View Full Version : Chairman Award Repeats
Wendy Holladay
18-01-2010, 10:50
At our local regional the same team has won chairman two years in a row. Based on the rules this seems legal but is it. How can newer teams ever catch them??
wendy holladay
Al Skierkiewicz
18-01-2010, 11:08
Wendy,
This is certainly in the rules but you also must remember that there are very few teams that attempt Chairman's. I don't what your regional stats are but I heard of one regional that had fewer than 10% of the available teams at the regional make a presentation.
The Chairman's award recognizes a team that makes a good role model for other teams, so one of the things your team can do is figure out what things they do that are worth emulating. And the best part of that is that Chairman's teams will help you do that. I know our team loves to share the things we do with other teams with the hope that it will make the other teams stronger as well!
And it isn't a matter of "catching" them. It's a matter of finding your own team's strength and using them to make the greatest impact on your team, your school (or sponsoring organizations, i.e. Girl Scouts, 4-H), your community, and so on. And its a matter of being proud of your efforts and taking the time to write the essay, make the video, complete the application, prepare the presentation and having a great time telling the judges who you are and what you've done!
Young teams "catch" older teams all the time. I wish that all the teams would take the time to apply for Chairman's. To me, the process of documenting your team's efforts is worth so much in developing student leadership and presentation skills, and is useful for selling your team to your school and sponsors.
Please continue to GO FOR IT!!!
up here in canada, 1114 (Simbotics)has collected 3 RCAs (WAT-2006,2008, GTR-2009), and are 5-time defending champions at GTR (2005-2009). Also 1305 (NNSRI) has collected 2 RCAs from WAT (2007,2009).
Its hard for judges to not award it to the same few teams when theres a limited pool of teams to choose from. I'm not sure its the judges who are to blame, but rather the teams that arent making themselves stand out.
Pavan Dave
18-01-2010, 12:47
The strive for the Chairman's award is by far more important than the award.
Akash Rastogi
18-01-2010, 12:47
Do not try to limit those who succeed. First be them, and then beat them.
+0.02
Its hard for judges to not award it to the same few teams when theres a limited pool of teams to choose from. I'm not sure its the judges who are to blame, but rather the teams that arent making themselves stand out.Or rather, it's the teams that don't submit for whatever reason. That makes the pool smaller, leading to a certain number of repeat submitters, leading to more repeat winners.
Also remember the Chairman's Award represents a sustained effort and excellence, not just a one year effort. Teams with this sort of sustained effort stand a good chance of earning consecutive regional Chairman's Awards.
I also like to think of the Chairman's Award as the recognition of a team's effort to be the embodiment of FIRST's mission, not necessarily a contest to be won. It's better to focus on the meaning of FIRST in everything the team does, and be sure that is part of everything you do, then the Award will be one of many ways that the team receives recognition.
Competition is the adrenalin that makes us try even harder.
Every year we build a robot that we believe is far more sophisticated and more clever than the previous years. Seldom have we ever earn our way into a regional final and never have we won a regional (nor championship division) final. Many teams can relate to these W/L record.
Yet we are excited to compete every year because FIRST really isn't about the robot. It took a year or two before we really realized it. It is the attitude of the students; the time with our mentors and each other. It's the fun we have (and the shared emotions of losing, yet again). It's the experience of solving real problems that are not fake school assignments. It's the amazing number of our students who go to college and choose (Engineering at ASU has less than 50% engineering grad rate)
It's not that our students were acquiring superior technical skills. It was not the "training" they acquired that was producing these future engineers. It was the ezperience of working with each other; real life problem solving; seeking knowledge to overcome an obstacle (thanks Chief Delphi), Basically, learning life skills, forming networks, depending on the tea to work through real life problems and finding satisfaction and fun in the process. It was the competition; it was the journey; not the winning that that was important.
Our first year we submitted a Chairman’s because it was a NASA grant requirement. We did submit the second year, but it was secondary to the effort we pu into the robot.
