Dealing with disapointments
 

I'm not afraid to speak out and admit that I get jealous and disappointed about outcomes of certain things. I keep telling myself that going 5-2-0 and proving our worth on Galileo is a pretty good way to end off the year, but I can't shake myself from a certain sense of disappointment. I of course know that there were awesome teams way better than us who got overlooked in Atlanta and weren't selected (example: 20), but for me, losing or not being selected is tough to deal with. I wanted to get a few words of advice or encouragement from some mentors out there, especially the big guys out there. Not generic stuff like analyze what can be improved for the next year, but something a bit more personal would be nice, I took this as a big hit to my morale and I can't fully understand why even though I know that its not the robot that matters in this competition.

Thank you to anyone who can help me get out of a little bit of a disappointed mood.

By the way, Rich Kressly and John Neun, you are friggin awesome, great machines and great to meet you.:)

2nd edit: anyone have close up pics of 973's Raptor, that thing was such a beast, I only got distanced fuzzy shots of it in action. Thanks.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

It's probably not going to help but you have to be pragmatic about it. There are 62 teams who also didn't get in and they are feeling just as hurt as you are and you just have to get over it and move on really. If you are just going to dwell on the perceived injustice of it all then you are just going to come across as bitter and that's really not going to do you or your team any good.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Any time you don't do well at something, you must characterize why and take positive action next time to minimize whatever caused those "whys" from the previous time, so that you're chances of encountering the same scenario in the future are lesser.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

After winning the Wisconsin Regional, having a decent run in Atlanta, and making it to the semi-finals at IRI last year, we were feeling really good. Then we ended up going 2-6 at the Wisconsin Regional this year. We were so heart broken that things weren't going our way. We didn't end up being picked or winning an award. It was probably my worst regional experience ever. At least as far as performance goes.

But I found that I had learned more from that robot and that regional than I have with any other. I had the rest of my spring break to think about it and it made me want to get a notebook and fill every page with a list of things that I should've done differently. I think you too will find that its at our lowest that we really learn the most.

I'm not going to say that losing is okay and that you should just forget about it. It sucks. I hate it too. But its something that makes you human. It's going to hurt and its going to eat at you a bit. But it's the bad times that make the good times great. MORT has a fantastic past and will have great moments again in the future. And when things look up for you, you'll remember these bad times, and they'll seem so worth it. When we run across times like these, we MUST keep pushing through it all. We MUST keep struggling.

You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have the Facts of Life, the Facts of Life.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

I think its hard to consider any season a disappointment. For the 6 years I've been in FIRST, my team has never won a regional, been in the finals once, and overall had some of the worst luck when it comes to Saturday afternoon matches. Regardless, I know each season has been far from a loss. Recognizing weak points and building upon those the following year is crucial to success, I'm sure any seasoned veteran team can tell you that.

I too realize how hard it can be to think you could have done more. The team I mentored built an excellent robot, really top notch for this year's game IMO. Unfortunately, we had less than experienced drivers (crucial to this year's game) and lack-luster pit organization that ultimately prevented us from performing to the best of our robot's abilities.

Did we have a great season? You bet. Are there plenty of areas we can improve upon? Always. The team has taken it in stride, and we've already begun off-season projects and training that will prepare us better than ever for next year's competition. If you do the work and give it your best, I think any team is capable of pulling off a 67-esque season. Thats what we're going for next year ;)

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

There are teams that go years before achieving "big success" if you define that by winning awards or being in the elims. Let alone winning any tournament. The only way they make it to Atlanta is to pre-pay. And FIRST recognizes and accepts that; the reason for the pre-pay option is to give every team the opportunity to come to Atlanta at least once in a student's 4-year career. (And in the last few years, at least every other year.)

If teams set realistic goals for themselves, they will not be disappointed. Sure, everyone wants to be an alliance captain (or at least be selected to an alliance), wants to advance in the tournament. Everyone likes awards. But if you celebrate the many successes you have along the way, you won't be disappointed when you don't achieve the "big success". Remember the true successes: those students who achieved so much, and who improved and learned to set themselves up for the only true successes we should care about - their futures.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

It felt as if some invisible force was against our team this year. We missed the ball on the design of the robot and broke just about everything we could on the robot. Still, we know we were amazing out on the field and did the best we could. We are happy our alliance did not lose because our robot broke down. But here is a big life lesson:

You can only control your own actions.

You did your part by showing off your robot and playing an amazing game out on the field. You cannot control the fact that you did not get picked or that your alliance partners failed on your or that any hardware FIRST provided failed on you. Things like this are always going to happen and the best you can do is put everything in your favor to win.

At this point of the year, I think you should look at things differently. First, be proud and happy of all your achievements this year. Look at what you could have done better and write it down for next year. Come up with an implementation for next year. That is the best you can do.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

[disclaimer]I don't come from one of the high-level teams from which you've solicited advice [/disclaimer]

This was the fifth season for team 1529, the CyberCards. In our short lifespan, we've been to exactly six regular season events. Due to personal and professional conflicts, this is the second year in a row that our engineering mentors have not been able to help the team - the CyberCards are truly student-run and student-built, and honestly it's pretty obvious. For the past four years, we've consistently been at the bottom of each regional. This year, we were fortunate enough to join the 7th alliance at our regional, got knocked out in the first round, and I'd say that was probably the proudest moment in the students' lives. Just the fact we were selected to compete in the eliminations energized the kids more than anything I had seen (keep in mind there were 35 teams at this year's BMR, which means only 11 sat out).
For the first time, our students really believe in themselves. They've seen the robot perform admirably (although the W/L record doesn't accurately reflect it), they've been a key member of a strong alliance, they handled themselves well, and they've set lofty goals for next year, including attending a second regional(!) I am personally very proud of what our team has accomplished this year and others, and I hope to see continued success.
To be 17-14 overall (heck, just to play in 31 matches in three competitions) would be a huge honor for our team. I would suspect half the team would wilingly chop off a finger just to go to Atlanta, let alone compete.

