What have you given up for FIRST?

[Michael Leicht]

I just want to know what you have given up for FIRST? what programs besides it. or what things?

i know i have given up a girlfriend (i have a new one and it is my robot)and baseball just for FIRST. just wondering what have you given up?

[DarkJedi613]

Well I think we've all given up our lives for at least six weeks a year for FIRST ;)

[minic@HYPER69]

I have given up happiness in my relationship. I went away twice with robotics this month and one of which was on my 1.5 year aniversary, so she is pretty pissed. :(

[MisterX]

I gave up an EMT class that I knew I woudl ahve failed if I did robotics also so I have to make up for that this summer. Also I had to give up trying out for b-ball cause there is noway I could do the games and practice required while putting in the effort required for FIRST. Though I could have squeked it on each I know that it is best to put all of your heart into one thing rather to try adn do something half-rectum, so I gave my all to FIRST and boy am I thankful

[Michelle 236]

I gave up going to see Riverdance last year because we qualified for nationals.

[Cory]

What did I give up for FIRST, you ask? Well, my sanity for starters.

Cory

[Ryan F.]

Sanity, Sleep, a life (wait, I already don't have one), and that slipping grade effect. I've been paying for my grade slippage in those 6 weeks.

[Koko Ed]

Sleep.
I wanted it all. Job. School. FIRST. So sleep had to go.

[IMDWalrus]

Much sleep. :)

[Amanda Morrison]

Sleep. Several hundred gallons of gasoline. Sanity, food (can't really eat during events... too nervous), biting my nails.

[David66]

hockey. voice. sanity. grammer;skills!

how about what have i gained? Respect (gained and lost some), leadership skills (yep, still a work in progress), drive to get things done (still trying), responsibility, knowledge of how things REALLY work (not that i like it....*sigh* fact of life)

[RiceRobotica]

Umm... Too much to list in it's entirety. My social life, my sanity, roughly 250 hours of sleep at least (I regained some during class :rolleyes: ) and a boyfriend. *sigh* It's ok. The robot can be my boyfriend.

[Ryan Albright]

grades, girlfriend, hockey, alot of free time, pretty un scard body ;)

[Nate Edwards]

I gave up sleep, my american legal studies class, tennis and some other minor things, but the things I have gained obviously out weigh the things I have gave up.

Nate

[Crop-Circles]

Nothing really. I decided to try doing Drama this year. It's been a real battle to balance both Robotics and Drama(our play is 2 weeks after nats). I'm in Upward bound. My social life outside of robotics has increased dramatically, when I have time that is. I'm also in our school band. The amount of homework I've had to do this year is much greater then last.

So I guess the only thing I gave up was my sanity. Not much of a loss though. Senioritis was inevitable! :p

All jokes aside, I can't think of one thing that I've given up for FIRST that I haven't recieved twice as much back. (other then sleep, of coarse)

[henryBsick]

um....
Most likely the only chance I will get with a couple of girls, One in particular :( .
Playing in baseball(still on the team, just benched cause coach doesn't exactly fancie me missing X # of FIRST days.)
Sleep, but I don't like it anyway. It is a waste of time. (Ask my team they force me to sleep before I drive the bot.)
The grades are good, but the work isn't exactly made up in time. They let me go cause they know what I am doing and that it is beneficiall for me to do it.
Other than that I think I am good.

[JakeGallagher]

Well I think we've all given up our lives for at least six weeks a year for FIRST ;)

Six weeks? Do you call yourself devoted? lol j/k.
I think I've given up just about everything not required to make FIRST work. I even held off on eating some days just to get that last bit of wiring done... (/me groans at the thought of rewiring something else)

[Tom Bottiglieri]

i think a better question would be "what haven't you given up for FIRST this year?" :)

[Amanda M]

What have I given up... let me see..

Definitely my sanity for starters. But i mostly gain things when it comes to FIRST.

Through FIRST, I have picked up numerous things, such as 1) An insane addiction to caffeine 2) numerous eating disorders and 3) chronic insomnia.

All in all, I think I got the better half of the deal.

[Xufer]

almost 10 weeks of study halls
my winter vacation
sleep
Sanity
memory
I think i had a family once too
also probly giving up Prom to go to Beantown Blitz
Gave up Any source of income due to a job Might get one after nationals...
Due to the above reason Gave up on getting my 1990 Mustang Hatchback you know the 5.0 ooh nice ...
I gave up upgrading my PC or putting my DOD Server back up
But hey why does all that matter i speant countless hours in a highschool shop desiging hopes and dreams

<-- come on that last one was a good one ...

BLAH!