Our third year, we spent more emphasis on the Chairmen’s writing and presentation. One of our grants that year was from Phelps Dodge. We asked them if they had anyone who would mentor us in presenting. Two executives volunteered, and like what happens to most mentors, they became close to the kids and a lot more than learning presentation skills happened. Our Chairmen’s writing and presentation had an amazing effect on all of us. We became very effective in “changing the culture” of our school, neighborhood, city, state and even earned a national reputation. Even though or robots, never won a top award!
We began to win our regional Chairman award, but not the Championship Chairman. The teams that were chosen certainly were phenomenal and although we realized they really were the best, we would spend the following Sunday morning trying to think of what more could we have possibly done? (And each year, somehow, we did more. Not so much to win the Chairman’s, but because we really wanted to best our previous efforts and we really were making a big difference, very positive impact on a lot of kids and adults) It was at one of those “day after” meetings when one of the kids said the most profound statement, “Look how much we strive to improve when we lose. We try to think of more ways to affect people. Would we work as hard after winning? Maybe being close to first is blessing, winning could be a curse.”
In 2008 we did receive the Championship Chairman’s Award. The team agreed that even though we were no longer eligible for Chairman’s, we would still submit one because not only was it the most important document of our teams history, but it keeps us focused on what it really important about FIRST. Most of our old robots have been scraped or parts. Our Chairman submissions are still read every year by the whole team.
As a bonus, we have meet and have become friends with several authors and journalists who have given us insight into the writing that we never learn in school.
Sorry this post is so long, but I really believe the Chairman’s activity is very important and valuable. The competition is the “spice” that adds intensity to the process. Not winning, after the 2 hour emotional downer, really fuels greater focus on FRIST values and improves the team. The communication skills and experience acquired are extremely valuable. Maybe one of the most important engineering skills the kids acquire in high school.
842 FIRST award history:
2009 Arizona Regional Judges Award
2009 Arizona Underwriters Laboratories Industrial Safety Award
2008 Arizona Regional Chairman's Award
2008 Arizona Regional UL Industrial Safety Award
2008 FIRST Championship Chairman's Award Winner
2008 FIRST Championship Finalist - Archimedes Division
2008 Las Vegas Regional KPC&B Entrepreneurship
2008 Las Vegas Regional Regional Finalist
2008 Los Angeles Regional KPC&B Entrepreneurship
2007 Arizona Regional Chairman's Award
2007 Arizona Regional Finalist
2007 Las Vegas Regional Engineering Inspiration Award
2006 Arizona Regional Chairman's Award
2006 The Championship Event Chairman's Honorable Mention #3
2005 Arizona Regional Chairman's Award
2005 The Championship Event Engineering Inspiration Award
2004 Arizona Regional Engineering Inspiration Award
2003 Southern California Regional Delphi "Driving Tomorrow's Technology"
842 Chairman submissions:
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/papers/2302
DonRotolo
18-01-2010, 23:32
At our local regional the same team has won chairman two years in a row. Based on the rules this seems legal but is it. How can newer teams ever catch them?
It is most certainly legal.
How can you catch them? First, talk to them. Ask about what they did to deserve Chairman's. Ask about their presentation. Ask how long they've been doing those things, and the impact they have had on the team and the community. Have a good, long conversation.
Then get your team to do those kinds of things. Not exactly what the other team did/does, but things you team can be passionate about. Make the world a better place, starting in your little corner of town, and work outwards from there. As a team, you CAN make a difference. Do it for the right reasons and you will be recognized.
Oh, yes: You can (should) also talk to other Chairman's winners. Same thing as above. Make friends, change the world.
Al Skierkiewicz
19-01-2010, 07:38
Allan,
What teams should know after reading your post is that Chairman's is attainable. I am proud to know your team and their accomplishments. I am also proud to know the other teams still trying for Chairman's. So many are deserving, it must be very difficult to be a judge.
