When did you know?
 

When did you know you were hooked on FIRST?

I knew it the first time I saw Nationals in EPCOT in 2000, I only got a quick tour of the pits and saw a field and I was like "I'm gonna do this!". I remember the huge event, the party like atmosphere, music playing, everything.

It's permanently etched in my mind, it's the day I knew I was going to be in FIRST for as long as my life would let me.

I went to the Canadian regional in 8th grade because my brother was one of the drivers on the team. I was soooo irritated about having to go and thought that robotics was boring and geeky.

Yea, my opinion has changed :)

I went through my build year and just all the goofiness of ComBBAT hooked me.... but not completly. I got really involved, then went to the KSC regional, and I thought it was cool, but I was still anti-social and all... by the time we went to Philadelphia Regional I was talking to people more and being goofy and just slowly networking. When nationals came around.... I was locked... I remember going there and just seeing those massive tents at Epcot, and all the people that saw us, we were the spotlight, we sat right in front of this huge theme park. I know when I COMPLETLY knew I was hooked, we were completly gone from possibly going on to finals, and Billy and I looked at each other and turned around and shouted "Who dat BBAT?" it wasn't our typical chant, but just something we put everything into. A completly down team turned into the most energetic thing I had ever seen, we paraded the pits, teams couldn't stand us... for what must've been at least 30 minutes we cheered and cheered and cheered, and Billy and I just kept it going, it was amazing... we had the 60 minutes II cameras following us a good amount of that, and it was just... unforgettable... it was a complete blyss, we had no chance of going on, a completly upset team, but one chant that brought us all back together and made us realize how great it had been... we hadn't lost... we HAD won, we ALL did... we saw what we had done and were proud of it. I can never get over that feeling, and till this day that's what pushes me, a chant others know... but a chant that at that one time, WAS us, we WERE each other, there were no boundaries, no fighting, no drama, no nothing, just... complete pride in what we HAD accomplished. It was the most amazing experience of my life, something so simple as a chant doing that might not be understood by anyone who reads this, but it was.

When I was in fifth grade Team Hammond's rookie year bot came around for demonstrations at the schools. I was hooked then.

whem i was showing up at every meeting even when nobody else was there and spending all my evergy working without stopping

I got hooked when I got my first open hand slap to the side of the face (complements of Brian Beatty) that means you screwed up kid, get back in there and do it right. That is what makes you feel accepted, when you fail and it mattered enough that people notice what you are doing and that you are an intricate part of a fine tuned machine. Nevertheless I got about ten more of those complementary slaps last year.

-Greg The Great

Nationals in 2001

When I saw the MOE Green shirts!!!

At my very first competition - Great Lakes (before it was held at the Field House)

I kinda knew that I was going to love it when the build seasion was around - I just didn't know how much I would love it... :)

about the 5th offcial meeting or so, when I got the nickname Ogre.

i knew at the 2003 Canadian regionals that i wanted to stay involved in FIRST .. bit it was during the 2003 nationals in houston, texas that i knew i wanted to start a team at my new school this yr ...

When I came to Ball State.

I stepped foot on this campus and felt so alone. I didn't have any of my 'family' there (all of the Beatty 2001 and 2002 team kids were close) and I didn't have anything to keep me busy. And I got really lonely from it... I realized that robotics is what got me to college in the first place - so maybe I should return the favor and bring FIRST to my college.

It actually took me a while. When I first joined, I felt on the outside, becaue there was such a great existing bond between returning members. However, it started to change the end of my sophomore year, when in May I tried out for drive team. The first time I stepped behind the stick in a match, I knew I was hooked forever. From there on, I was able to find a 'spot', and have a bond like the others prior to me had.
Now, I am off to college, and depressed... due to the fact that I am not with my FIRST family week after week all year round. It has been a rude awakening that I had such a great connection.

During the 2000 kickoff, after the lunch break.

After the 2000 Kickoff......definitely after the 2000 Nationals. I had never, in my life, seen anything that amazing.