[DavidWaters-NG]

I just joined my team. All I gave up was my Thursday to the team at the So Cal Regional. I didn't have a problem with that though :)

[ngreen]

Senior prom
weekends at college
saturday nights
some hair but not as much as elgin
sight (due to countless hours of staring at CD)
sanity, sleep, and all others
Probably studying abroad, for me at K-state there are two semesters (football season, and robotics season).
*On this note anyone who has co-ops for Sping 2005 for ChemE's, that works with a FIRST team so that I could work and work with FIRST please feel free to PM me about it*
and many others including pieces of skin (I know I actually put my blood and tears into last years robot.)

[c-squared_2006]

Oh my gosh, you gave up senior prom!?! Well, so would I if it was during that time too. Anyways, Basically my whole life (who didn't), I think I got some sleep in there too. My mom is furious at me for not praticing piano. My grades took a plurge. There really isn't much that you guys haven't mentioned.

[mtaman02]

I have surrendered my Sick Days / AVA Days / Vac Days and Personal Leave Days just so I can help build a robot / Compete with it and win.

[Liz*599]

hmmmm lets see, women's ice hockey and any scholarship that might have come from that, eventually guys club hockey too, student council, my winter break, my summer vacation this yr (counselor for a robotics summer camp), aca deca, poetry club, restoring my car b4 i graduate, a job, my voice and for 6 weeks my blood related family.

[David Hoff]

As most of us have, I've given up my time, energy, and sleep. But these things are very small when compared to what we have gained. I don't know of any other program where someone can learn so much and gain so many great experiences as FIRST.

No matter how hard the build season gets, I wouldn't miss a minute of it for anyting.

[byrne159]

I was a ballerina for as long as I can remember until I discovered FIRST, and let me tell you all something, FIRST people are SO much cooler than all those uptight ballerinas. Good decision on my part, methinks.

[Rpifirst]

The thingIi gave up the most was my grades. Alongspending time with my family. Last season the only time I saw my parents was, when I woke them up late at night to tell them I was home. Another thing I gave up was allto fo sleep and the possible job I could of gotten. but looking back it was soooooooo worth it.

[Michelle 236]

I was a ballerina for as long as I can remember until I discovered FIRST, and let me tell you all something, FIRST people are SO much cooler than all those uptight ballerinas. Good decision on my part, methinks.

hahaha I'm a dancer too and i must agree, FIRST people are sooooo much cooler

[MissInformation]

Some "friends" (true friends understand, so good riddance to those who don't), the chance to own a cat, a really fun ski weekend on President's Day weekend (so long hot tubbing in the snow), working on personal projects, such as the photo gallery I've been meaning to put together and my writing, oh and during the 6 weeks of build, I pretty much give up cleaning the house (yea, I mean darn), and zucchini, and I gave up my giving up of caffeine, and as usual, I missed the first two Relay for Life team captain meetings. And most importantly, I gave up my freedom, which may not sound like much, but I almost never, ever commit to things and yet I find myself offering more and more of my time for the team... I guess I'm hooked.

Heidi

<==========>
"the dice were loaded from the start, and I bet and you exploded into my heart..." -Indigo Girls

[Matt Leese]

What have I given up? Like everyone else, lots of sleep (back in 2001 I actually had lots of trouble sleeping because of the stress from FIRST). Probably a couple thousand dollars spread out over 7 years. I've also lost a number of opportunities for various events. I missed a career fair at school one year because I was at a FIRST Regional (which limited my coop opportunities). I know I've missed skiing several times because of FIRST.

I'm sure I've missed other things but I tend to concentrate on what I've gained because of FIRST: lots of experience, knowledge of engineering outside my speciality, and finally lots of friends. :)

Matt

[MOEmaniac]

I've given up most of my social life and numerous ours of sleep. But building the bot and hangin with the team isn't a bad social life :D

[JoeXIII'007]

For FIRST, I've given up 5 weekdays for 6 weeks for a very good bot. It was well worth sacrificing the time and effort on something else other than my homework. :-) And I even got that stuff done!

Other stuff I gave up: Time with family, playing video games every day, afternoon naps (with the same amount of nightly sleep [7 hours]), and my overall daily schedule.

[crazyone]

Let's see
*money,
*sleep,
*food,
*gas for car, and
*brownie points w/ some teachers
(i would also include my sanity as mentioned by others, but i never had any to begin with. How can you lose something you never had to start?)

But on the other hand i did get more than i lost such as rewarding expriences and stories to tell.

[lagoonfreeze]

I have given up most of my free time and i have neglected my friends for the past three months. I swear to god i started to live at the shop

[kevin.li.rit]

Sanity.

[swando]

oh dear... over my 3 years of FIRST, ive given up
hundreds of hours of sleep.
a computer (suffered a brain aneurism mid-render)
a couple shirts at competition
thousands of dollars (team dues, mountain dew)
and a girlfriend actually... :rolleyes: she didnt get the robots thing.

[kevin.li.rit]

oh dear... over my 3 years of FIRST, ive given up
hundreds of hours of sleep.
a computer (suffered a brain aneurism mid-render)
a couple shirts at competition
thousands of dollars (team dues, mountain dew)
and a girlfriend actually... :rolleyes: she didnt get the robots thing.