Please don't take me the wrong way. For a while I've admired MORT (albeit from a distance) and I think you've got a quality program. I also think it's great that, despite what we would call fantastic success, you're left feeling unfulfilled and disappointed. To me that means you want to continue to grow and improve, and that's admirable. But sometimes we just need a little bit of perspective.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Here are a few thoughts from a mentor helping a small team from a small community: disappointment is normal; the passage of time helps reframe those feelings. This may sound trite, but it's true.

I find that disappointment often stems not so much from failing to win a trophy but specifically from not gaining the public recognition we feel our efforts warrant. Celebrity will always be a coveted status, meaning in a general sense 'reputation' or 'renown'.

The anonymity of a huge venue like Championship can be overwhelming. The vast overwhelming majority of FIRST teams who continue to inspire their students & compete each year despite relative anonymity have my utmost respect. (Role model teams help tremendously when they recognize the efforts of smaller teams that often fly under the radar for years. Those team awards many have created & give out go a long way toward easing the disappointment felt by often otherwise unrecognized teams.)

I find participation in smaller, off season events helps to refocus & rebuild faith in all a team has achieved.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

We won a regional after being undefeated in qualifying and seeding first. In Newton we were 5-2 and seeded 17th, and were picked near the end and lost both quarterfinal matches. I had a great time, we came in knowing the competition was very tough, and that we had a one in eight chance of getting to Einstein, and we should just give it our best, and have fun.

I can't think of anything we realistically could have done differently either as a team or with the robot that would have made us do better.

It was tough out there! There are a LOT of great teams and great robots this year. I think that's a good thing.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

First off let me just say that team #11 MORT is one of the most respected teams in FRC history. I know team #343 looks to teams such as yours along with teams like 25, 71, 103, 111, 118, 217, etc as our role models. We see you guys field a competitive robot along with a very solid and dynamic team every year. That in and of itself is a HUGE accomplishement. There have been many teams that have come and gone over the years and yet you guys serve as a cornerstone for our sport.

I know we have had our share of good on field performance and recognition, maybe more than we deserve sometimes, but we have also felt the same level of dissapointment as you have. Not being picked when you think you have a great machine is as much about the pride of the machine as it is seeing the dissapointment of the students.

What I have always preached to our team is that FIRST is a family. We all work together to achieve a higher goal. Our small contribution is just a single cog in the machine. We have so many friends in FIRST that there is always somebody who you can go root for. Teams that we have mentored, friendly teams that we have met, people we have been to "battle" with, they all allow us to live vicariously through them for that particular event should we not be fortunate enough to play.

Not being picked is an unfortuante microcosm of life. It's a good experience for these young people to deal with. Being gracious when things don't go as planned is the most valuable lesson in life. How you deal with that dictates how successful you will be in the future. Successful people use setbacks as fuel to drive them to the next level. As a mentor use this opportunity to teach them what to do next.

Just my $.02 worth, hope it wasn't too wordy. Keep the faith my friend you and your team are awesome!

Mike Carron
Team 343 Leadership

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

I was going to post some words of encouragement and then I saw this:
You went to three regionals and rocked, you went to Atlanta, the big game and racked up a 5-2 record, which puts you in the top 20% of ALL the teams from around the world. You had an amazing season! YOUR ROBOTEERS HAD AN AMAZING SEASON!! There are teams that would sell Grandmothers (sorry Grams) to have mentors like you. All I can suggest that you do is try to transfer some of your knowlege and skills to other teams near you to help them get better.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Well Akash, as you know 179 went home early too. According to our scouting, if you dropped our first match, that we scored zero with the bot while the opposing alliances strategy was simply to avoid us, we averaged 15 balls a match (our last match we had 23 balls). That was the 4th highest scoring average in Galileo, and we didn't get picked. Talk about surprised.. Thats the first time since 2003 we haven't been in finals. But the way I look at it, I knew nobody was going to beat 111 and 67 - or even if it was 111 and 71. There was no beating that alliance, and it was the one we wanted to be on.
I knew great teams would get passed up in a crowd like this, it's statistically inevitable. The best team(s) won and thats the good part. Pat's right in saying the smaller venues will give you the chances and confidence we all need. I consider us extremely LUCKY to have made it to Einstien in 2007, as I consider us unlucky to not have been picked this year. As everyone knows luck has a lot to do with it, and you can't win em all. That really is a good lesson.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Akash,
I know how disappointing it is for a team not to be picked. I saw many bypassed this past weekend. Please take this to heart. I can't speak for other teams in the same situation, but WildStang values the data it collects on robots and human players. Many of our students were involved in scouting and strategy and all of that collected data was looked over and considered in our final decisions. Teams that are in a position to pick are (or should be) looking for teams that best complement their own design and strategy. Unfortunately, that means that great teams and robots get bypassed because they either perform the same function as the picking team or another team has just a little more of an edge. This year's game is so diverse and so strategic that it makes picking an alliance a very difficult job. No one should feel bad they didn't get picked, there were too many great teams to pick from, especially in Galileo. The odds are against getting picked as you know and being in a picking situation is sometimes made as much from luck as anything else. Be proud of your accomplishments, you had a good robot. Remember I could see it from the inspection station.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Good advice here so far. To add/reiterate:

1. Time will help frame all disappointments. It has a special way of letting you remove yourself from your situation and seeing it for what it is. And I know for a fact that MORT has much to be proud of.

