FIRST Relationships
 

I'm under the notion that FIRST relationships tend to last longer than normal high schooler relationships, although that may be just me.

The leaders of 422 in 2001 (Administration and Communications) had been going out since their freshman year (they were seniors), and managed to keep track of the team fairly well even when they were fighting. As the new communications officer, I'm sort of going out with a team member and everything was flowing rather smoothly throughout build season, with only one or two rocky spots on Thursday of regionals. We've now been going strong for 5 months... woo :)

Has your team experienced any of this? Do you think it's generally a good or a bad thing for FIRSTers to be dating on the same team? What about different teams?

Have there been any cross-country FIRST relationships?

:p

there's no relationships on my team, which i guess is good, considering there's only 3 girls. :p There were some boys who hounded the girls, i won't say who, otherwise all the girls would run away from him at nats.

I was friends with someone who had a boy friend in London though (she lived on Long Island).

On my team, this year, there were 3 couples during the building sessions, now there is only 2 and those two couples have been going out for a while.

My team had 2 at the start, and we still have them...I think there might be a 3rd now as well, altho I'm not entirely sure.

Quite a few people on the team are in relationships w/ people that aren't on the team...

Not to mention one gal on my team who met someone at one of the competitions...Time to see if a Toronto-Cleveland relationship can work (best of luck to you guys BTW)...

I swear, I will post my rules just one more time...

Just remember the 4 points of dating with FIRST:

1.) Never date on your own team.

2.) If you must date on your own team, dont date one of your own kind (aka the driver should not be dating the human player, people on the strategy team shouldn't date eachother, etc)

3.) If you date someone outside of FIRST, just common courtesy here: explain FIRST and how much time you will be spending towards it...communication leads to understanding. And hey, maybe they'll want to get involved too.

and the newest realization:
4.) If you keep a level head about things, whether it be fling or serious relationship, the people you connect with within the Competition make the dearest friends afterwards.

Now, I have seen all four of these points broken (1 & 2 were both broken by JVN and his girl ;) ) and be succesful, but Ive also seen considerably more heartbreak then benefit....but thats what Ive run into in my crazy travels.

-Jessica B

PS - Haven't I seen this thread before?

;)

600 miles...Va-Fl...east coast...how about that?

When I was a junior, there was one couple on our team...and they did everything together...and the girls parents were chaperones...and there was a strict rule that girls were not allowed in the boys rooms (what a retarded rule), and I ended up going into my brothers room...and GASP!!!! There were no chaperones in there...and I got YELLED at...but I walk to my room..and there are the couple..BY THEMSELVES...NO CHAPERONES...did they get in trouble? no....

maybe I'm just bitter...lol...but FIRST relationships on the same team don't work out....i liked going after the other teams....lol...the boys on my team were just so....ummm....not my type :)

lol, there are/were no escorts for any of the couples on my team...

Good ole in-room hot tubs in the suites we had in the hotel at the GLR...plenty of room for two...lol

I think we only have one couple who's on our team..if they even are a couple..I dunno..question about the cross-country thing..kinda did that..Florida and Boston..3 months then bust..yea..oh well :)

Ok wel being the only girl on my team wait wait now i'm one of two but still, i think the fact that you spend alot of ur free time with these people, leds to attraction ( maybe lack of options). By id have to put my vote in for its better when ur on different teams. Itz an interesting chemistry and then a touch of revivalry.

the thing to remember, Gui, is that Mark and I had already been dating for almost 2 years when the team was started. ;)

But really, it is not easy dating someone on your own team, especially when you're administrative head and his mother is the team mom and you don't exactly get along. It was amazing that we did stay together through that, and didn't kill each other, and no one on the team killed us:D

~Melissa

PS congrats on your relationship, Gui

First off, I think it can be done with the right people, and second off, I think Jess' rules are very much true from what I've seen :p

I've personally tried the FIRST relationship thing - a few times at that. Max distance was 1400 miles (give or take), closest was on my own team. But I have found now that my life has taken a rather large turn away from FIRST, sometimes it's a little easier when you're both not robotics crazies ;) At least you don't spend hours squabbling over strategies and building designs - and you don't spend forever trying to track each other down in the Nationals "city" ;)

Jess... I remember an old rule you had about dating someone within FIRST, but don't date while at competitions. I think that has to be one of the best ones to follow - particulary if you are not on the same team!