I'm sure my sanity was priced slightly higher than those things.

[swando]

I'm sure my sanity was priced slightly higher than those things.
i wasnt attacking the value of your sanity, i was replying to the thread.

[kevin.li.rit]

i wasnt attacking the value of your sanity, i was replying to the thread.

I know, I was attacking the value of my own sanity.

[ElfMaster]

Sleep, grades, social life, food occasionally, sanity (if I ever had it) the usual. But my parents...

The first year we were in FIRST (2003), we had no where to work. So we worked in my garage... then my living room... We really took over the living and dining room. We pushed all the furniture to the side and did drilling, sawing, filing in there. It got to the point you didn't want to walk barefoot across the room, just like the garage.

So my mom gave up most of the house to robotics.

Of course this year we're restricted to the garage and a closet at school... she did give us the kitchen table to work on though.

[Melissa Nute]

grades

hours at work
sanity

wait...that really isn't too bad...meh

[shyra1353]

lets see ...
- sleep (who cares .. its overrated ...)
- school (1 bio class a week .. that is what i promised myself for build season!)
- soccer (not completely ... but partially)
- a job
- a social life (wahoo .. i get mine back in a few weeks !!!)
- didnt see my brother for a while ... that was weird
- and hopefully postponing surgery so i can go to nationals !!!!
- TV (missed my soaps and Survivor and Friends)

[Trinora]

Much money, sleep, countless hours of time, the month of October, a few points in every class, relaxation, laziness, a lot of my fears and inhibitions.. As some at regionals have found out (sorry), sleep, Any chance of getting off my caffine addiction ('sweet nectar thy name is Dew'), two birthday parties, conversation with friends and family ("Oh.. you do.. robots.. How.. interesting?"), weekends, dreamless sleep, sleep in general, computer addiction, liscence tests, homework.. mwhuahaha, doctor's appointments, my Wacom tablet (sigh), and several less than friendly friends.

However, I've gained friends in abundance, and FIRST has given me a sense of worth and pride nothing else has compared to.

[kevin.li.rit]

grades

hours at work
sanity

wait...that really isn't too bad...meh

Bah! I lost my sanity FIRST!

[SarahBecker]

I ended up in the hospital after having an anxiety attack. No question that it was due to my many robotics obligations! ;) The greatest part was, it happened while I was at work, and as soon as they let me out of the hospital I went straight back to work. Gotta love what robotics does for ya!

[Melissa Nute]

Bah! I lost my sanity FIRST!
My sanity was gone before FIRST :p

[Mike Schroeder]

My sanity was gone before FIRST :p
what is this sanity that everyone keeps talking about?

[Jay H 237]

what is this sanity that everyone keeps talking about?

Sanity? Yeah I've heard of it. I believe I had it before the six weeks but unfortunately it's only a memory now. :p

[Pat Roche]

I have lost everything....everything....and gained it back completely new and different than before.

-Pat

[JakeGallagher]

I just thought of something else I gave up for FIRST--this week alone, 15 hours of sleep, and it's only the fourth day of the week.

I have lost everything....everything....and gained it back completely new and different than before.

-Pat

Correction: New, different, and BETTER!
Why? Because I was here the second time around.

[Ryan F.]

How many of you..like me...have developed a chronic insomnia sience the end of the build season? The sad thing is that half the time I find myself on CD.

[David66]

exactly, insomnia and WMR excitement have me.....you know what would be cool? a UP regional. Extra cold, but it would give us a fourth regioanl. i htink i would give the rest of my sleep to help make that happen

[Trinora]

How many of you..like me...have developed a chronic insomnia sience the end of the build season? The sad thing is that half the time I find myself on CD.

I have something worse; since the compitions have started, I can't sleep later than 8 o'clock IN THE MORNING. *sob* I miss sleep.

[Michael R. Lee]

Sleep, afternoon naps, patience, batteries (plugging numbers on a TI-83), time spent doing my job as a Mod on the NYLF Boards, quallity of HW, planning for spring break (it was ship bot, fly home), staying awake in class, time for Computer games..... I already am insane and somehow managed to end up with a girlfriend back home in FL :ahh: .... long story.... so yeah there goes my life outside of FIRST or what was.

[Alex Pelan]

My February vacation (or at least 8-11 hours a day of it) and countless other hours, that I probably would have spent doing nothing productive anyway.

[Jeremy L]

oh pelan, you know you enjoyed it.

i gave up the following:
several hours a week
my "secret" basket designs
my selfishness

i got in return:
Xerox creativity award for my part
Philly regional winners
a whole team of friends
too much video...

[Jake177]

For the video guys on our team (me and Jeremy) the real sacrifices start now. This year we will have video from three competitions (New England, Philadelphi, and Nationals) to go through to make our videos. And since we're both seniors, we only have til June to do it.

