Re: Your Best FIRST Experience
 

In reply to the above post, it's cool to hear that another rookie team had such a great showing. We too also felt the surge of that final match when our allience started to pull through to victory. Words cannot describe the feelings of elation and happiness that we felt last weekend in Davis, but I can tell you that we were almost up to our necks in tears after that final match. I loved our alliance partners; they were probably the most supportive group of teams that 1726 has ever had the fortune of playing with.

Re: Your Best FIRST Experience
 

Last year during Saturday competition, Pope John Paul II died.
The cheering, waving, moving, competition stopped for a few moments of silence. Silence so still, a pin could be heard if it had dropped. The international gathering of competitors and supporters reined in the adrenalin and allowed grace to fill the quiet in Reliant Center.

One of our alliance teams was team 1621, ENIAC, a rookie team from Brazil. When the competition was over, they quickly gathered at the edge of the field with their drive team and prayed the Hail Mary in Portuguese, their beautiful language. I was there with them,quietly standing, speaking the words in English. As they dried their eyes, they raised their arms and yelled, 'Oopa Oopa Oopa' and began hugging and shaking hands with everyone on the alliance teams. Pictures were taken, tee shirts were traded and they came and gave me their flag.

During the moment of silence, our team members in the stands acknowledged that continuing the competition would be difficult for ENIAC, team 1621 - but we knew they were a F.I.R.S.T. Robotics Team and would do just fine.
That is one of my favorite memories.
Jane Young

Re: Your Best FIRST Experience
 

It may be a little premature to say that this is my best experience with FIRST, but it was spectacular.

After breaking in qualifying early on Friday we were heartbroken. We hauled our robot in two pieces back to our pits. I was in tears, convinced that the 12 hour trip had been in vain. But we pushed and pushed to make the regional worth while.

It really touched me that so many teams cared about us and offered what help they could. BMR was probably my favorite regional of ALL TIME. I loved the teams there and the competition was well worth the drive.

I hope to go back next year. This is my favorite FIRST experience because I learned that miracles can happen if you just try and push. With 1272 and 85's confidence in us, we overcame a lousy qualifying match.

Thanks again and a million times more to everyone at BMR!!

Re: Your Best FIRST Experience
 

My best FIRST experience...
wow. It's been two years since I've started and I can't hardly believe it...
I think that the best experience so far would have to be going to the Championship event about a month and a half ago and seeing what a real community FIRST is. The concept of 9000 robot-oriented people didn't really sink in for me until our team went to nats. Good food, good friends, and good fun. It was a marvel of organization and enthusiasm like I've never seen it before. Just looking out over the stands in front of Einstein, during the final matches.....well, wow. It's wonderful to be part of such a tight-knit team and organization.

Re: Your Best FIRST Experience
 

My best experiences have to be the build season and seeing our 2006 robot, Ace in competition. Also, I learned how cool mentors are!!!

Re: Your Best FIRST Experience
 

Well, this was my freshman year, so there will probably be better experiences than this, but this was favorite moment this year.

I was chosen to be the backup human player this year, and I got to do a few practice rounds at GTR. I was then told I would be able to be in a qualifying round in Nationals. The time for Atlanta came and I was put into our first qualifying match. I was really nervous, but I loved the feeling I got when walking with the robot through the tunnel to the field. And it felt really great having people walk up to me and congratulating me. :)

Another really great FIRST experience for me - I know this is really lame, but it's definitely a wonderful thing for me - I made friends. I was amazed by how supportive everyone on my team was of each other, and it also helped me come out of my shell just a little.

Re: Your Best FIRST Experience
 

My two best experiences...
1st- Freshman Year in 2004, winning the Peachtree Regional and Ther Chairman's award there as well as the Entreprenuership award at VCU. And then going to Nationals and getting to be an honorable mention.

2nd-This year...Threepeating at Peachtree by winning Chairman's and getting to hang out with all my friends on all of the other teams there, and then getting to play on the same alliance as our good friends from 832 against our good friends from 1414 in the playoffs. And then getting to see 1414 win so many other awards after they won the whole thing. And then finally being able to see our good friends from 1746 win the Rookie All-star award.
And then at Nationals when we put our right module on 30 seconds before our 2nd to last match started while in line with the help of our alliance partners. WE lost, but that had to be the most exciting and fun thing ever.