Well, as being our team only has 2 guies, me being one of them, there are no inter-team dating going on. For a while, i did have the hots for some team members, but that some-what went away. The other male person on our team is not dating anyone, eather, from our team. Infact, i don't think anyone on our robotics team, for 5 years, have ever been in any inter-team dating, i don't think so...

Actually, I take back my earlier comment...there is only one couple now...

Harrison.. whos the third couple? I'm all confused...
Oh and ummm with the Ohio boy.. he doesnt live in Cleveland, it's a lil city in Ohio from what i gather... and we aren't gong out... cause we both agree it's way too far to restrict ourselves like that, so we're doing the whole, when we are in the same city we're basically going out.. when we're apart it's have fun, flirt around and try to find someone that'll make you happy and if you do, tell the other person about it. Cause we want to see eachother happy. eppp! look at all the mushy-ness!
So yea, lesson: if you cant see eachother a lot, have a.. long-distance-on-again-off-again-open-relationship!... And then try and visit if/when possible... what's that? set up a road trip to Ohio?! lol
Anywayz, now that everyone knows about my stuff..
*hugz to all as alwayz*
Ann-Marie

1. Mark + Marissa
2. Jon + Victoria
3. You + 'Dave'...who are but aren't going out.

We don't have any couples on my team, but there are quite a few people that have crushes on other people that are on the team, or at least that's what it looks like. I've been w/ my boyfriend for a year, and he is not nor has he ever been involved or interested in FIRST. In fact he came the last day of the New England regional to see what this "thing" was that I keep obsessing over. He said it was cool, but he can't understand why or how anyone could love it so much. I told him that if he can't understand it then to just pretend to, because this is something that I am passionate about and soemthing that i devote a lot of my time to. He hasn't complained since. :)

But I wouldn't want to date anyone from my team. I would rather just be friends w/ them. And i would rather just be friends w/ the guys that are on other teams. I just think that things might get ugly if you are working in a tense situation w/ your significant other or you are competing against them. I agree w/ whoever said that you shouldn't date a person from an opposite team during actual competition. Yeah, that can never be good. But hey that's just my opinion.

I'm gonna have to stick in my two cents here, as this post has been done so many times and just forgotten. Anyways:

1) From what I've seen, FIRST relationships tend to be a bit rocky. People sometimes change between real-life, 6-weeks, and competitions.

2) Should a relationship be successful, one must not get jealous. You're surrounded by members of the opposite sex the entire time at FIRST, so don't let it bother you if you're significant other is hanging around someone else.

3) From personal experiance: FIRSTers make better friends, in general, than boy/girl-friends.

4) Someone will always end up falling for one of their own, and it may lead to tragedy.

And from my personal thoughts on dating: It sucks. I like being with someone, but dating is a pain in the neck.

"Friends with benefits" is the term we use... you get your play without the dedication.

We have one couple on our team. They are both seniors, and a great couple....I'm friends with both of them!

It's crazy, too much drama on our team, I won't go into it though, some people read this board. :) but let's just say it's very complicated

What I think...
 

Well I figured that I should say what I think about the relationships of FIRST... First of all (no pun intended), last year we had 2 couples on our team (one I know is still together cuz it?s my sister and her b/f *been together for over a year*, and I?m not sure about the other), and this year we have one couple and I THINK we still have one more, but it?s all confusing and I try not to get in it.

I've met guys at both the regional competitions that we went to this year (KSC, St. Louis). Most of them are just good friends but then there's 2 that have been really good friends that I really keep up w/ and talk to on a regular basis...like almost everyday. One I met last year for the first time in person at the nats, and I met the other one at the KSC competition this year because he was the operator for one of our alliances and talked w/ him on the Internet till nats and still do everyday! :þ

I enjoy meeting new people from different places.