2. In FIRST, as in almost all aspects of life, there is a lot of luck that needs to go your way to get the top prizes. If you truly did all you could do then there is no reason to hang your head.

3. You can let disappointment affect you in many ways. You can be angry, you can be sad, or you can let it push you to be better. The operative point is that it is you who decides how to let it affect you. The way chosen by most of the successful people in FIRST should be obvious.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

First off, let me tell you that I feel almost exactly the same way. This year we also went 5-2 in Galileo, but we know that teams are better than us. Also, this year marked our third year without a regional win. That is the longest period that our team has ever gotten and so me, as a leader, i feel the pressure.

But this year we had a lot of ambitious people who took these loses in stride and learned from them. In the past I just assumed we'd get a win sooner to later, but now I'm convinced that we need to work harder or else we're won't succeed at the levels that the team desires.

The only thing you can do now is to take the loss and let it fuel your desire for better things in the future.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Team 1511 went 5-2-0 on Newton, just as you folks did on Galileo. We were seeded 12th and did some pretty amazing stuff on the field, yet were not chosen during alliance selections. (And there was another team seeded even higher that wasn't chosen - my sincere apologies for not remembering who that was, I'm still sleep-deprived!!)

Was it disappointing? Yes, but the truth is that if you want to be "fairly" rewarded for your accomplishments, you must compete in 1) an individual event, with 2) objective measurements. There's a large amount of luck and subjectivity in FIRST events, and you have to rely not only on your teammates but on other teams that you may be completely unfamiliar with. That means that sometimes you'll get a lucky break, and sometimes you'll be passed over. It's the nature of the competition.

The best consolation is to know that your team did the best it could. If you did your best, learned something, and had fun...well, that's what FIRST is all about! :)

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Akash, Im going to give you some advice that I have followed for the last couple years in all that I do.

Fail Faster, Learn More, Focus and Execute

If you guys feel you failed (didn't get picked/pick) then you need to find what lessons you can take from it and how you can improve. Then you need to focus on the CHANGES and Execute them. If you feel your robot wasn't up to par with the other robots consider revising your design process. If you feel your drivers were not as good as they could have been perhaps you need to rethink how you choose them/train them. (I'm not saying either of these was the problem, just stating examples)

Remember, design is an iterative process, you are never done. You can always improve, apply this philosophy to everything you do and sooner or later you will find yourself down on Einstein (or however you measure success)

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

after we went 1-6 on newton,I felt pretty bummed:rolleyes: ...

I dont know about you guys really, But loosing makes it easier for me to win next time, because, now I have a even better reason to win :o

I just remember that I built that robot(with help) and it worked, and thats something alot of people couldent do.......

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Losing sucks. It even happens to the best of them. Thats all that can really be said. Except for learn from the dissappointments for next year and come back with a vengance.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

I would say that the first thing is to not feel guilty about being disappointed in an on field performance. Everyone strives to do well and this is a competition. People enter a competition to win after all.

I would suggest 3 methods to help:

1) Make lots of friends on other teams. They can help root for you when you do well, you have friends to cheer for when they do well. It gives you a good support network of people who have been on both sides of the coin.

2) Try to manage your expectations. It is really really hard to do well. 5-2 against some of the best that FIRST has to offer is something to be proud of. It is hard to get noticed even when you do well because there are so many good teams to look at. You could have made a potential division winner out of teams that were not even selected on the Newton field (off the top of my head 1155, 846 & 1511 would have been very competitive). This is just part of the nature of the champioship event.

3) Try to set a non-competition related goal for yourself or your team. Maybe something like a list of specific people to meet, maybe compile information on certain teams designs that you like, maybe some social event where your team hooks up with another team. Something like that can be rewarding as well.

O yeah, and also have fun!

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Perspective- Atleast you made it to Atlanta.
We finished 14th overall in Michigan and actually earned the right to go to Atlanta for the first time. No money,no go. Thankfully we had no seniors on the team to disappoint and next years seniors may have learned a good lesson about funding.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

I think that a lot of teams on CD are far more developed and successful than the masses of other teams out there. With that said you have to keep your accomplishments or supposed lack there of in perspective. CD is not the norm for team performance.

There are teams that have little to no money and are poorly led that go to a single regional every year not sure if they will drive even half of their matches. I doubt MORT has ever finished at 61st out of 64 teams at a regional. So while you are disappointed think of what you have done and how fortunate you are to have the leadership and money to even put a functional robot down and have a team that flows and you can enjoy being on and learning on.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

As the drafting team from the Galileo Division # 8 Alliance, team 1208 based its choices on the data from its scouts, not on won lost record. Our scouts thought team 56 (3-4-0) and team 207 (3-4-0) were the best available. Were they right? Who knows? When the draft was over I was shocked at some of the teams who were not picked, teams 11, 20 and 494 all had great robots and would have been excellent choices. I know how it feels not to be picked. I also know that it has driven our team to excel the next year.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

We were disappointed -- though not really surprised -- when we didn't make it into the Aim High elimination rounds in Atlanta. That was a real kicker at the end of what was for us a pretty dismal season. But we had developed a great team in the process, and that ended up being much more significant than not having a good robot.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

It's corny and on kindergarden wall in every state in America but here is the way I see it...

"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss you'll end up among the stars."

I feel very honored to have been on Cyber Blue 234 the past two years. Last year we had a great comunity outreach program but didn't preform as well as we wanted to as far as the robot goes. We still had a season other teams would kill for, though, and I am happy to have been a part of that.

This year we wanted more. We pushed harder then we ever had. We set the goal of winning the whole thing in Atlanta and worked our butts off. Not saying that it wasn't always a goal, but that was our drive, our push.