[Pat Roche]

[QUOTE=JakeGallagher]I just thought of something else I gave up for FIRST--this week alone, 15 hours of sleep, and it's only the fourth day of the week.QUOTE]

dont get me going on that sleep thing.....its the week before nationals and i still can't get back in the habit of it....and that wiring....let me tell you.....


-Pat

[Atman]

Sleep is the most obvious thing. A girlfriend during the six week build or pretty much my social life for that matter. My thoughts have been given to FIRST. I'll be in the middle of history talking about WWI and all of a sudden out of no where I get this idea about strategy and it takes over my train of thought. It will be all I can think about until our next meeting. I must seem pretty out there to the people around me. Its the same way with the nationals. Here I am on my spring break and I am scouting and posting on delphi while everyone else is out partying. Its worth every minute though.

[BlueOrion]

Sanity, hockey tournaments and practices (and the sport altogether now), sleep, sanity, homework, grades, having a life. But then again, robotics IS life. And that's just the point. You can find everything AND MORE in FIRST.

[Arefin Bari]

LIFE

[tiffany34990]

LIFE


i totally agree-- this is my life besides dealing with IB-- and well that's a horror story--

but yeah i give everything up for FIRST-- it's one thing that keeps me happy and going in life

[Michael R. Lee]

Do you have a LIFE to begin with? I mean.... does anybody's Head wants to explde like right after kickoff? I mean all the ideas and strategies.... mind overload. I think some people lose thier brains over the course of build season.

[michael_obrien]

I don't think I lost anything at all...

[Billfred]

FIRST effectively ended my short attempt at debate. (All of the competitions were on build days.)

And I couldn't work as much--our school starts late Wednesdays, so I was working Tuesdays. But that was a build night, too. And Saturdays I had to work later in the evening. Not my favorite thing, but I survived.

That, and I couldn't do as many color guards for ROTC.

[VGMasterShadow]

Sleep lost. Oh the sleep I lost, but it was worth it. -slumps over in chair-

[Stephen Kowski]

Money/a decent credit history.
time to study for school, since I had to get a job to support my habit (FIRST). Also I had to give up a job because they wouldn't leave me alone to do FIRST so I quit instead.

but that's ok the things I have given up are nothing compared to the things that I have gained through FIRST.

[CourtneyB]

Last year i gave up varsity softball :yikes: . My softball coach was pretty P.O'd at me, but oh well.
-Court-

[Wetzel]

Money/a decent credit history.
time to study for school, since I had to get a job to support my habit (FIRST). Also I had to give up a job because they wouldn't leave me alone to do FIRST so I quit instead.

but that's ok the things I have given up are nothing compared to the things that I have gained through FIRST.


You should really take a moment to think about that. You may not think so now, but later when you goto buy a house or a car, that credit rating will be important.

School is important. Failing classes is a bad thing, especially at college where you are directly paying to learn.

Going to every meeting might be important, but being able to finacillay support yourself is even more important. Some say that money isn't important, but it sure does make things easier.

Jason Morella told a few of us volunteers at the LA regional in 2003 (after we treked down from the San Jose Regional the weekbefore) that missing alot of classes and losing jobs is not worth it for FIRST. You need to look after yourself, because how can you help support FIRST if you can't support yourself?


Wetzel

Wetzel

[tribotec_ca88]

Hmm...I don't like to think of it as "giving up"... all I had to do was prioritize. I found it possible to sleep, socialize, work, watch TV, study, exercise, travel, and hang out all in a day. All I had to do was fit in FIRST into my schedule. Sure, it may have left me busy, but having a tight schedule isn't always stressful, if you know how to manage your time and balance out your activities. Besides, it really does give you a feeling of getting the most out of life. So . . . I haven't really given up anything, I've simply adjusted my agenda, because although FIRST is important to me, I haven't let it interfere with my daily routine and prevent me from doing things I enjoy. That way I won't lose my sanity.

[Stephen Kowski]

You should really take a moment to think about that. You may not think so now, but later when you goto buy a house or a car, that credit rating will be important.

School is important. Failing classes is a bad thing, especially at college where you are directly paying to learn.

Going to every meeting might be important, but being able to finacillay support yourself is even more important. Some say that money isn't important, but it sure does make things easier.

Jason Morella told a few of us volunteers at the LA regional in 2003 (after we treked down from the San Jose Regional the weekbefore) that missing alot of classes and losing jobs is not worth it for FIRST. You need to look after yourself, because how can you help support FIRST if you can't support yourself?


Wetzel

Wetzel

Who said anything about failing classes? I know I certainly didn't just because I don't study as much doesn't mean I don't recieve good grades (it is all about budgeting time wisely)....thx for the advice wetz....

[Marygrace]

A life without motivation.