Ok...one more thing...this is mostly for all the girls that meet guys at competition...but guys can answer too...do ya'll get teased as much as I do about all the guys I meet!?!?! I mean, every time I meet a guy the people on my team (guys more than girls) give me the HARDEST time about it!! I try to get it through their minds that I?m just being friendly (more friendly w/ one of the guys though ? :þ ) to all the people. I?m just wondering how ya?ll put up w/ it?it really gets on my nerves! Let me know!!
:)

~Jessica~

MiM ROCKS!!! :)

I got teased all the time! I meet this guy online and then met him at the New England regional for the first time. We talked whenever we could (conviently his pit was right next to ours). Everyone, including the adults, referred to him as my boyfriend, even though I already had (and still have) a boyfriend. And all the little "ooooh you have a crush on him" and the "kissy kissy" comments got really annoying. Yeah, they never forgot about him either, they kept teasing me after the event and when we were at the hotel in Florida one of the adults asked me "Is boyfriend 1 or boyfriend 2 gonna be here?" Yeah i don't think it helped much that I spent a lot of time at his pit during nationals either. :)

WoW...
 

Wow...I guess it's kinda bad that that sounds SOOO familiar to me! It seems to me like you and I are in the same boat here! They've said the "boyfriend" stuff to me too....and a little of the "kissy kissy" stuff...not too much though...thankfully! It's nice to know I'm not the only one out there that gets majorly teased. One bit of advice for ya though BatteryGirl...don't let that guy you met come anywhere near anybody else on your team...I learned that the hard way!!...we'll leave it at that...:)

~Jessica~

MiM Rocks!

Hmmm.. gettin' teased about robotics guys... i know all too well.... let's just say if we suddenly needed an ambassador to Ohio everyone on my team would volunteer me. Well, something did kinda happen, nothing too major, but anyway... I'm personally use to it. I'm a huge flirt, it's my nicename actually and I get myself into trouble. My coach( and comm. tech teacher) won't let me live it down, it comes up SO much. and the girls on our media, we were at a parents meeting and they brought it up in front of my dad, who's alwayz making fun of me for my 'boyfriend' in Ohio... and we're arent even going out! In fact, he's seeing someone.. but that's another story...Point being, laugh a long, it's more fun that way.
*hugz to all as alwayz*
Ann-Marie -team 783

Well, you girls sound like you have it tough. I think these kinds of things happen to guys, but they don't say anything. It goes back to the whole issue..flirting without interest sometimes

:)

Um, hehe too late...a bunch of the guys on my team already went near him. In fact, whenever i was talking to him a few guys would randomly come up behind me and say hi to him then just stand there as i talked. Later on my friend (the guy i met) told me that he felt special and afraid at the same time cuz a few guys on my team that he vaguely recognized would come up to him at random intervals and just start talking to him.

Almost all these situations you guys talk about i have been in. I have dated someone from another team. We went out for about four months. I still talk to her now and hang out with her even though we are not still going out. The only problem was we didn't get to see each other as much as we wanted to. I have also dated someone on the team and that relationship worked out fine. I have also dated someone during robotics and wasn't on the team and we still saw each other as much as we wanted to. I think it is nice meeting new people on other teams.

we have 5 girls on our team....two of thnm are dating peole on the team...the other 3 (includng me) are dating people outside of FIRST....and yes, jessica and Battery girl, even if you have a boyfriend the guys on your team will still make fun of any and every guy you meet at competetion

ive heard quite a bit about people dating within teams, or flirting with people on other teams..... but listen to this....

in 2000 i met a guy, i was a sophmore, he was a senior..... everyone told us it would never work since he lives in virginia and i live in rhode island.... especially since i was going on a year long foreign exchange to holland..... well its been over two years since and guess what, we are still together.... maybe you saw us at epcot, we got in a little bit of an ice cream fight ..... (yeah, we are both still involved with FIRST)

thats my story

wow...if thats not a success story i dont know what is....congrats! :)

well i dont have a g/f and the kids/aults on my team still make fun of me for talking to girls and if im flirting (90% of the time) its ten times worse...so its not just girls...hehe :p

joe i remember you from philly....very "friendly"....

lol yeah you met me...im the only female operator on our team...talked to you a couple times

k..i remember you now...gotcha ;)

K, Purple, hunn, I feel your pain! 95% of the time here. My friends call me 'Flirt' for a reason. It's so bad, I can't live it down.... but you know what? Something about a flirtatious girl with cookies makes a lot of guys spill about their bots.... just an observation from my friend that I was scouting with. So yea, I'll never live it down cause the whole team knows, but... it's fun! So yea... I'm rambling, I'm gonna stop now.
*hugz to all as alwayz*
Ann-Marie -team 783

It sounds like flirting is a disease or something.... its the good old american teenager's pastime.. like baseball or barbeques. The only people that make fun of you all are the jealous people.. *hah.. Joe..* so just remember.. they all wanna be the flirt, but don't have the talent...