We won DC and took second at BMR with the help of our partners. (Thank you 45. You guys a first rate team and I wish you the best of luck next year and on.) It was a great season just right there but we still had Atlanta in our sights. It didn't turn out like we wanted it to, but it is possible to succede in failure.

I will make my decision on how this year went when next years' season is over. I know that I did my job as a senior if Cyber Blue continues to push for exellence. That is all you can do, pass on your knowladge to the younger students around you. For them, there is another season, another game.

Set your goals as high as your team thinks they can achieve (drafted, drafting, win awards, regional champs, world champs, etc) and go for them. Let the chips fall and have no regrets.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Bharat had it right.

MORT is a terrific team... and it has been for a long time.
It will continue to be as long as you make it that...

I would hazard a guess that every team except three went away disappointed to some extent on Saturday... at least on the field.
It is natural... if you weren't disappointed with not being champs something would be wrong with you...

We all work so hard... we spend so many hours... we sacrifice for our teams..we get too little sleep...

I know the cliche' "We are all winners..." but it really is more than that ... it is really the truth...

I had the privilege to coach a team for several years that won 1 trophy..never had the opportunity or the money to go to CMP..

Student from that team have gone on to be engineers and scientists and are mentoring other teams now.... they are winners... the team is a winner everytime it steps on the field... They (and many, many other teams..) have overcome the obstacles and accomplished something that most high school students would NEVER even have the fortitude to try to do...

Booker T. Washington once said:

"You measure the size of your accomplishments by the obstacles you had to overcome to reach your goals..."

Just think about what you have done this year... and other years...

My new team went 5-2 on Curie (12th seed) and did not get picked ...
Were we disappointed???

OF COURSE WE WERE!!! but after a little bit... we started to turn that disappointment into action... how can we be better...
What can WE do ...

I think this is the way you have to deal with any disappoinment..
Turn it into an advantage... learn from it...

You have a terrific team and a terrific history...

The 2010 Season starts now...... get started...

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

I want to thank you all for taking the time out to help me on this. It means the world to me to find out how others perceive us. I feel much better. I just wanted to make it clear that this opinion was just coming from me individually, not my team.
I do not feel bitter at all about not being selected as that was not the advice I was looking for.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

There is a lot of luck involved with competitions- the matches you end up with can change the outcome of where you seed by a lot, which may cause some people to misunderstand how strong any given team actually performs. If you are experienced enough, you will realize that seeding and whether or not you are selected for elims is not a measure of how strong you are as a team... but not every scouter/team has made this realization. Often, "the wrong" teams are selected. On Galileo this year, there were so many strong teams that they simply couldn't all be in elims. There were some things that surprised me- how did 25 and 971 last so long? How did 1124 get picked so soon? But again... part of this competition is luck. A good team may get overlooked, a team with lesser performance may be picked on a whim because the captain saw them last or their spirit stuck in his head.

I would not take your team's performance on Galileo as a sign of personal failure, or even failure on the part of your team. People throughout the country and the world know that MORT stands for excellence and is consistently a leader and an inspiration in the FIRST community. People still recognize that. Anyone who has ever visited Chief Delphi knows what wise words you speak and how many things you personally have done to help other teams and other individuals.

Some things speak more powerfully about a team and about a person than whether or not they played in elims at the Championship. Your efforts in the community, your gracious professionalism, your character and endless spirit- these are the things that people will remember for a long time. In two or four or ten years, no one will remember your performance on Galileo, but I bet the name EWCP will still stick in people's minds. These are the things that matter, the values and the goals that outlast any one competition or season or drive team.

I realize how frustrating and disappointing it can be to watch your team not be selected, especially when it seems deserving, but I would focus on bigger picture. The main goal of FIRST is not just to build a winning robot- the competition is a means to something much greater and more beautiful than that. You and your team have embraced this greater mission, and you should be proud to be recognized for that.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

First, I kinda feel how you do right now. And I guess what keeps me from feeling worse than I should is that the second we 971 was picked and we were out of elims, I went to my freinds from Krunch and found out they were picked and started cheering and working with their team. It was great to keep having fun with a team we sharks all love. Is it dissapointing to not be in elims? Yes. But it is amazing to know that you have a team to root for when you don't do so well. I'm sure that MORT with it's long history has a ton of freinds that they could cheer for, my suggestion is to find those people next time. That really helped me.

Also, can this be stickied, I think this thread could help a lot of people, one of which is me.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Seconded.

And yea we did cheer for our friends out there on Galileo. 1923, 56, and 25. We went nuts when MOE, Daisy, and Cybersonics all won a championship award.

All this really helped me today everyone, and I want you all to know how much it means to me. Its good to know that we (MORT) and I personally, are in such good company year after year.

That's a lot of great advice for me and it has helped my outlook on this past season. I hope this thread also helped a few others I had in mind at the time.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Its not wrong to feel disappointed. I certainly have had my share of disappointments and will certainly get more. It's not the disappointmens that matter. You will get more in robotics, if you stay, and in life. The important thing is how you handle the disappointments. You can learn from them and continue on, or get upset and quit. Your choice. Personally, I hope you stay with it and figure out how to make the best of it. Good luck.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Akash,
The fact you care about not making it to elims is enough to say you are a dedicated FIRSTer. I watched MORT go through 3 years of bad luck (and some good luck) before we FINALLY won our first competition in our 8th year as a team!! A bunch of people have already given the standard advice and it something you should pay attention to.