[Bcahn836]

most definitely sleep, but i gained alot of that in history and english class, :ahh:
Oh and i passed up a trip to D.C. but i could go up there in a weekend, instead i went with the team to VCU.
One thing i didn't give up was NASCAR, the only meetings i have missed in the last two years on the team was for the Daytona 500.

[Tyler 783]

Sleep, life, sanity, music, friends, girlfriends, But not my grades MUHAHAHA. There goes that sanity thing again. O well!

[Joe Matt]

-Any chance of a girlfriend in high school.
-The ability to be "cool".
-Respect wheneven someone says 'Gali' I say 'leo'.
-Time, money, & sleep.

I've also lost:
-Self doubt
-Any questions about what I want to do with the rest of my life

[The Cyborg]

I have lost:

-Free Time
-Marching Band
-Sanity

And have gained:

-A new life to look forward to


Isnt it wonderful?

[greencactus3]

-Any chance of a girlfriend in high school.
-The ability to be "cool".
-Respect wheneven someone says 'Gali' I say 'leo'.
-Time, money, & sleep.

I've also lost:
-Self doubt
-Any questions about what I want to do with the rest of my life
cool?? if you're involved in FIRST, that automatically makes you cool!!!
aand of course, a robot can always be your girl. xcept for the fact you need to share lol

[Liz Smith]

-Any chance of a girlfriend in high school.
-The ability to be "cool".
-Respect wheneven someone says 'Gali' I say 'leo'.
-Time, money, & sleep.

I've also lost:
-Self doubt
-Any questions about what I want to do with the rest of my life

Hey, robotics brought me closer to my boyfriend. Probably because we both do robotics so we ended up spending massive amounts of time together. But... I did lose sanity, sleep and money.

[dubious elise]

i'm slowly relinquishing my tennis tournament season (but not without a fight!) and darn near all of my free time goes straight into robotics work.

but the friendships, experience, and knowledge that i have gained all far outweighs anything that i may have lost :)

[Tytus Gerrish]

Free Time

[Joe Matt]

cool?? if you're involved in FIRST, that automatically makes you cool!!!
aand of course, a robot can always be your girl. xcept for the fact you need to share lol

Notice it was in quotes, as in what they think is cool.

[karinka13]

Personally, when I look at everything I've gained from FIRST robotics, I can't think of anything I've had to give up for it. I mean sure, I've had to skip out of Glee Club and play rehearsals, but trust me, that's a good thing when you have my school's music director. I've given up time when I could be studying or doing homework, but hey, which one would you choose? And I always get by without struggling. I gave up being in the drama club last year, class time, lunch time, afternoons, and plenty of other stuff. But I love doing it, so it doesn't even seem like giving anything up. To me, it's a gift to be able to go down to the basement and drive the robot around instead of sitting in a cold chair and singing some new song for a concert. It's absolutely worth every speck of time and effort I put into it, and that's why I love it. At the end of the season, I don't breathe a sigh of relief to have time for myself again, but wonder what I'm going to do without being able to vent all my anger out through an unfortunate piece of wood and the power drill. :)

[CmptrGk]

i know that all ive give up for first is sleep becasue i never did any thing before.

[JakeGallagher]

-Any chance of a girlfriend in high school.
-The ability to be "cool".
-Respect wheneven someone says 'Gali' I say 'leo'.
-Time, money, & sleep.

I've also lost:
-Self doubt
-Any questions about what I want to do with the rest of my life

Girlfriend? Who needs one of them? All they want is your time and money! LOL jk. I had a girlfriend through FIRST, and that was fun. I mean we were always together and we always had stuff to talk about. Sadly, we broke up and team meetings have been really awkward since, but oh well. lol.
Secondly, cool is in the eye of the beholder. I remember back in 2003 when I was just my team's newb runner boy. But I thought it was the coolest thing ever, just being on a team where it didn't matter who I was...I was only a runner, but I was still just happy to be there where people accepted me. On that note, Sparky and CRT were the coolest two groups of people on the planet to me back then. Why? Those guys helped us get to nationals through Annapolis. If your signature isn't misleading, I think you're from Sparky, right?
Third. GALI! Dude. Who cares what jokes you're in on? All that matters is that it's all in good fun, right?
As for time, money, and sleep, those are part of the payment package for everything you get from FIRST: friends, confidence, pride in yourself and your team, knowlege, and above all, a good time. Need I say more?

[Dorienne]

I've gained more than I've lost, but here are some things I gave up.
a) Tae Kwon Do (which I loved...)
b) free time with friends on weekdays and nights
c) time to do homework (haha...)
d) job(s)
e) erm..."coolness" or whatever..like I care...FIRST is cool! =D
And I've gained so much more, honestly. These things I could easily have given up..well, except for the first one. That's kinda hard to deal with. =( But oh well, this is so beneficial for me I don't mind I gave those things up. Though I do need a job to make myself unlazy...Hehe.

