UFH: Raul Olivera

[CD47-Bot]

Thread created automatically to discuss UFH Honoree: Raul Olivera (http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/ufh.php?action=honoreedetail&id=31/).

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/ufh/image/1104215367raul_jpg (http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/ufh.php?action=honoreedetail&id=31)

Name: Raul Olivera
Date Honored: 12-31-2004
Years involved w/FIRST: 9
FIRST Team(s): Motorola &, Rolling Meadows High School &, Wheeling High School (0111)
Role: Lead Engineer/Mentor
Quote: “And in the end it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.” & “Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?”
Bio: Raul Olivera is well known throughout FIRST. The dynamic mentor from Wildstang, Team 111, can constantly be seen helping other teams both at competitions and here on ChiefDelphi.

When asked about the many awards and recognitions his team has received, Raul was very modest. "OK, so I have led the design and engineering of our robots for 9 years, which led to many engineering awards, several appearances to event finals and a National championship. But, those are not my best accomplishments; they are only what feed the true mission of FIRST. I am proudest of the influence we have had on so many students, including my son. I have seen so many inspired by our guidance and their experiences in FIRST. So many were compelled to go to college, become truly good engineers and leaders and then come back to become mentors on themselves. Also, of great value to me are all the friends that I have made because of my involvement in FIRST."

Raul's favorite memory that sticks out includes a landmark in FIRST: the first use of alliances. "I have so many fond memories from experiences on FIRST that it is really hard to pick a favorite. One memory that stands out takes place at Nationals in 1999. This was the first year that alliances were used. We had seeded too low to pick a partner but knew we had a good chance of being chosen. Well, we were convinced that we had the best chance of winning if we were partnered with the TechnoKats. So, we had to convince them that they had to pick us. We had picked them at the Midwest regional but had neglected to pick them again at the Great Lake regional. But I had become good friends with Andy Baker by then and felt comfortable pleading with them. When the seeding matches were over, I grabbed Andy and proceeded to plead my case. They picked us and we got to within one win of winning Nationals. The other part that really sticks in my mind is how different FIRST competitions have been since that year when we started to pick alliances. Everyone has become so much more friendly and helpful."

Lastly, Raul shares with us what it's REALLY all about. "Warning, this is deeply philosophical. My advice - Don’t let the idea of becoming rich and/or famous ruin your happiness. You are much wealthier right now than you think. You need to understand what wealth really means before you try to pursue it. Wealth exists in many forms and only through careful self evaluation will you appreciate this. The traditional idea of wealth is a measure of how much money or material assets you have. But for example, I know that most of the students who participate in FIRST are wealthier now than any billionaire who is lying on his death bed. That billionaire would gladly give up all his money to be where you are now. You see, your youth and health are worth more than that old dying man’s billions. Count all your blessings!"

Congratulations to our 27th truly Unsung FIRST Hero, Raul Olivera.

Nominated By: confidential

[Arefin Bari]

Congratulation Raul. Its really nice to see a Wildstanger getting this award who trully deserves it. Congrats to an engineer who is a regular Chiefdelphi member... a great helper and a great mentor. I am thankful to be in an organization where engineers like Raul Exist.


p.s. - is this Bharat Nain UFH thread too.. wait never mind. Bharat isn't Raul. pfftt. :)

[Jay H 237]

Congratulations Raul! :)

You definitely deserve this. The amount of knowledge and ideas you have shared with us on these forums has helped out many of us.

[Kyle Love]

Congrats Raul...

Is this 2 Wildstangers in the past 2 months???? WOW! You all rock over there at Wildstang! You know how to design some kickn' robots! Keep it up!

-Kyle

[Corey Balint]

Congrats Bhara....Raul.

You are one of the best engineers out there and design some of the greatest bots to ever play these games. You have obviously inspired many to become better engineers and have most definitely changed some peoples lives. Enjoy the two weeks of honor, and of course a lifetime of pride.

[Will Hanashiro]

congrats raul... your many helpful posts on cd throughout the years have helped me to not only better understand what robotics is all about, but they have also inspired me to give back to this program that has given me so much.

thanks and congrats

[Bharat Nain]

Congrats Raul!

Does this mean I get to be the next UFH? No just kidding, I have done nothing in comparison to you, although I will always strive to a figure who has touched the lives of so many kids and whose help and guidance has been appreciated all over the nation. You truly deserve this, congrats once again Raul!

[Sean Schuff]

Congratulations, Raul! You are an inspiration to all in FIRST. Your concept of wealth in terms of youth, enthusiasm, and opportunity is right on the mark! True happiness is worth more than any amount of money or stuff!

You most definitely deserve this honor! Congrats again!!

Sean

[meaubry]

Congrats Raul,
A great mentor, engineer, and competitor. You've always been there to support and encourage us - Thanks! Long overdue, from your friends at Team 47.