You can't win every year (although some of the great teams figure out how to), but you can sure as hell try to win every year. I've been to nationals 8 times now...getting picked there is not something to take for granted. This year we were I think the ONLY team in atlanta to go 0 and 9 (1-7 in qualifers, the win was a surrogate....and we lost both of our quarterfinal matches). However, we still managed to get picked...For everytime I have been snubbed from a pick (see 2007 nationals), I can point to a time I've been lucky someone notice dus (see this years nationals). Sure our record was horrendous...but we were a decent robot who could score points, and someone noticed us. If you ask anyone on our team, I bet they would say we didnt have a snowballs chance of being picked, based only on our record.

The point of this story is to realize its only 1 year. Its only 1 competition, in the grand scheme of things. There will be a bunch of offseasons, and eventually another build season will come around. If you work hard, make connections, and believe in your team you can avoid the scenario MORT went through. I'm not going to sit here and tell you that it won't happen again, because chances are that sometime down the road it will....but don't let that fact discourage you from giving it your all every single year at every single competition.



-Brando

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Stogi,

Occasions like this are what Fueled me to do well. People in this thread are saying, "We haven't won a regional in xx years", "We didn't make it to the top 8 here", "We missed the elims there" but you have to remember that there's always a team that has it worse than you. Look at all of the teams out there that have been in this for 5,6,7,8 years and haven't made the eliminations in any of them. Or look at the teams who have never even gone to the Championship and you'll look at everything that goes on for your team in a different light.

My personal Disappointment story is this, 816 has never won an on-season event, made it to the finals by it's own merit or ever really done anything spectacular. In 2006 when I joined the team, we invested 5 weeks on a shooter that never materialized, so we were forced to use this half thought out dumping mechanism. We got to Philly and did ok, or as good as we could've done with what we had. We went to Atlanta that year and went 0-7 we were ranked dead last. In 2007 we fielded this hack job of a robot that came off of the field broken in 6 out of 7 matches in New Jersey, and half of the matches in Philly. We went to Atlanta, this time we went 2-5.

I looked at these two dismal seasons not with anger and envy but with a more scientific mentality. I picked them apart, I saw what was wrong with them and changed these things. Look at where 816 is now. Disappointment can be your fuel for greatness.

I'm not saying you don't have every right to be Envious and Upset, but you should use your energy for something good. Try to come back twice as strong next year. Just remember, this is one event out of many, one robot out of your legacy, and that you're not alone.

-Dustin.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Akash - From being around the block in your area a while I really have to commend you and Mort's leadership for their accomplishments this year. You guys are really a lot of fun to watch and are really a complete team.

Your story sort of reminds me of my time on Team 87 in 2002. We were regional finalists, won some awards, and earned our way to Championships. We got down to Epcot, performed well but didn't make it past alliance selections for finals despite our prior resume. What I learned that year was that (1) you shouldn't discount your accomplishments and (2) learn from the experience. I've been "let down" many times but the experiences are really what it's all about.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

That would be us. We were the 11th seed and we didnt make it. If we had won our last match we would have been guaranteed 2nd seed, possibly 1st. We lost by 4 points, but it didnt bother me because I really felt we would get picked. We had some great matches offensively, and played D on 1625, handing their only loss in qualifications. I was disappointed, not because we lost, but because i dont get to drive until next year. Later I realized our record this year was 23-8, WAY better than we have ever done before, and that cheered me up.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Akash,

Let me first thank your for extending your help to team 2554.

This year, many teams have come up good design independently. One of the successful model is similar to your team's design. Since there are a lot of the functioning robots out there, that level the playing field to some extend. The one example I witness in NY regional was the team 694. It has a very reliable robot and every thing work flawlessly on first day. It was in very dominating position at the practice and first day of competition. By third day, other team has come up idea how to defend again 694. At the end of the preliminary round, it was ranked 9th, which is out of picking postion. I guess luck was not on its side. A good design is base for success, but luck can play a very important factor in real competition.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

I really don't have a good reason to be dissapointed. Our team had our first >50% record since 2006 and won the supermajority of our matches for the first time ever. We won our first regional this year and got picked first overall in Minnesota. I'm extremely happy and proud of my teammates and alliance partners for that. But I dunno, missing a great picking spot in Atlanta by 2 little 9-inch balls just really bothers me.

I've watched that match on TBA 6 times now and can't think of anything we could have done differently at all. The strategy was fine, our alliance partners did really well, our drivers did an awesome job... yet I'm still not content with myself for this reason. I guess I'm just never satisfied.

Yet I feel kind of... guilty... for not being happy with an Atlanta record teams would envy, you know? Grass is always greener on the other side and all that. There's no rhyme or reason for my dissapointment in Atlanta, it's just kind of there. I had fun and I learned something, so I did what I went to do. I just wish things went just a little differently.

At least this way I got to cheer the unheard-of 2970 on as they led an alliance of legendary low numbered teams to the semis. That was pretty cool.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

I would like to point out that Akash, instead of blaming others for the losses, looks to himself and how he can personally cope with his disappointment. Too often around here I see people saying, "We would have won if it weren't for our [blank] breaking" or "Our partners did such and such and we lost because of it." All the whining in the world is NOT going to get that match replayed.

I just wanted to say thank you for not whining about your season and blaming it on others. This is a productive thing, we all deal with disappointments, perhaps we can all learn something from each other. Thank You.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

We were actually quite disappointed when we didn't get picked in Atlanta. Our robot was performing better than ever at the end of quals, but hardware issues plagued our second and third matches, which caused us to lose comm repeatedly. After we gave 67 a tough battle in our last match on Friday, we thought we had a decent shot at making it, and then one team(1676?) passed around a scouting sheet on Saturday that ranked us 15th, which really got our hopes up. So I felt a little down when we weren't picked.