Well...
 

It's nice to know that I'm not the only one!! That's a relief...*hopefully* some people from my team are reading this and now know that I'm not the only big flirt of the FIRST teams! Actually I don't really call it flirting w/ most people I meet...only w/ one... :þ Well...thanks for lettin me know about how your team treats you and your guys/girls you meet!!

SharkBite~That's incredible that ya'll are still together! Good luck for the future!

Alex Forest~I realize now that the people on my team will make up an kind of saying or chant just to make fun of me!

~Jessica~

MiM ROCKS!! :)

www.metalinmotion.com

AIM: jessvbmh

Is it possible to flirt and not no it ?
just wondering

oh yes it's quite possible...i never realize when i'm flirting:)

Yes it is...I do it a lot...

hmm ... if you don't mean to flirt, than wouldn't the guy just be taking it the wrong way, and you wouldn't be flirting? i mean, just about anything can be flirting, if it's meant that way.

Stephen, who wonders why the masses of flirting girls never stopped by his pit :rolleyes:

i dont know why everyone is so suprised that there is so much flirting on FIRST trips

think about it.... high school kids, away from home, all new people.... and weve already all got something in common, and something to talk about..... its the perfect recipe

Definately...and people sometimes end up in awkward situations cause they come off as flirty, and someone takes it an odd way.

i guess its easy to know that your a flirt when people remind you every three seconds..but of course its possible....everything is possible ;) :p

kat do you mean to deny the that you are a flirt? just accept it and reap the benifets...

hehe...i love being a flirt...the benefits are amazing...u might actually like it tho..watch out!! :p

hmmmm.....cool stuff vs phone numbers......hehe

haha...whats better? :D

moe shirts!!!!!!!!

phone numbers!! :p

long distance bills??? i think not....

:D :D :D

everyone loves the guy with the purple hair...:D

ok....cool...but im not purple anymore :(

ahh....but you are still loved, dont worry...:D

k... :D :D :D :D

lol now dont let your ego get TOO big....:D

i dont have one of those ;)

uh huh, that is why you are so proud of being a prime flirt, right??

*scratches head* now one day i will get the difference, right?

Of course

If you don't want long distance bills, get ICQ/AOL stuff instead of phone numbers.

Addresses are always good as well :)

ok....

That's a great idea Harrison, but you don't get to hear people's voices on AIM as well as on the phone...after a while you miss hearing the persons voice!! I know I do! :þ

~Jessica~

AIM: jessvbmh

i buy AT&T prepaid calling cards. i get 1000 min for like $35. this way i pay for my minutes and call anyone long distance i want and my parents never see a bill so they are happy. lol this sounds like an advertisment...:)

YAY...*butt dance*

i have those too...but i like the phone...ima nut...

im not alone

Purple, darlin'.. I too love being a flirt! I get looks from my friends when we go out, but, it's so much fun! And I'm even starting to get my best friend to be as bad as me when we hang out. Yay! .. Flirting alone with guys is great, having your best friend flirt around with them too is just too funny and fun! So yea, Purple, you're definately still loved darlin' *hugz* ummm... as for the distance.. that's what really sucs about meeting guys at robotics, I mean, generally, they're in another country! *the lil Canadian chick sheds a tear* but email is great, I think I'd die without it... and I'm too cheap to buy phone cards, meh. Oh don't forget the off chance that your guy or gal might vaction up near you... that's a good one to hope for. Anywayz, I'm off... I hate Independents! I'm going to be working on psychology forever! BTW, if you havent go back a few million threads and fill out and email me that survey i put up... i know I know, shameless ad for something, sorry...
*hugz to all as alwayz*
Ann-Marie -team 783

thanks Judy...i think we should start a club...a flirt club...whos down?