What better way to illustrate how a team can overcome a streak of regional Chairman's Awards than the list on N7UJJ post of FRC842's awards. Notice they earned the Arizona Regional Chairman's Award 2005-2008, four years in a row.
What happened in 2009?
A second year team 2486 The Coconuts earned the Arizona Regional Chairman's Award.
It can be done.
What better way to illustrate how a team can overcome a streak of regional Chairman's Awards than the list on N7UJJ post of FRC842's awards. Notice they earned the Arizona Regional Chairman's Award 2005-2008, four years in a row.
What happened in 2009?
A second year team 2486 The Coconuts earned the Arizona Regional Chairman's Award.
It can be done.
Not to take anything away from 2486, but if I recall the 2009 rules correctly, all Championship CA winners were restricted from winning the RCA. Then again, that's still a tough field with a number of veteran teams that could submit. And the fact that 842 still submitted shows that they'll be winning it again--they'll have 5 years of practice when they're eligible again.
There is another streak that's probably about to be broken; 236 has 6 straight RCAs and finally got their Championship CA. This leaves the CT RCA up for grabs in a tough bunch of veteran teams.
So that's one other way to catch up: have your local team that keeps winning win the Championship CA.;) That'll give you a few years where it's anybody's award.
JaneYoung
19-01-2010, 15:34
At our local regional the same team has won chairman two years in a row. Based on the rules this seems legal but is it. How can newer teams ever catch them??
wendy holladay
By continuing to build on the team strengths and by identifying the team weaknesses and working to strengthen them. In FRC, the growth and development of a team never stops. Dr. Cameron from FRC 842 posted in this thread and directed you towards the team's Chairman's submissions. Take the time to read them. 842 is now a Hall Of Fame team, having garnered the Championship Chairman's in 2008, yet they continue to develop and strengthen their team by setting new goals and working towards them each year.
What impact does your team have on the community that you are a part of? Look at that question and see if you can identify the community that I'm talking about. :) Examples: your school, your town or city, your state, your educational system - and keep on going.
Team development is rather like peeling back the layers of an onion - you accomplish goals that you've set as a team - that's one layer - then you look and there's another layer that hasn't been looked at, thought about, worked through, or achieved. Each year, as the team focuses on achieving the goals that are set, it makes for a stronger contender for the Chairman's Award, and perhaps, other awards as well.
Don't give up - get busy.
All the best,
Jane
falconmaster
19-01-2010, 16:13
Here is a link to a powertpoint on google docs that we use to get teams to submit chairmans and why its important
https://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=0AY4TPv-TccPZZGRyM2Q2ZDVfNTRoYzl2cjZnZw&hl=en
burlymon33
21-01-2010, 17:09
As I sit here watching the ceaseless snowfall out of my window, and dreading the 3 feet already accumulated on my driveway, I came across this thread.
The hardest thing for me to grasp about the Chairman's Award was that a team doesn't do things to win the CA. A team should instead do outtreach in hopes of replicating a similar enthusiasm for STEM among other youth.
It can be really difficult to think of unique community projects that will set your team apart from others in the presentation room rather than to emulate the outtreach programs of other winning teams. But as long as a team is putting forth the effort, they are a Chairman's Team in my book. It really is a shame that more teams don't apply for the CA, because so much outtreach by teams then goes unnoticed.
This can be especially difficult when your team is still struggling to form its own sense of identity. But in the case of our team, we identified the lack of FIRST in our own community, and wanted to change that. At the time, the only thing we knew about the CA was that our buddies the Falcons had deservingly won it the year before. We didnt even know that we would qualify to apply as a second year team.
The CA is, in my opinion, the epitome of cooperatition and GP, because without it teams would not have any incentive to spread the word of FIRST.
Teams should not be intimidated to submit a CA application in the face of teams who have won consecutive times. I encourage all teams to submit a Chariman's application! As other posters have mentioned, the CA application journey will foster valuable growth in your team.