[Jay TenBrink]

Sadly, I have given up some of the time I should have spent with my daughter. This was several years ago. Nonetheless, she was hurt and for that I still feel some pain even now. For the last several years our relationship has been very good and we have made time to spend with each other. I share this personal information with you so perhaps you can learn from it and avoid making the same mistake that I did when I did not have the proper balance in my life (family/work/community/FIRST, etc.)

In the past 4 years I have given a very substantial amount of my time and energy to FIRST. I have spent a lot of quality time with many different students from my own team and others. I believe I have been a positive influence in their lives and I feel richer for having known each and every one of them.

[phrontist]

my life; # Number of FIRST season's I'm involved in
for(life = 0; 42 = 42; life++) {
GPA = GPA - (1/2)(life)
}

[KelliV]

What haven't I given up... I eat sleep and breathe FIRST. I quit the Varstiy cheerleading squad that I was the captin of, do not try out for plays, I no longer eat dinner at the normal hours, I don't get to bed on time at all, I wake up early, I dont hang out with people other than FIRSTers, I spend time watching old FIRST videos, I never see my family, during the season my few non-FIRST friends, that DOES include my boyfriend, do not talk to me becuase all they get is babbling about crabs and BUPODs and everything else that goes with FIRST, and my sanity also.
Even though I have given all of this up what I have gained these past few years have outweighed it by a long shot. I have gained a sense of belonging, teamwork, friendship, and not to mention everything I have learned about the real world of engineering from my fabulous mentors from Motorola. FIRST is the best thing that happened to me... I would give up anything and everything for it.
-Kelli with an "i"

['lil Gach]

Hmmm what have I given up for FIRST? well if you count the times that I dont see my family anymore, or the time I had to miss going to my sisters college. The lack of sleep I get ( even more during the actually season!). The times that I have to leave a volleyball, gymnastics or waterpolo practice or game early. There are also those times that I eat dinner at 8:45 ish and I havent eatten since 12.... There is also this thing called homework that is my last choice ( but homework isnt fun anyways so it doesnt matter!)

Would I change my life? NO way!!!!! I love FIRST!!!!!!!! I love the nights of stress! I love the being around the FIRST people! (even though during build season it is a very very stressful time!) I have learned so much from this program. I have been in it for 2 years and watched my brother competitions for the 2 years before I was in the program, and it was soooooooo awsome!!!! I have learned a bunch from our Motorola engineers! They are soo awsome. They are always there to answer a question you have. It could be about anything, college, homework questions, what subteam to be on, how was your weekend, and any other random question you might have they will answer it!

So if you would ask me what would I give up for FIRST... I would give up a life time for FIRST! If I had a chance to change my life I wouldnt change it one bit!

~Tiffany ('lil gach)

[Kyle Love]

Things I have given up for FIRST
1. TONS of sleep, at the shop or just thinking about how to win.
2. Time with friends.
3. Time with the family
4. Free time
5. Time for homework...I sometimes stay up until like 12 doing homework, but it gets done doesn't it. ;)

Ofcourse, I have more but what don't/wouldn't give up for FIRST? Over the past year I have learned more then I have learned in most of my life. I would also like to thank all of the mentors on 45 and mentors/students from other teams that have taught me all I know about FIRST. Hopefully I can teach a kid all I know about FIRST someday. :D

-Kyle

[gobeavs]

I've given up free time, since everything else is a constant. Free time is the only variable :D.

[Otaku]

bada-bump, 'cause this is a topic too great to ignore.

I've given up:
-Sanity
-Better Judgement (Who in the right mind would stay at SCHOOL until 8pm? Oh right, a FIRSTer.)
-Trying to drink less 'dew (That was a stupid idea anyways =p)

[midway78224]

sleep, girlfriend, swimming, some friends who didnt understand why i do this, so family events, b-days alot more but that a huge list but fails in comphresive in what i gained in FIRST. Thanks to FIRST i found something i love to do and will always be a part of this.

[Andrew Y.]

1. 4 of my GF's Birthdays. :(. But i always called!!
2. My Senior Prom. but its ok i saved $500
3. Wrestling

[JamJam]

Sanity (though my team says that's debatable - apparently I never had any to start with)
Sleep
Home-cooked Indian food (Make way for pizza, Arby's, and Chick-fil-a)
Respect of my teachers (they don't understand why senioritis hasn't affect my robotics commitment when it has affected my schoolwork)
Friends outside of robotics (they think I'm weird. I feel sorry because they don't know what they're missing out)
Dance

[Justin M.]

Sleep, money, gas, sanity, skiing, grades.

My grades this report probably already went down due to all nighters in Inventor. But I'm really not too worried this year.

[Otaku]

Respect of my teachers (they don't understand why senioritis hasn't affect my robotics commitment when it has affected my schoolwork)


That's because FIRST is a way of life, a passion, a reason to wake up and go to school for some of us, and schoolwork is just a necessary evil. =p

My mom pulled the same approach, "Why can't you be so focused on schoolwork as you are on robotics?"

The answer: My passion isn't filling out papers. It's calculating tolerances, lengths, measurements, milling stuff, drilling, assembling, and watching all my hard work either succeed or fail. My passion is mechanical stuff. My passion is troubleshooting.

My passion is FIRST.

[KnottyPanda]

I'm missing the UNH Jazz Festival this year, and i missed the Berklee Jazz Festival last year. (i would have performed on piano)

and of course sleep, homework, time with family, proper eating habits, work hours, weekends, a life, etc.

But i've gained so much more. I've met so many awesome people, and had so much fun. It's totally worth it.

[BLACKZ-ERO]

well ive given up a ton...my life, my girl...alot

[Pelicano234]

I gave up my part time job, but that's kind of a plus:D

[MDodge27]

:cool: I've given up any chance at a social life.:cool:

[ZakuAce]

I gave up Wolfenstein ET. I don't ahve time to play it anymore :(

[team2061]

sleep, sleep, sleep, and more sleep. my patience, grades, friends and especially ROTC Color Guard presentations!!

[Tottanka]

Money, Sleep, Time with family, 2 GFs, 1 broken heart.

But i have recieved way way more.

[Traldan]

I'm giving up money (from working) and music. Luckily, I've convinced my girlfriend to join our FIRST team. :D

[basicxman]

as a basically 1 man team (FTC!) i gave up:
lots of sleep!!!!!!
going to friends houses
tv :D
my summer vacation

things i have gotten out of FIRST:
a bad back :D
fun
1K worth of robot parts
laptop, camera
knowledge
experience (i organized my entire team during the summer)
the amaze award
joining CD and VF
and much more...

[Dave McLaughlin]

My hopes at a 4 point GPA... Its has been gladly forgotten:)

[Betty_Krocker]

A girlfriend, paintball, sleep, a job, any life that i did have, and food...:ahh:

[Zyik]

Sleep
Grades, I had a 4.0 average once upon a time, but then I took classes that challenged me at the same time as FIRST.
Some Friends
Karate

[tkgamer]

I have given up my peace of mind! But i never used it anyway.

[KoulFireChick]

I've given up:
~ Being with family in their time of need (fire at my house, lost our mother)
~ 5 dates
~ Drama practice
~ Hugging/being close to my boyfriend
~ Duct tape (don't ask)
~ Homework time
~ After school tests I have to make up
~ Science fair

that's about it...AND NO!! I DIDN'T LOSE SLEEP!! I don't sleep to begin with =^.^=

[The_Laughing_ManMII]

sleep( i have a part time job while at school for 8 hours a day, plus building! its god i got today off though...

[SoJ]

I'm getting the feeling I'm gonna be losing sleep....And definitely I've already been giving up time for working. Less money. Good thing I've saved SOME up. Thankfully my girlfriend's on the team, so no worries there. Unfortunately, I'm definitely going to be struggling to keep my homework up to scratch. Not to mention my (partially nonexistant) social life is going to get bruised a bit.

[DarkFlame145]

MY SANITY, sleep, my soul (It's in a jar at Dean's house, but i gave it to him) and my social life =P. My best friend hates this time of year cause i never get to hang out with her.

[Libby K]

I love how so many guys are saying they lost their girlfriends.

A semi-comforting thought, I guess:

If they don't support FIRST, what kind of girlfriend are they?
and if you don't try to get them into it, what kind of boyfriend are you? (only kidding.)

I give up a lot for FIRST, mostly sleep and sanity, but it's all completely and totally worth it.

[TheNotoriousKid]

I gave up football and a chance to be ignorant the remainder of my hs career....so ive gained more than loss

[dr1008]

I just want to know what you have given up for FIRST? what programs besides it. or what things?

i know i have given up a girlfriend (i have a new one and it is my robot)and baseball just for FIRST. just wondering what have you given up?

i have given up alot too, as in all of my free time to do anything. i have swim team in the morning so i have to go to bed at like 8/9 on days we work later, making it so that all of my time not spent at school or swimming is spent working on our bot.

[Denman625]

baseball, (varsity if i quit robotics, missed too many games...) girlfriends, life, working out... its sad what FIRST can do to an insomniac... hahaha

[pandaF]

My sophomore year I gave up going to the Championships in order to be in a school play. I will never make that mistake again!!!

[cardinalman86]

i actually haven't lost my girlfriend, like most people say they have, but i have lost time to talk to her. i did quit football just for FIRST, and my little almost non existant social life.

[Illegalsocks]

where to start...

--Well, no thanks to Dave, Woodie, and Dean, ive given up my sanity, especially trying to figure out the clues in the pre-season.
--Not yet missing sleep, but i will be towards the end of the season.
--Wont be able to get a job for the next couple of weeks.

but the experience and fun makes up for the loss of everything else.

[Eugenia Gabrielov]

So I'm in macroeconomics class this quarter - and we're reviewing trade-offs, opportunity cost, all those fun things.

Sure, there are other things I might have done in high school were it not for Robotics team. I had to pick between some events and band events, between band trips and regionals, but to me those costs have been worth it. After all, it's it's easy to look back and think about what you could have done, but why do that if you're loving it now?

[Herodotus]

I don't consider it "giving up" when you gain more then you lose.

[eshteyn]

I havnt really lost anything, i have a girlfriend, shes the best and im insanely lucky to have her, i have made tons of new friends and gained a very large amount of knowledge, although REST is not an option

[Éowyn]

What have I given up for FIRST? Having a life, probably :p I seem to recall what it was, dimly, a collection vague images surrounded by a mist of aluminum chips . . . :D

[Computermaster]

I think I've given up alot of my social life. As a freshmen, giving up my self esteem on the first day was inevitable...but the gains FAR outweigh the losses.

-Computermaster

[JaneYoung]

I reckon I've about given up on ever knowing what an empty nester is going to feel like regarding free time, boredom, or loneliness. That's a good thing...I think..

[cdennisxlx2]

Ive given up just about everything, lol, my life is FIRST now (i mentor, i sit on the San Diego regional planning committee, i'm on 2 other committees both regarding FIRST and those 6 weeks i barely get home except to sleep and go back lol) ......

So basically if this was a full time job i would be more wealthy then bill gates and possibly just off the overtime, lol

[Bomberofdoom]

Concentration on other important things, sleep, general concentration, free time, hobbies, a few friends....
I doubt it's related to FIRST, because it DID come before the kick-off, but I'd say grades (getting Cs).

But I'm doing all this because I'm looking forward for having a successful FRC season, I'm looking forward to the success of the team and our project.

[DarkFlame145]

I forgot to add something, i give up a ton of gas. I drive anywheres from 160 to 240miles every week to get to FIRST and back. I'm just a student also. My car gets 30mpg you do the math on how much fuel i use =P

[swaknight]

um, let me think, my life, sleep, sanity, free time, personal time, family, friends (not in FIRST), band, the list goes on and on

[otomerobot]

For starters agree with DarkJedi613, I think that everybody has given up their lives for FIRST for the next six weeks. But yet again, you are also gaining a lot more so its worth it.
:] Also their is much sleep loss.

In my team we have theory, when its building time the six weeks, we tend to GAIN about ten pounds. Comsuming on those nights only fast food, mainly pizza.

During competition, we end up LOSING the pounds we gained. The fact that most everyone on our team cant eat because of the nerves. OR the running up and down from the PIT to the field.

I think its rather funny. :D

[galewind]

I love this thread.

Let's see, where to begin:

Yeah, the whole "sleep, sanity, money, time with my family... " thing holds for me too.

I have given up advising another successful team (Debate team).
I have given up going to weddings with my wife (she wasn't happy).
Our wedding was scheduled around competition season (we got married week after championships in 05).

Oh, and last but not least...

I have given up a pair of pants while being drug across a carpeted floor while we tested our autonomous mode for the first time during our rookie year, as our robot crashed through a bolted down cubicle wall, while not knowing that all we had to do was disconnect the Operator Interface to stop it from moving.

Friction + strong robots + melty slacks + rugburn = fun .... or not

[GoldenAI]

Well...not much really. First just puts me behind a computer which is where I belong. Computers are my life.

Oh and in some cases FIRST has both destroyed and built relationships, so
its all good.

~The Wind Comes And The Wind Goes. The Same Goes For Everything That Looks Like Me~

[team1203 4life]

I have given up happiness in my relationship. I went away twice with robotics this month and one of which was on my 1.5 year aniversary, so she is pretty pissed. :(

this is where it helps to have a girl friend who is in the club :cool:

oh and ihave given up all my hours at work to the bare minnimum so idint miss a minnet of the build season,my entire life 24 7 365 days a year
and millions of hours of sleep

[pfreivald]

LOL. Last year I got married the day before kickoff -- and was at kickoff. This year kickoff was on my anniversary. My wife isn't involved with the team (except as the unofficial team baker of evil deliciousness every Saturday during build season), but she's totally understanding about it.

Patrick

[petek]

Things I've given up for FIRST:
Over a month of vacation and personal days
Way too many ski trips
Any chance of becoming a couch potato
The joys of being a grumpy old guy

[LightWaves1636]

Sleep, a relationship, theatre, and excessive free time, but the people I've met, the new friends I've made, and the kids I've helped inspired; stepping back and looking at the work I've done with and for FIRST, I'm pretty satisfied and happy currently. Being in college, most of my old friends back in high school go to liberal arts colleges and don't like math so I really rarely see them anyway but we keep in contact through the web no matter how technologically inept some of them are(I have one friend who runs away from computers because she doesn't like using them).