[Mike Martus]

Congratulation Raul,
Your leadership is evident by your outstanding efforts year after year. As a leader of a "Premier" FIRST team your love for youth and the FIRST efforts shines bright.

It is an honor to consider you a friend and fellow UFH member. You are a well respected mentor and leader among leaders.

I will always remember the time Joe ran up to you and ........ I will not finish this memory as it may be to painful.

As Joe would say "Wildstang, I think we love you".

Mike Martus

[shyra1353]

Congratulations Raul .. and thanks for all your help and input on these forums

[DCA Fan]

Yay for WildStang! Congrats Raul, thanks for all your input on these forums :)

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Congratulations Raul!
Few of the many folks on this forum, are aware of your dedication and all the work you put in. I hope that your employer recognizes your effort and it's impact on the community. Thanks for all your help over the last ten seasons, you have inspired many young people including my son, to pursue engineering careers. The entire FIRST organization has prospered through the efforts of engineers like yourself and the others you work with. The respect you show other mentors, myself included, is one of life's great rewards. I consider myself lucky to be included in any team you are part of.

[Joshua May]

Congrats Raul, you've really done a lot for the FIRST community.

[Dorienne]

Congratulations Raul! I have heard so much about you, and I am so sure without a doubt that you deserve this big honor. Well done!!

[Stephen Kowski]

congrats raul....always willing to shaing drawings or anything else with me and I appreciate all your extra effort. Congratulations!

['lil Gach]

Great Job Raul!!!!!!! Thanks for all your help!!!!!! :D

[CourtneyB]

Congrats Mr. Olivera!

[dlavery]

Raul-

Congratulations! The times we have talked, it has been obvious that your dedication to FIRST is surpassed only by your dedication to your student team members. You continue to provide an excellent example of what "mentoring" is all about. This is well deserved.

-dave

[Karthik]

Raul,

Ever since I first saw a Wildstang robot at GLR in 1998, I have been inspired by the work of you and your fabulous team. Each year I eagerly await the unveiling of the new engineering marvel that is the team 111 robot. These robots are part of the reason I keep coming back every season. When designing the 2004 team 1114 robot, we noticed that we kept coming back to old Wildstang designs (among many other great teams as well, especially the Chief Delphi bots from 1998-200). We wanted to emulate the best, and it worked out unbelievably.

If I've been inspired this much just by watching your creations, I can only imagine how rewarded your students and fellow mentors are.

I've always enjoyed our discussions at competitions. I look forward to running into you again this season. Congratulations on a well deserved honour.

[Josh Hambright]

Congrats Raul!
Yourself and Wildstang have been an inspiration to myself since my frist great lakes regional. You are an amazing asset to first and have shared countless amounts of wisdom with all of us on here.

This is very well deserved. once again, congrats!

[Rich Kressly]

One of the first things I learned in FIRST was the name Wildstang .
"I wonder what Wildstang will build this year."
"That's all well and good, but you'll never get past Wildstang."
"Did you see what Wildstang does in autonomous? Crazy..."
"Wanna submit for the Inventor Award? Better see what Wildstang did last year."

All of that talk might leave some people thinking that the 111 Robot IS Wildstang. Just looking at the photo of Raul embracing his drive team members thankfully shows us all that people (just like any FIRST team) ARE Wilstang and Raul Olivera happens to be one of the very special people that make Wildstang a reality every year.

I've never met you personally Raul, but I always read what you say here and what others say about you. Your fierce dedication to 111 and to the student team members coupled with your generosity and willingness to help the entire FIRST community creates the type of changed culture that FIRST strives for. Thank you!

[Andy Grady]

To one of the greatest strategic minds in all of FIRST...congrats!

-Andy Grady

[Andy Baker]

Raul is long overdue for recognition. FIRST would not be the same without Raul, that is definite. Not only does he inspire Wildstang team members, but he challenges the rest of us to work hard in designing competitive robots.

I have so many great memories of Raul. We've had many late-night discussions where people would laugh at us because both of our voices were hoarse after long weekends at a FIRST competition.

I vividly remember the 2003 Championships when he stood on Wildstang's winged robot and lifted his arms in the air, finally grabbing the Championship that 111 worked so hard for all of these years.

On his UFH profile, he tells a bit of the story of the 1999 Nationals when he "pleaded" with me and the TechnoKats to pick them for an alliance. "Plead" was not quite the right word. Raul's negotiation tactics were quite straightforward. His "pleading" went something like this:

Raul: "Baker, hey, I need to talk to you. You guys are seeded 8th. Have you decided who to pick yet?"
Andy: "Well, we are just now going to meet and finalize our decision."
Raul: "Before you go, hear me out. You need to pick us."
Andy: "Ummm... ok... you guys are great, but I really don't know where things stand until I talk to our scouting team."
Raul: "Let me tell you why you need to pick us."
Andy: "OK... go ahead."
Raul: "If you don't pick us, we will beat you."
Andy: "Really? How so?"
Raul: "well... we would grab the pipe first, before you get to the puck... (yada, yada)"

<edit - we HAD a video of this conversation... I need to find it>

Raul goes on, in detail, with their strategy to beat us. In the end, he made much sense and we picked them when it came our time to pick.

