Sa967St
Not A Moderator
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2008
- Messages
- 3,795
- Location
- Waterloo, ON, Canada
- WCA
- 2007STRO01
- YouTube
- Visit Channel
The goal of this thread is to gather a variety of opinions about removing 3x3x3 With Feet, and to build a solid list of pros and cons for its potential removal, to take into consideration for future Regulations.
Questions for everyone:
Do you believe 3x3x3 With Feet should remain an official event? Why or why not?
Would you support the removal of 3x3x3 With Feet? Why or why not?
Here is a list of pros and cons for the what happens if Feet is removed, mostly from discussions in this thread and other threads.
Note: They are not meant to be interpreted as solid reasons on their own to remove/keep Feet. They are merely pros and cons that would come out of its removal. They are positive and negative statements about what would happen if Feet is removed. They are not the same thing as "reasons to remove Feet" and "reasons to keep Feet".
Positive outcomes of removing Feet:
Negative outcomes of removing Feet:
Neutral outcomes of removing Feet:
Questions for everyone:
Do you believe 3x3x3 With Feet should remain an official event? Why or why not?
Would you support the removal of 3x3x3 With Feet? Why or why not?
Here is a list of pros and cons for the what happens if Feet is removed, mostly from discussions in this thread and other threads.
Note: They are not meant to be interpreted as solid reasons on their own to remove/keep Feet. They are merely pros and cons that would come out of its removal. They are positive and negative statements about what would happen if Feet is removed. They are not the same thing as "reasons to remove Feet" and "reasons to keep Feet".
Positive outcomes of removing Feet:
- Feet is arguably the most unsanitary event, since feet can be much less clean than hands, especially when clean socks/footwear are not worn. Additionally, even when one's feet are actually clean, watching them being used can still be very uncomfortable and repulsive. Feet solving (both official solves and practice solves at competitions) can contribute to an unpleasant atmosphere to spectators and non-Feet competitors, so its removal would give more pleasant experiences at competitions.
- Fewer people are willing to judge and/or scramble for Feet relative to other events, and it's not so great to have to force people to do either at a competition (organizers are allowed to do this according to Regulation 1e2). Judging for Feet solves can be humiliating since judges have crouch to lift the cover and watch the solve, and may have to take a close look at the puzzle to inspect misalignments. It would also be more pleasant for scramblers and judges for other 3x3x3 events to know that competitors don't use the same cube for other 3x3x3 events right after using it for Feet solves.
- If Feet Solving is removed as an event, then it would make organizing large competitions (ones that hold all events) less of a hassle for the organizers. Feet Solving required additional floorspace (some organizers even prefer a separate room), and additional equipment such as plastic gloves, saran wrap, wipes, and sometimes new timers and mats (e.g. At Worlds 2013 and previous US Nationals, the organization team got new timing equipment just for Feet then sold them afterwards). Setting up and taking down the timing stations for Feet can also take some additional time if the event is held in a different area than where the main timing stations are.
- A common "abuse" of the +2 misalignment penalty is to not perform the last move in a Feet solve if it would take more than 2 seconds. Removing Feet would resolve this problem. [Note: This is a relatively minor pro, but it's not obvious and it's included in this list for the sake of making it complete as possible. This is a positive outcome from the removal of Feet, since it helps reduce the number of ways the +2 penalty can be used to one's advantage.]
- The Sum of Ranks, the most common and well-known way to measure the overall rankings of competitors, would be more credible without Feet Solving since it would compensate for the many competitors who refuse to compete in Feet Solving for personal reasons.
Negative outcomes of removing Feet:
- Removing the event would make all past Feet solves unofficial. It would take away Feet records that took a lot of effort to accomplish.
- Removing the event would allow no more official Feet solves, and all Feet Solves in future competitions would be unofficial and less likely to he held. This would disappoint those who enjoy participating in the event and those who enjoy watching it at competitions.
Neutral outcomes of removing Feet:
- The popularity and appeal of Feet Solving is not the same in all countries. There are communities that love the event, and others that despise it. Its removal would satisfy some communities, but dissatisfy others.
- Media at competitions often covers Feet solves if it is held. Depending on how they portray Feet Solving and what they say about it, it can give different positive or negative impressions to the viewers about WCA competitions and the cubing community. It can both hurt and help the image of cubing, depending on what the viewers take from it.
- How much 3x3x3 With Feet added as an event is controversial. As a 3x3x3 variant, it added another twist to solving a 3x3x3 using a regular speed method, but it also added the factor of not using hands, which made it require a new kind of skill. Its removal would be a loss in variety of events, however how large the loss is is debatable. Any additional knowledge (e.g. algorithms) that cubers have leaned for Feet Solving has not gone to waste since it can be reapplied to other events, but the techniques (e.g. tricks for performing moves fast with one's feet) used for Feet Solving may not be able applicable to other events.
Last edited: