Re: National Championship or National Chairman's
 

Well, Miss Daisy won Galileo Division last year at Nationals, so this year we are definitely shooting for National Chairman's. We won the same regional two years in a row...as far as I can tell, no team has won as the SAME regional two years in a row. They switch regionals and then win it. Atlanta here we come!!!

Re: National Championship or National Chairman's
 

Dosen't competing for the chairmans award totally defeat the purpose of it??

Definetly championship for me....the only chance our team would ever have.

Re: National Championship or National Chairman's
 

No
Why Go for the Chairman's Award?

Re: National Championship or National Chairman's
 

If you guys really want to see what teh Chairman's Award is about come on over to the FIRST Hall of Fame display (I have no idea yet where they are setting it up) and talk to eight different previous Nation winners and they will give you the low down on why it's so important (and it's not just because you earn a ride to the championship every year neither).

Re: National Championship or National Chairman's
 

Well, Miss Daisy won Galileo Division last year at Nationals, so this year we are definitely shooting for National Chairman's. We won the same regional two years in a row...as far as I can tell, no team has won as the SAME regional two years in a row. They switch regionals and then win it.

Since this is just the second year for Regional Chairman's, this is probably not a good statistic.

Doesn't competing for the chairmans award totally defeat the purpose of it??

Absolutely not. The competition is different - everybody really "wins" by all of the great things teams think of to do for other teams and the community. The potential of a chairman's award is an enticement to continue to be creative and find new ways. It provides a venue for teams to highlight what they are doing so others can copy and improve on them. The potential of the award might motivate some teams to start specific activities, but I would bet they continue with them because they get immersed in it and the good they are doing. Ask previous winners if they stopped after winning - I would guess "no".

My vote: Why not "both". They recognize different aspects of a team and they are not mutually exclusive. But if I really had to pick one, I would say "Chairman's".

Re: National Championship or National Chairman's
 

First of all, I really don't think the Chairman's Award is something you can "compete" for or expect to win every year. We honestly just go about our daily work because it is fun and rewarding.

We get excited about mentoring teams, running our off-season events and working with elementary students.

It may seem hard to believe, but we really don't have any elaborate plan for winning. We just dream up fun stuff to do and then try to document it during building season. You would have to be insane to put in this many hours for a banner and a trophy. We do it because we love it!! Plain and Simple!

Good Luck to everyone in Atlanta and during the upcoming off-season!

Re: National Championship or National Chairman's
 

Chairman's is everything about FIRST that made me volunteer in the first place. The big picture. It's all the stuff that makes sense to me. I'll never be an engineer. I'm forever learning and have a very patient group of teens who will explain differentials and spur gears. But somewhere along the line, I've become a mentor for an a bunch of future engineers. And how cool is that?

Re: National Championship or National Chairman's
 

Winning in 2001 was exciting, but it's not something that is on my mind when I try to describe my achievements. Actually, except for the excitement at the event and the short lived aftermath, it hasn't been that great. I guess while I do take pride in it, I associate a low level of pride. However, when I think of something I'm very proud of and is a major achievement, starting 1020 pops into my mind instantaneously every time.

Why I feel that way, I won't say. However, I would estimate that if everyone were to experience winning the championship and then winning the chairman's, the poll would be tipped over to the chairman's side. Putting your heart into the robot and doing well is rewarding and we should never diminish that - it's why FIRST has been so successful. However, I would expect most people to find it much more rewarding, especially over a long period of time, to have made a real difference in their community, the FIRST community, and the world as a whole.

My vote is for chairman's and my 2 cents above are worth a gumball if you choose to redeem them:).

Re: National Championship or National Chairman's
 

The effect of Chairman's is not just to create an attitude and aura that is gracious and professional. Chairman's represents a number of achievements that have been successful in inspiring FIRST values. If done honestly and correctly, even those teams that "compete" for Chairman's are doing the world a favor, and improving the place where they live. This is the same as saying that if you win the competition fairly, without trying to break the rules, but do so for the sake of victory rather than for the challenge or enjoyment, you still learn something.

Re: National Championship or National Chairman's
 

i completely respect all chairman's award winners, but the championship is where it's at. i have pretty much thought of nothing more than winning the championship since i started seeing the signs last year after nats. that's the way it folks. :cool:

Re: National Championship or National Chairman's
 

Actually, This is the third year for Regional Chairmans. Philadelphia Regional Chairman's Winners are : Miss Daisy in 2004 & 2003, and Miracle Workerz in 2002. I was quite suprised when Daisy won it again, because I didn't think that a team could win the same regional 2 years in a row. Good Luck at Nats Daisy!

Another odd thing about the Regional Chairman's award is that teams that have already won the National Chairman's can still win Regional Chairman's and thus can potentially win the National Award again (I think this has happened every year). I don't think National Winners should be eligable to win any Chairman's award again since there are already one of the 11 teams in the Hall of Fame and there are hundreds of teams that have never won (X-Cats should stay the only double National Winners (92 & 94) since FIRST was much smaller back then).

I already won a National Championship, and I wouldn't trade that 2001 season for any award. After winning a Regional Chairmans the next year, I would rather win National Chairman's Award than the National Championship. I am a mentor now and I would be more proud of a National Chairmans Award which acknowledges my many years of service to the team and the community rather than a National Championship which acknowledges one great robot I helped build.

Re: National Championship or National Chairman's
 

Sometimes, it seems like there's just one thing that the staff and leadership of FIRST is unambiguous about -- the importance of the Chairman's Award.

It's amazing to see that half of the people in FIRST ignore the people they hold in such high regard.

Re: National Championship or National Chairman's
 

If FIRST told you to jump off a bridge... would you? ;)

I'm always torn in this debate, but even an old "robot nerd" like me has begun to see the light of the Chairman's award. Just remember, everyone is entitled to their opinions, and just because FIRST says something is "most important" doesn't mean everyone will rank it that way in their minds.

John

Re: National Championship or National Chairman's
 

I don't think its a matter of ignoring, nor a matter of not respecting anyone here or anyone within FIRST at all.

But we are allowed to have a differing opinion. If we weren't, then whats the point of the forum? Even though FIRST may have one opinion about it, doesn't mean that we have to totally agree with it, just as long as we respect everyone's opinion and the winners of both awards. Just because I at this time in my life prefer the Championship doesn't mean that I think Chairman's is a load of hooey - and it doesn't mean that I may never change my tune and think the other way.

I honestly don't think anyone who took a side in this at all hates the choice they didn't go with....they just have a preference, and I think that was shown beautifully in the earlier posts. And they're allowed to have that, as long as they respect the opposing opinion.

Re: National Championship or National Chairman's
 

If they managed to, at the same time, convince me that jumping off a bridge would bring about a necessary and overdue change in how our society perceives worthwhile contributions, I probably would do it. Metaphorically speaking, I feel as if I already have in a lot of ways.

I understand that people will not always do what they're told and that they have their own opinions about what is the most important aspect of the things they participate in -- but it just seems a bit disingenuous to praise the vision and accomplishments of people like Dean and Dave and Woodie in one breath and completely ignore their sage advice and wisdom in favor of opinion in the next.

It's alarming.

Edited to add: I'm not at all suggesting that people who want to win the Championship deserve less respect than people who would rather the Chairman's Award. It should be obvious by now that I like conflict. I just don't understand how the personal accomplishment implicit in winning a Championship satisfies FIRST's goals, and I'm still undecided about the worth of people participating who harbor a varying agenda. I have to be undecided because, much of the time, I feel as FIRST doesn't even know what it's trying to do anymore.