Looking back however, we've come to appreciate how well we've done this year. Our robot had very few problems the whole competition season, we were finalists at Sacramento, and won EI there, which is how we even ended up going to Atlanta. And our mentor and alumni Patrick noted that this was definitely the team's best robot since 2003(last year's wins were all luck), making this year one of the best ever in our 12 year history. It's all about looking at the positives. I'm sure our team is really looking forward to next year and further building on our successes this year.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Akash,
Its an example of real life. Sometimes it aint fair, objective, or realistic. Control what you can and live by those principles. At the end of the day, it will allow you to sleep at night and give you the positive outlook and things to look forward to in the future.

Personally, I thought we worked harder this year more than last, but yet our awards weren't indicative of that and we made eliminations last year with a losing record.
Sometimes that's how the dices roll and you have to roll with it also.
There is always next year. That's the best part of it all. :D

Thanks for the shirt by the way.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

After 4 years of competition and Worlds narrowly slipping through our fingers once, I have 3 words of encouragement: At Lan Ta.

I know how it feels to get knocked off your high horse, we got up to 10-0-0 and lost in 3rd round of the finals by four points. I, along with plenty of other people (the others on 1793, to name a few) would kill in the most gracious and professional way possible to even get to where you guys were last weekend. So tell people the good stories, and eventually all the stories will be good ones.

As far as "lessons for next year" go, LEARN from your experiences, just don't FRET over them.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Thanks for noticing this Andrew. If a team blames others for losses, it is both unproductive and hurts TWO teams instead of just one. We know that blaming others for a loss will get us nowhere. Its just something we've never done and never plan to, maybe its an old veteran thing? Either way, thanks for noting this. Each year, whoever we pick or get picked by and whoever we work with in qualifications, we accept losses and wins and move on....kinda where our secondary slogan came from (See my signature)
Haha, this is actually the perfect way of putting to words how I felt right after Atlanta as soon as 971 got picked (which we were surprised was still around lol)

But yea, this thread has helped a lot, if you read through all the posts I'm sure you'll find some relevancy in a few of the posts that will make you feel better.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Holy Thread Bump Batman! [Insert onomatopoeic word appropriate for action]

Either way, I guess it is just as well to bring this up now. Does anyone have any other good ways of coping with disappointments? There are already some great pieces of advice but I am sure there is more out there.

PS: Anyone know how hard it is to look up that onomatopoeia word when you have NO idea how it is spelled?

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

To repeat what I have heard my entire life. "Sound it out!"

Honestly I can't help you

On the disapointment note. I get disapointed alot. I finally learned to deal with it simple by stepping back and looking at the whole picture from an unbias point of view. This was my team second year. We were the 16th team picked going into quarters. We lost both matches. While most of the team was sad I was able to holdbit together. These two thoughts kept me together.

1. We were picked!!
2. Our frist year we got dead last out of 48 teams(I think..). To jump from dead last to 16th after seeding in one year was winning enough for me.

Basically what I am saying is bad things happen. But in ever bad thing thereia a lesson to learn. I advise you to step back and search for it. When you find it you will not only find yourself growing. But those who you influence with what you have learned.

My $.02 (of course, being 16 means it counts more like $.01..)

-Rion

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

... Sound it out? yuk, yuk

My wife and I were talking about this, as always she had good advice built from experience.

When we came in way low on the totem pole last year, Dona basically went through the good things that happened during the year with the students, going over them one at a time, looking for input from the team. Then after some of this exercise she asks them if they would do it all over again. They all end up saying yes.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

"It doesn't matter that you failed, it just means you have to do it again!"

After Atlanta, I went to IRI. I figured if I didn't do well enough to seed there, I should prove my worth at something tougher. When 1714 (surprise) didn't make elims there... well, next year there's a whole host of things to do better.

I don't know what advice to tell you if it's your last year in FIRST though

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

The lessons learned from disappointments in FIRST don't stop at robots. If it is your senior year and you don't plan on mentoring any time in the future then you have to focus on how you can apply the lessons you learned to your other activities.

If you do think you might be mentoring in the future then you can record the lessons to review before your next season. Even if you take a year off from FIRST before coming back as a mentor, or even all four to finish up school, these recorded thoughts should still be applicable and helpful to the students on your new team.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

What is this last year in FIRST that you speak of???? I don't understand :rolleyes:

I think mentors and team leaders experience disappointments like the students do. Maybe we handle it differently, try to keep a positive attitude in front of the team, etc.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

No one should have a last year in FIRST. ;)

I would tell them to mentor a team and help them succeed by either "winning big" or even just helping them learnmore is success in FIRST! :)

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Haha, even though this is a little funny, there's plenty of people who let FIRST burn out in themselves. I'm not totally sure if I want to continue myself. Its a tough choice, and even tougher to maintain I would imagine, but there are definitely those who leave it all behind.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

The lessons of FIRST are for more than just FIRST, theyre for life. Falling short of expectations is something that will happen everyday in your life. By learning to channel those feelings of disappointment into desire you'll see a lot of success in your endeavors.


-Brando

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

I want to continue in FIRST somehow, but definitely not as involved as I am right now. Not wise to burn out in college, focus on your edumakatione.;)

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

We only become dissapointed if we are attached to the outcome of something. The trick is to simply appreciate where you are or what you have done. It's called being in the moment. Most people would love to have the memories of being on Archimedies field in any capacity. There's an old saying; "Things could always be worse." Just remember that and you might just see what good fortune we all have. :)

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Im sorry to hear you are dissapointed, but you did win an award (I was there) and you were in the finals. Our rookie team, The Aluminum Falcon, got seeded 11th, were 8th alliance captain, and were the 2nd best rookie team there, and we didnt get any recognition. Im sorry to hear about your dissapointment, but you could be worse off.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

This was from last year. 171 didn't make the elims in 2009 WI.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.
Thomas A. Edison

Personally I just forget about it. I don't mean forget it and just forget, but forget it, but keep what you learned. If you are afraid of failure, you will never move forward. I have a lot of things to be disappointed by; I let the opponent score a touchdown because I went to the wrong zone, I fumbled a snap last game and the defence scored, I got my center spot taken away even though I did nothing wrong, but does that affect me in a negative way? No, it drives me toward perfection. Me not starting makes me try harder.

Disappointments should not discourage you, but inspire you to do better.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Well then, I have a question for you all.

My disappointment this year is that my mother banned me from FIRST. Her reason is one I can't talk about here, but I assure you it's not sound. My FIRST team meant everything to me and I dedicated tons of time to it, and made some of the best memories of my life at meetings and (especially) competitions. I had intended on making two more years of memories, too (Junior here).

How am I to do better/deal/change her mind? I've tried convincing her and she won't budge, and we just don't have anything else like FIRST around here. Everyone here knows how exhilarating it is being on a team. I'm sure you can understand my frustration.

(I realize the topic here has been on competition disappointment, but *technically* the subject of the first post just said "Dealing with disappointments" :) )

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

If you really want it, you will make a way for it. There are people in this world that would try to stop you from reaching your goal, power your way through your oppositions. The only way to the top is uphill remember that. I will tell you this: FIRST is not the only option. One option is join a sport, build your own robot in your free time, do something else productive. You have to remember this, there are always more than one option. If it is a team that you want, go join track and field, if you are a bigger guy like me try out for football, hell, even go lift weights your self. You do not realize how much discipline you can gain from a strict weight lifting routine with a strict diet. Do something robotics related like programming or something in your free time.

Just find alternates.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Ever since our terrible year in 2009, we have restructured EVERYTHING we do during the off-season and during the season. In 2009, the team took the mistakes that we made and made sure that they did not occur again this past year. Also, we tried to make everything simpler and easier.

I would love to write a huge post about all of this but I just wanted to mention what we did. My team didn't just sulk and say "OK were just gonna try harder next year." We decided that we were going to do things and hit our marks.

This was a quote I stated to the team last year during our Pre-Season meetings.

"Disappointments are what happened when we accepted defeat last year. This year, I am not accepting nothing less than excellence and positive outcomes."

I believe for a fact we truly did accomplish what that quote stated. :]

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Because we don't know the reason, we cannot directly answer your question. That said, I can give you some advice about dealing with people when they obstruct you from your goals. Most times the person obstructing you believe they are the right thing and their job. Calling their decision/reason not sound is counterproductive (and probably unwise).

Instead you should start asking questions about their reasoning. Questions like ... "What are your concerns?" or "what do I need to do to be able to do this" ... etc. Approach their decision from a rational point of view.

Remember: Sometimes brick walls are put there to see how much you really want something

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

It's true. Neighbors install fences just to ensure that only industrious kids get their frisbees or balls back.

We even figured out how to get over an electric fence with lawn chairs.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

James,
I am guessing that it is sound. It may not appear that way to you but parents have this funny way of knowing what's best at a particular point in time. Fix the problem and the rest will fall into place. For all that First is, it is secondary to other things in your life that should be important. We tell our students that family is first, school is second, family needs and directives (church, scouting, taking care of family members, work, etc.) are third and everything else comes after that including First. Does your school adviser/lead teacher/counselor know of the problem? Have they discussed this with your parents?

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Sounds like a problem for FAHA. This is an underutilized resource (much like UFH and many others) that Chief Delphi provides.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

May be a tad late for this one, but definitely in the future.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Use team mentors and/or school counselors as a resource. Find another adult who can discuss the situation with your mother. Definitely don't treat it as a fight, and even try not to think of it as one side against another.

As Al points out, there probably is a good reason. Something isn't wrong or unjust simply because you disagree with it.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Like Al and Alan, I'm going to wait to hear HER side of that before I accept any assurances. In any case, it surely can be disappointing when things don't work out to one's liking.

Yes, identifying her concerns is a good step, so at least you can address them by your actions. But beware: Once you know the concerns, you may need to demonstrate that you have addressed these concerns immediately and for a sustained period. Translation: It might take more than a year of doing things very, very differently than before, but unless you can, maybe she has a valid point??

Now that's just silly. Who would build a fence with lawn chairs and then electrify it? :p

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

I *really* think that got messed up somewhere along the line :P


Thank you, I was unaware of this resource. If I had known about it I would've posted it there instead. Sorry for the inadvertent unrelatedness :|

I'd consider the topic of my complaint closed here.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

above post reported, though i did get a kick out of "wildstang" being from canada :P

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Should I be flattered that they copied my post from earlier in the thread?!?

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Has anyone see this article about Team 1432's struggles at Franklin High in the Portland area?

http://www.thebeenews.com/news/story...22143848652900

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Jon,

I'm really not suprised that many teams are going through tough times right now with cut backs. I know that our team is trying to help team 87 revitalize and get them into the competitions this year. RVR's sponsoring high school basically took all their funds and told them to sort the problems out. The unfortunate thing for all of us in NJ is that were taking a huge hit just from the cutbacks.

I'm sure that we will get the team back on track but it may take a few years until they situate themselves again.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

It seems the issue there was a lack of a responsible 'staff' member.....they had funds raised; they just lacked school support.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

The tone of the article gave the impression that the problem runs much deeper than merely "lack of support". It sounds like the school (or the principal at least) is openly hostile. It's bizarre. There must be more to this story.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

I agree. Another reason for teams to solicit support from their local Boards of Education. In Lyme-Old Lyme, the Ticks even had 3 Board members with kids on the team, including the Chairwoman. Our concept of 'infection' with FIRST went beyond the HS Principal, to include the BOE and local town organizations, such as the Lion's Club. It never hurts to have too many friends, especially in high places.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Without going off on a blistering rant about my former team, I just wanted to say from experience that, most unfortunately, this happens. And at least in our case, the "more to the story" was surprisingly mundane...budget cuts, liability of students with power tools, etc. Its unfortunate, but it happens. Hopefully, 1432 will find a way to survive just as we have.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Whenever a season is about to start a team (or at least each member on a team) comes up with some picture perfect goal for their team to achieve. When they do it often comes up along with the words "this is our year, our time".