Akash Rastogi
21-01-2010, 18:05
I partly feel that a team should not be able to win the CA on consecutive years, because this may discourage some teams from pursuing all important outreach effort. So please teams submit anyway! As other posters have mentioned the CA application journey will foster valuable growth in your team.
The two ideas in this paragraph are greatly confusing to me.
I disagree that teams should not be able to win consecutively. Teams at the same regional as consecutive winners should have the mentality of "Be them, then beat them" not "oh no fair, let's not even try."
I agree that they should submit anyway.
Your two points seem pretty conflicting, IMHO.
Your team obviously "gets it," but I think that if you took it fully to heart, you really would see the inspirational part of competing side by side with a consecutive winner. (Disclaimer: we won NJ 05 competing against some of the toughest RCA teams in FRC at a regional with no consecutive winners in its history. Winners such as 175, 103, 25, 75, 1676)
Madification
21-01-2010, 18:06
After winning the Chairman's only one year and having such an amazing example of a true Chairman's team (842,) I'm proud to say that I believe our team is understanding what Chairman's is truely about. The awarding of the Chairman's is more like FIRST saying "Look at what this team has done, this is what FIRST is about" rather than "OMG! Your team is amazing!!"
Being a Chairman's team is realizing the impact FIRST could have on your community and doing everything you can to make it happen. This year, while brainstorming for our Chairman's submission, our team had to decide what was most important to put in our presentation as we had spent nearly our whole off season working to change the culture in our community. And as we thought back as a team, we realized that, while doing the things we did, we weren't thinking about how good it would look in our presentation. We weren't doing it just because we are a Chairman's team but just because that's what we've learned FIRST teams do.
Once a team has reached this mindset of what FIRST is all about, then they are a Chairman's team at heart and then just need to present it well. And you never know, you might just win it when you are least expecting. Anything is possible in FIRST, we learned that when we won last year as a second year team. If we can do it, you can to and if you need help google CocoNuts Robotics and we'll help you out!
How many people do we need to write the essay for the chairman's award
Akash Rastogi
16-02-2010, 16:13
How many people do we need to write the essay for the chairman's award
As many as it takes. There is no rule.
we area rookie team and my team is doubting that we should send in an essay for the chairman's since we already dont qualify. im telling them that it can also be used in the Rookie insperation. Please reply back so my team isnt depending on my essay writing skills and my team will believe me.
You submit one (1) essay, written by as many people as you need, one (1) executive summary, written by as many people as you need, and one (1) video, again done by as many people as you need.
Vikesrock
16-02-2010, 16:33
how many people do i have to have summit an essay?
JWJ3027
As a rookie team your team is not eligible for the Chairman's award. While writing a submission as a rookie can be a valuable learning experience, at this point in time I would advise against attempting to rush and submit one via the online system. The only benefit to doing so would be to gain experience with the online system.
What I would recommend would be to review the requirements for the Chairman's award both in Chapter 5 of the Manual and in the Chairman's Award document on this page (http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/content.aspx?id=440).
Take your time to create a good essay and bring a copy of it to your event and show it to the judges. This essay is a great way to impress the Rookie All-Star judges. The judges will not see your Chairman's submission if made through the online system so either way, make sure to bring a copy to the event.
JaneYoung
16-02-2010, 17:40
we area rookie team and my team is doubting that we should send in an essay for the chairman's since we already dont qualify. im telling them that it can also be used in the Rookie insperation. Please reply back so my team isnt depending on my essay writing skills and my team will believe me.
Take a moment to look at the awards that are available to the rookie teams. Also, look the requirements and the deadlines. You are on the right track, you just need a little confidence. Many rookie teams are overwhelmed and don't take the time to look at all of the awards that the team can qualify for and they overlook a lot of the fun and possibilities that are there.
