"Your Honest Opinions"
 

I am not posting my own feelings here, I was just asked by a good friend to post this for them so they could share there thoughts with everyone anonymously.

WARNING: Any thing that is in this attached document has nothing to do with me, my personal experiences or any one from my team, like i said before this is some one I am friends with and wanted to post this but didn't want to offend anyone by having there team number on it.

So I was asked to post this for people to read so here it is:

Re: "Your Honest Opinions"
 

That's an awesome post. It really shows the individual aspect of FIRST, which I think gets lost a lot. There's the obvious teamwork and friendships and all the things that FIRST promotes put into that essay, and it's, to me, a great example of what FIRST is. My favorite quote, by far, is:

It's so true, and I hope that notion never leaves each and every participant of the program.

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That's beautiful. This is a true example of what FIRST is about. I hope the writer of this steps forward, because (1) s/he is a great writer and (2) s/he gets it

Thank you Kyle for posting something like this in a time of such heated debate on Chief Delphi. Something like this is great for reflecting on what FIRST is about.

Re: "Your Honest Opinions"
 

Thanks for that amazing post.

It's easy for people of every level of commitment to this program to read that essay and understand what it's made of, and to see themselves in it.

- Genia

Re: "Your Honest Opinions"
 

It's really too bad...


...that this student would not post it themselves, because I would want to shake their hand until it fell off.

That point when the person first "gets" FIRST is a marvelous thing to watch. I'm glad someone could finally give the feeling justice on paper.

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Posts like this is why I'm proud to be a mentor with FIRST!

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Please forward my congratulations. It is such a great moment when the light first turns for someone. But when someone can eloquently express their joy in the experience we share, it is truly a special event. Thanks for sharing this touching and real account of what many of us find in this program. You have told one of the best stories about FIRST and thankfully not a unique one. I am so sorry you lost to us in the 2003 finals, I hope we were gracious winners.

Re: "Your Honest Opinions"
 

I've had the privilege of reading, hearing, and living many of these stories in the past five years. I must say that this one deserves a place in the FIRST Testimonial Hall of Fame (if there was such a place :)). Congratulations (Kyle, pass this along), and I hope in the years to come you will continue to share your story because it is truly inspiring.

Re: "Your Honest Opinions"
 

very touching.

Re: "Your Honest Opinions"
 

Im a 5 year member of first, and i can say with all my heart, that i love this program, and it is the best feeling in the world to see other people truely recognize the value in the program. I hope you decide to step forward, because i would love to express my appreciation of your essay, personally.

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I'm glad someone took the time to post this and show the true beauty of FIRST even though there is such debate going on with the competitions this year. VERY NICE!!!

Re: "Your Honest Opinions"
 

Kyle, give that person a hug for me, please!
That was stunningly beautiful.

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Truly a beautifully fantastic piece! I know that myself and so many others can relate to your experiences and feelings about FIRST and that so many more will be inspired by your words. Thank you so very much for writing this.

Re: "Your Honest Opinions"
 

now i'm know that i'm not the only one that sees first that way. It's a great piece that really explains what FIRST is from the ground up, and how its not always about the robot

Re: "Your Honest Opinions"
 

what a great essay.. it's very touching and moving...whom ever wrote this great job! and i believe it has touched all of us that have read it. it's great to hear how FIRST has impacted each others lives. i second the thought about FIRST being the holy grail. when times are bad with the team trying to finish up or whatever the issue i just always just think how great FIRST is and the chance i get to participate. FIRST is not just about building robots but something even greater and another person sees this and that's just great. together we'll continue in FIRST building robots, friendships and knowledge.

thanks kyle too for posting it...tell that person it's great and don't stay in the shadows cause it's a great piece and round of applause for a great job again!!

Re: "Your Honest Opinions"
 

By the way / FYI ...

If you like this story and in case you missed it the first time around. There is a collection of stories out there you can use for team purposes (recruitment, sponsorship, mentors, helping to start new teams, etc).
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/pa...le&paperid=389

Some of them are as good as the story attached here. We are also encouraging teams to collect more stories like this for similar purposes in their regions. If this made you fell FIRST is special, imagine what it can do for recruitment, gaining a sponsor, getting a school district on board.

Couple these stories with the wonderful data and facts available at the FIRST Resourse Center at www.usfirst.org and you have an awesome package that really explains what FIRST is about.

Re: "Your Honest Opinions"
 

That story held so many parallels for me, and after just one year in FIRST I realize that these experiences will stick with me forever. I cannot see myself living a life without FIRST in the near future.

Re: "Your Honest Opinions"
 

Wow, what an amazing piece of writing. Probably the best I've seen so far in my three years of being a FIRSTer. I want to give this person a big hug, because they understand FIRST. They get it.

I'm one of the only few people on my team that get FIRST, and I'm so glad people left and right on other teams are finally reaching the point of understanding. Way to go!

Kyle, thank you for posting this. What an essay.

Re: "Your Honest Opinions"
 

There really isn't much else to say after all these posts but I'll take a stab anyways. That was a wonderfully written essay that final puts down on paper what I, and I am sure many other people, feel about FIRST. It is this feeling that keeps the Holy Grail alive and continuing to grow. The author of this piece should be extremely proud of what he or she has written. It is fantastic and I agree with every part of it. Congratulations! Thank you, Kyle for sharing this piece with all of us.

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Thank you to whoever wrote this essay, because you have summed up what I have been tyring to say for three years. This is what I can show all of those who say to me "So what? It's just a robot- I don't get why you love it so much." This is pretty much summing up (again) what everyone else has said, but it was wonderful and I hope s/he comes forward and takes pride in putting the right perspective on FIRST and all of its participants. :)

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I loved that essay for the reason that I can relate to it. I'm very passionate about this program and we really need to make it bigger and spread this kind of message out to everyone about how great it is and how important it is for the progress of our country

Re: "Your Honest Opinions"
 

Ok everyone, I fess up. I wrote it and asked Kyle to post it for me. I'm not very well known around here, and I wanted to make sure this was received with as little bias as possible. As you can derive from the ending I wrote this a while ago, before kickoff. I never intended to post it, it was for myself. Watching all the squabbles over wins and penalties and points made me upset, I knew this wasn't the point of FIRST but it seemed every time someone tried to point that out they were washed away in a sea of anger and anti-GP sentiment.

I hope I got my message across to many people, and I appreciate your kind words. I didn't write this for the compliments, like I said I never intended to post it. I figured it would be a good reminder to people and by doing it anonymously I would spare any trouble coming at me over it.

On a side note, I'd like to point out an act of Gracious Professionalism I was part of this week. My team and team 358 and possibly others are doing a two-day public demonstration at Stonybrook University this coming weekend during I-CON (www.iconsf.org). Due to refurbishing in progress, our 2002 robot is the only functional one. However we do not have any of the game pieces from the 2002 game. Also, all of our battery charging equipment is en route to Atlanta. I contacted 358 and explained our predicament, and within minutes we were promised access to chargers, precharged batteries and a goal with game soccer balls. I really appreciate their help, and it really pleases me to see a team so eager to jump to our assistance. Thanks 358.

And thanks again to all of you for your kind words, you're part of what makes FIRST so special.

Re: "Your Honest Opinions"
 

I wanted to back up Matt on this, he is the one who asked me to post it for him. What else to you expect from someone related to the awesome Mkrass?

Re: "Your Honest Opinions"
 

A little bit more self-confidence ;)

But, I'm really proud that you decided to take your deserved credit for this, Matt. Which is what I've been telling you since the beginning. You shouldn't be embarassed by the praise, but rather PROUD to have made such an impact. You really have figured out what FIRST is all about.

Re: "Your Honest Opinions"
 

Matt,

This is a great essay. It tells the story of FIRST from a student's point of view, and it is well-written. This is a shining example of a skillful writer, eloquently expressing his views in essay form.

Good writing skills combined with an analytical mind will take you far, my friend.

I am honored to mentioned with two of my heroes in this essay. Thank you, Matt.

Andy Baker

Re: "Your Honest Opinions"
 

I appreciate your compliments Andy, as well as everyone else's. You don't need to thank me for being mentioned, the help you've offered to me and many others is more than thanks enough.

Re: "Your Honest Opinions"
 

wow .. that was an exceptional essay .. it truly embodies everything that FIRST is and what FIRST means to me as well ...

Kyle: tell whoever wrote it congratulations

Re: "Your Honest Opinions"
 

matt, thanx for coming out and taking credit for something u well deserve. good luck with clarkson

Re: "Your Honest Opinions"
 

i agree, very nice. like so many this was my second year and i have been trying to put into words what FIRST means to me and well you hit right on. you are a good writer and i cant wait to hear more from you.

Re: "Your Honest Opinions"
 

Just to remind everyone I did not write that, I just posted it for Matt Krass he was the author.