oOo and im entirely too lazy to go look...u can email it to me tho...smallmanjoe@yahoo.com :p ;)

See.. us lucky enough to have a cell phone.. may get free long distance... like myself... :rolleyes: I love it

ah yes, i have a cell phone, but for us who talk to much anyways and so never have enough minutes....those extra charges...*sigh*

hehe, yea.. i agree with ya.. it sucks for those busy months.. But speaking of flirting.. wonder when Harrison and Yearbook are gonna go at it again... ;)

I Don't Know If This Counts
 

But me and my wife are mentor/chaperones for the X-Cats. We didn't meet because of FIRST though. We were married just before I even knew what FIRST was but when my wife mentioned aniamtion, I came running! She's a teacher at Wilson and I'm a fork truck driver at Xerox so I guess you could say it was a marriage of convinence.:rolleyes:

we should...

Dave - haha....you know i have a name other than Yearbook though....

You're right... I know it.. but does everyone else??? I have to think of the whole globe on here... ;)

and as long as this club has a fair ratio.. imma clubber..

I'm pretty sure that most of the people posting on this thread know my name....if not they should be able to figure it out...

Hi Mellisa!





I'm special because I know your'e name :)

*cough*Melissa...not Mellisa*cough*

Whoopsie! I feel horrible now!



Me Hooked On Phlonix

It's ok dan.....

so when are you and Harrison gonna get back at your flirt wars? I have nothing to laugh at anymore... :(

Re: FIRST Relationships
 

In two weeks there will be one :( and it's a bit further than Canada-USA. More like Switzerland - USA :( :(

uh oh...
 

Oh geez...that's gonna be harsh...good luck with it!! :) I hope it still works out for ya!

Are you going to Switzerland, or is your girlfriend??

~Jessica~

MiM ROCKS!

AIM: jessvbmh

I am :( from between-state to between-country

Maybe when me and him are actually online at the same time talking....we also talk on AIM instead of this....

I'm so in on the club hunn, sounds like fun. I'll email ya the survey tomorrow Purple(hunny, what's your name?!), I'm kinda writin' a chem lab and nursin' a sprained ankle(I went to work with it.. how smart am I?) So, I'll be passin' out from pain early... but tomorrow after I see my doc, I will. So yea, flirt club! ha! Oh, you'd love the necklace my best friend gave me for my b-day, my initials, with a lil tag that says 'flirt' hehe! Anywayz, gotta get workin'!
*hugz to all as alwayz*
Ann-Marie -team 783

*sigh* now convince my chem teacher nicknamed the chem nazi of that Joe! Ugh, I hate this, I have a real adaptability to pain meds, so advil isn't working. What's worse? I can't tell if it's swollen or not cause my other ankle is permenantly messed up. *sigh* This sucks, I can't concentrate on chem at all.... but I can't let my mark drop now. I need a hug.
*hugz to all as alwayz*
Ann-Marie -team 783

whats with you and ankles...u know they have ffeelings too...theres no need to permenantly screw them both up...neways...u have the chem nazi and i have the gym nazzi...it all works out...ya know how things are..but chem is a joke..i thought it was ez :p

Ann-Marie...listen to joe about your ankle...you might end up with me and my left ankle....no matter what i do...its the weakest thing ever...stay off it....

ugh! forget it! Chem nazi or not, my ankle hurts a ton and I want sleep... I'll do it during my classes tomorrow or something. Or talk to him, for some reason I'm on good terms with the chem nazi! *sigh* Good nite Joe. Nite everyone.
*hugz all around*
Ann-Marie -team 783
PS. Sleep is good, and no one can ever say otherwise!
Oh and Melissa sweetheart, my left ankle is so dead my own doctor basically said it. Basketball injuries suck, torn ligaments never heal. *sigh* I'm seein' doc Lee tomorrow, don't worry, everyone'll get a laugh seein' me hobble around the halls!

Judy be nimble, Judy be quick.. Judy trip over freshman cause of her ankle like a tobbly wobbly like a stick... :cool: I'm not a poet... hah..