In writing for the Chairman's, you can write by yourself - at least making an outline of the areas that you want to touch on in your essay. You can certainly ask others to help you and it would be up to you to encourage them to understand that it will take commitment on their part to help you with the essay. On 418, we didn't submit for many of the awards available to us for a number of years. It took a while for our team to understand the value of the process and of participating. We have a sub-team that is the awards sub-team. That sub-team, like all of our sub-teams, has a leader who guides, directs, and manages the time demands for the submissions. The leader and the other members of the sub-team work very closely with one or two of the mentors as they work through the process. If they need anything from anyone else such as information or photos, they go to the mentor or students or parents on the team and ask for assistance. They also contact sponsors who have supported us and administrators of the school if they need to. It is a small sub-team of 3 to 4 members and they divide the tasks up among themselves, again - under the direction of their awards leader and their mentor.
We've learned what works and what doesn't work on our team and it varies year to year, depending on how many veterans are on the team and how many rookies and 1st year members are on the team. Teams go through cycles and they have rebuilding years that have some similarities to rookie teams.
Your team will learn to understand the value and purpose of submitting these essays for the Rookie All-Star, the Chairman's, the Woodie Flowers. Sometimes, teams need someone who believes in them and who can help guide the team in the direction needed to submit. That person on your team may be you. Don't lose courage.
I looked under the awards section here in CD and there is a sub-forum for the Chairman's. Check it out. One thread that has a couple of links in it that you might find valuable is this (http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80061) one. Read the other threads in the sub-forum as well. There is a lot of help available for you. Follow the rules in the manual in the awards section, ask questions if you need to, and get busy.
If you would like, send me a pm anytime, with any questions that you have.
All the best,
Jane
Thank you now that takes a load off, i was having a heart attack trying to get this essay done. Since i can bring it to the competition that gives me a few weeks now.
Thanks
Jwj3027
JaneYoung
16-02-2010, 17:54
Thank you now that takes a load off, i was having a heart attack trying to get this essay done. Since i can bring it to the competition that gives me a few weeks now.
Thanks
Jwj3027
Take a look at the Woodie Flowers Award. It has a deadline, too but... it is a valuable award and one of your mentors on your team would be very touched to know that an essay was submitted. Even when the essay doesn't garner the award, it is always so wonderful for the mentor to receive a copy of the essay and know that he/she is valued. Something to think about. :)
Wendy Holladay
09-03-2010, 13:01
A short followup, I'm the mentor that posted the original question about chairman repeats, well our kids worked really hard to package up all the great work they had done all year to earn chairman's, did a fantastic write-up, a humorous and informative video, and an outstanding presentation. We were lucky enough to win the Chairman's Award at the Bayou Regional. We are still in shock. I think the lesson is never give up but work really hard to earn it.
Jessica Boucher
09-03-2010, 13:11
There is another streak that's probably about to be broken; 236 has 6 straight RCAs and finally got their Championship CA. This leaves the CT RCA up for grabs in a tough bunch of veteran teams.
It's actually 7. (https://my.usfirst.org/myarea/index.lasso?page=team_details&tpid=28689&-session=myarea:C77D6405078be1FC4EmIR2D092B8) 236 won at BAE in 2003 and then won CT for 6 straight years.
MadeAtMidnight
09-03-2010, 13:32
A short followup, I'm the mentor that posted the original question about chairman repeats, well our kids worked really hard to package up all the great work they had done all year to earn chairman's, did a fantastic write-up, a humorous and informative video, and an outstanding presentation. We were lucky enough to win the Chairman's Award at the Bayou Regional. We are still in shock. I think the lesson is never give up but work really hard to earn it.
Congrats!
Al Skierkiewicz
09-03-2010, 14:05
whollada,
Congratulations! It is wonderful to see you stick it out and receive a great award!
Congratulations for being recognized for your team's contributions to FIRST. Now, get that presentation polished and make plans to attend Championships!
:)
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