of a team, NOT THE WHOLE TEAM. They can attack the FRA as much as they like, it doesn€™t concern me, but I€™ve done nothing wrong.

What you hoped to achieve by launching a public attack, on both myself and the FRA I don€™t know, maybe you thought id realise that she didn€™t take the parts didn€™t try and get out of it, and just forget it ever happened, and take the nails out of the coffin€¦.. sorry but no, all you€™ve done is put a few more in!! Why would I want any of you around me and that€™s my freedom of choice.

There was going to be an FRA meeting on the 23rd, where it was going to be discussed, why not wait until then, instead of making yourselves look like this. Its just crazy talk !!


Oh yes Grant, yes there has been gaps since the rework of the arena, yes the FRA hasn€™t bothered about it, however I am already aware of them, Barnsley is a two day show to give us time ( we don€™t normally have ) at the event to sort them out. I€™m on it already without a safety officer on hand, although there has been some talk of someone putting themselves forward as a replacement.

I hope positive can come out of it, the FRA now can move on after the meeting on the 23rd, sort out and forget about the investigation, clear the deadwood, and actually move forward. Im looking forward to sitting down with Kane, Alan, and the others in Ireland on Wednesday, and seeing how we can sort things out for the best.

Enough said on the matter as far as I€™m concerned.!

[pressure]

Re: Team Torque and Roaming Robots

Hi John, I certainly hope things move on.
Regarding the telephone calls between you and Jenny:
They and other items were not entered into my report because there was no way of me hearing them.
I don't doubt they took place and don't dispute the content.
I based my report on e-mails sent between those involved when it all started and
numerous e-mails and direct conversations between myself and those involved.
See you on the ferry, don't forget your seasick pills Alan, it's going to be rough!
Mike.
PS, can you bring my tripod with you? cheers.

[robotwars]

Re: Team Torque and Roaming Robots

Yeah i know mike, but if we are outing all the facts, we might aswell do it properly.

People can then make their own minds up, whcih they are doing.

See you on wednesday.

JOhn

[grant_ploughbot]

Re: Team Torque and Roaming Robots

Safety issues - I merely co-ordinated the efforts of many people and we had others assisting us with far more knowledge and expertise than us as consultants. Are you questioning their competence too?

To be honest, anyone who was involved in that grading obviously didnt have the knowledge and expertise required.
As a side note - when our arena was graded for the first time things were done properly and in depth. We were happy about any issues pointed out so that we could correct them (the floor structure was checked, the roof stucture was tested to guarentee it was strong enough, the floor was measured for its thickness, along with all the polycarbonate and kickplates). Its just as much for our own peice of mind so that our insurance is valid!
This matter was bought up at the FRA meeting after the first inspection (I bought it up, and everyone agreed the grading was incorrect). The outcome of that meeting ended with a promise that another grading would be done, and if the arena was incomplete, or didnt meet the standards then there would be no classification and not an FRA sanctioned event, with all details removed from the forum. Everyone knows the outcome of that, and issues I pointed out at the second arena grading were just ignored! I'm not going to go any further into this on the forum, as I believe the rest should be discussed in the next FRA meeting which I hope the EO's are allowed to attend?

[Mouldy]

Re: Team Torque and Roaming Robots

Having read this and having short talks with EO's in that past its pretty simple

Geoff + Jenny took something that didnt belong to them without getting instruction or permission from the owner of said item. That is a pretty good definition of theft. I take around £2000 worth of robot related bits with me to events now. Id be seriously anoyed if some of it went walkies- I think Jonno is just looking out for his mates belongings at the end of the day (The other roboteers).

Jonno and robotslive are now working together in a very positive way- The FRA in my opinion are slowing them down by taking there sweet time over things. I dont blame Jonno for taking things into his own hands. Fair play.

Karoline and grants mention of technical checks- Im pretty strict as a tech checker. Ive been to events and failed a few robots.. then ive seen other signitures on there tech forms.. I dont agree with that. I was tech checking at Rebel robots when that happened.

Geoff did fail to check a robot with lipos at Rebel robots, i know that because it was my robot and having spoke to him at the last FRA meeting he had little or no understanding of li-po batteries. I dont hold anything against him for this, Not many people do know alot about them, but it would be a good idea if the FRA could give a little training to the tech checkers that dont know anything about them. But thats a different discussion.

No i dont want someone thats been involved in a theft as president.

[craig_anto]

Re: Team Torque and Roaming Robots

Just like to correct something, the Rebel Robots Arena was inspected 3 times not twice, first time there was a miscommunication/misunderstanding as to what the insepction required, we part assembled the arena and had the rest of the parts avalible for inspection, this was not what was asked of me and therefore the arena was NOT graded on the first inspection
the second inspection took place in a warehouse we had hired especially for the inspection, Grant correctly states the arena was still being contructed when Geoff, Karoline and Steve arrived, we had stuggled with lack of power as the warehouse had no power when we arrived on the sat/sunday?? the day of the inspection and we couldnt get it fixed this is not an excuse, we continued to erect the arena after everyone else had left and were given a PROVISIONAL grading of 2, with Steve coming to see the finished arena later on to give us the oppertunity to complete the arena.

the third inspection Steve gave us a list of things we would need to do to get the Grade 2 we were hoping for and said at present it was good enough for a 2F therefore fit for purpose. This was the ONLY grading we received

Upon loading the lorry we had an incident where the wind caught 3 sheets of Polycarbonate for the roof as it was being lifted onto the truck and the forks caught the polycarb and broke almost totally in half the sheets for the left side of the arena roof, this caused a problem and we needed a solution there and then and we bought some 1/4inch plywood.

Once we arrived at the venue we struggled to get the arena up on time which caused the first show to be cancelled once the arena was up we found the arena roof was pushing out the walls which could of been a major problem but it was fixed while the rest of our crew duct taped the edges of the poly and strapped the roof inplace. This problem had not arisen at the 3rd inspection because the walls of the wharehouse were supporting the weight of the arena those who went will recall we were at the full width of the warehouse.

This was spoken about and logged in the event report which I understand has been lost since the event itself.

As i recall from the tech checks I shouted at Geoff for telling Dave Moulds he didnt need to tech check 360, I told him very loudly that every robot gets tech checked this was said infront of all of the people in the pits.

On EO communication I was NEVER contacted by the FRA to discuss any issues, I had to make contact with Andy Kane to get anything moving at all.

Im not going to be organising any more Events and the arena is is being resized to meet the next project which is a robot theatre, I wont be running any competitions and will NOT be bidding for any championships although I have stated an intention too, I wont be.