To add to this story, we attended the 1999 Rumble at the Rock (the last one, sadly) and got picked by 126 for the finals. We had a pretty good alliance with our robot paired with a mobile Gael Force robot driven by Colleen Shaver. In the semi-finals, we were beat by the Wildstang-led alliance, just like the way Raul described they would. We saw it coming, knew their strategy, and they still beat us.

Way to go, Raul. Thanks for all that you do. Thanks for sticking with FIRST and inspiring countless students and engineers to work hard at making FIRST a great competition.

Andy B.

[Ken Patton]

Congratulations Raul!

It ain't just the students that are inspired by you.

I admire you and think of you as one of the legendary competitors in FIRST. Those of us who aspire to have competitive programs have you and your team as an example of creative, strategic, and technical excellence. Every year we KNOW you are going to be awesome, and it brings us up to try to compete. You and your team are imho a huge part of the "show" that makes FIRST tournaments such an awesome experience.

Do you know how people get nervous when they talk to someone "important?" That usually doesn't happen to me. But, there are some people, for some reason, that make me feel like a kid walking up to talk to a rock star. You are one of those people. Thanks for being a rock star.

Ken

[suneel112]

Congratulations, Raul! You definitely deserve this award.

Raul is very knowledgeable, a fun person to be around, and he never brags. He is one of the best engineers in FIRST, and I have been inspired by him (and by the stuff he helps design :yikes: ).

[KelliV]

Wow, congrats Raul you really deserve it... after all you have to put up with kids like me for five months out of the year.

[JVN]

It ain't just the students that are inspired by you.

Boy I'll say!

This is truly a well deserved honor. I'm one of those individuals truly inspired by the efforts of Raul (and all the other stangers). They always provide an example of what is "great" that we can all aspire to.

This past year at championship, I had a HS freshman who was particularly excited by FIRST and by the great robots of the competition (you know the type). During some downtime on Thursday evening, he asked me to take him down to the Archimedes Pits and walk him through "Murderer's Row" (if you saw it, you know what I mean) pointing out some of the great robots and people of FIRST. After walking around for a bit, we ended up standing in the Stang pit (surprise, surprise). Raul was there working on their robot with one other mentor (it was late, the pits were pretty empty). The cool thing was, we ended up giving him a hand. (Literally, we held the robot while they worked underneath). We were all joking around, and just having fun.

This HS student, to this day, talks about how exciting it was to be "Actually right there, holding the Wildstang robot and talking to Raul!". (He also loves his stang tiedye safetyglass straps).

To me, this experience just speaks bounds about the impact of team 111 and Raul Olivera himself. These guys in TieDye don't just inspire their own students.

Thank you Raul, for all you've done -- and all you continue to do.
John

PS - Keep building those pretty robots, and I'll love you forever.

[jonathan lall]

Congratulations Raul. Your FIRST savvy is to me visible everywhere, from your always-interesting (and more importantly, useful) posts on CD, to the genius of your robot every single year, to your ability to strategize on the spot.

Last year's elimination rounds, we had the opportunity to form an alliance with 111 and 65, and I remember as the three teams got together and hammered out a plan, you singlehandedly challenged our strategy and helped turn it around for the better. We would have been crushed first round had you not done that.

In one match, you encouraged us to use the 60-degree incline on the back of our robot (by no means a "wedge") to right your own robot which had been tipped, and make a valiant effort to take back control of that game. We managed it and came ridiculously close to winning. Again, it never occured to any of us.

This makes me conclude that you don't think like the rest of us, and this is always UFH-worthy. You can be our wingman anytime.

[Gary Dillard]

Y'know what I love about Raul - he doesn't act like a stereotypical "engineer". He's cool, laid back but still full of energy, always pleasant, just a great guy to be around. That's why he's so great for FIRST - what kid wouldn't want to grow up to be like him? And he definitely knows his stuff - his engineering insight is right on the mark, and the success of his team is proof of it.

It was great to hear the comments from people who have teamed with Raul and discussed his knowledge of strategy - c'mon buddy when do I get to share some of that? We're always up against you - have we ever been allied with you? I'm tired of the same old discussion at team meetings at competitions: "How do we beat Wildstang?". I don't even want to think about our record against you (although I do recall one victory, I'm sure you know which one; Fluffy still has the scratches on the wedge and I show them off all the time). Show a little love bro' - pick us for a partner just once :)

[Jeff Waegelin]

Congratulations, Raul! You are an amazing person, and an inspiration to us all. It was always a great experience to coach a match with or against you, and I'm glad I got a chance to at every event for the better part of two years ;)