Anyone who knows me personally knows I’m a sportsy guy. I've been on many sports teams and I love watching sports in general. Whenever anyone compares FIRST to Sports I get excited beyond belief because I firmly believe that FIRST teams can learn some lessons from the athletic world.

However, there is one key difference between a football team and a robotics team. The words "this is our time" fit way more with the football team then the robotics team.

First we got to know what they mean by that. When a sports team says "this is our time" it really means that this is their season to go all the way and win it all. This is not necessarily what it means for a robotics team... Sure, most of the time it probably means being champions at worlds, but it could also mean winning the chairmans award at any level or being an alliance captain at a regional.

"Our time"
-High School football team: State Champs
-Robotics Team: World Champs, Chairmans award, Recognized success

So now we see the very very very common goals or ideals a team sets for themselves in their head before a season starts. This is where the differences between FIRST and sports come into play however. A football team must only rely on themselves for their misfortune. I live in Michigan, the Lions lose to themselves every week, but they control their future never the less. If they win, then they win it all.

A FIRST robotics team is not that simple. A team can win every single match by blowout numbers and not get picked. Why is that? No matter what you do, you are always relying on other members of the FIRST community to recognize it. It’s hard to completely control your fate on a FIRST robotics team. You can go all the way to the finals at worlds and watch as one of your alliance partner's robots breaks down mid match. You were not there when they built their robot. You really had no say in what happened.

This is really why I believe a lot of teams face disappointments. Good and well deserving teams don’t always make it where they should.

To answer your question, you have to be proud of what you've done. And sure, being a tad disappointed is nothing but normal. But with what you are given for being on a FIRST robotics team you can’t always expect to put in your good hard work and come out as world champions. So take what you have been given and use it as hope for the future. And whatever the future may be, it’s going to be better just because you were part of the FIRST program in general, so no disappointment is needed. ;D

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Reddit posting on Franklin High Robotics. Reddit is a news aggregater that has a very large user base. Stories that are high scoring on Reddit are often picked up by the major news sources. So there may be some national attention paid to the value of robotics and the plight of the Franklin High Program.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Adam Savage and Grant Imahara have both posted the article on Twitter in the past half hour. Whether more mainstream national news outlets catch on is yet to be seen, but it's still going to get quite a bit of exposure (They combine for over half a million followers, but I'm sure a lot of those get counted twice because they follow both of them like I do.)

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

I contacted 1432 to see what they want/need. They need a 501c3! (and tools, since their equipment is all in that locked-out workshop). They are keeping their hopeful faces on, and I'm sure they can bounce back. Come on, FIRST community! Let's help 'em!

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Is there anything we can do? Send emails to the principal or something? While Libby said they all they need is a 501c3, there has to be something we can do to help out...

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Thank you, Adam and Grant. Not only for posting on Twitter but also showing all of us how star power can be used to help others.

Nerdy rock stars are the best.

Jane

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Perhaps a phone call from one of FIRST's more influential members to the principal? Or maybe from Adam or Grant? The Regional Director for Portland should also be enlisting some folks for the rescue effort I would think.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

I really applaud Adam and Grant for sharing the story and trying to help in their own way maybe a phone call would help swing the story.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

I'd like to echo this thought as well. We experienced a recent change in principalship at our school that has added a few roadblocks for us, but luckily we are well trenched in the BOE, superintendant, county office of ed, and have an outside 501c3. So while there's a few bumps in the road, the team will continue on regardless.

While I'm sure many of the folks reading this thread won't find themselves in the same situation as 1432, I urge you to make it a point this year to reach out to the less experienced teams in your area and get them the info they need to build a sustainable program. Teams that rely on one teacher running the show will eventually run into a situation like this.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

http://digg.com/news/science/high_sc...eep_it s_cash

Digg likewise is a news aggregator with a large user base, if it is dugg high enough there is a chance it may show up on the Revision 3 show Diggnation which has a weekly audience of 250,000+ viewers.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Looks like local TV media have picked up the story...and someone managed to get it listed on the front page of Fark (another news aggregator website).

One of the comments* there suggested that they establish themselves as a chapter of the Church of Robotology, to take advantage of the school board's policy allowing religious organizations to operate without staff sponsors.

*The comments aren't quite as civil as on ChiefDelphi....

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

I don't know enough about it to be useful, but could someone who runs a 4-H team contact them and give them the information required to make that an option for them?

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Considering all the "unwanted attention" this story is generating I would not be surprised if the school district administration does a 180 next week with a heavy dose of spin. School districts are run by politicians and the one thing they fear more than anything else is negative press.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

I RT'd Adam and posted the link to my facebook page, and I have alumni from the mid '90s writing letters to the school district.

This has not gone unnoticed.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

I agree. At the very least they will release a statement clarifying their position since the Mythbusters showed this story to at least 360,000 twitter accounts, and they are sort of figureheads of the STEM movement. It also helps that it made it to the top of digg, reddit, fark, etc. No one (especially the internet!) likes to see student's hard work get trampled by bureaucracy.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

I can't believe how far this has spread. When I saw it posted by Adam and Grant, I retweeted it and posted a link on my Facebook. There was quite the "how can we help!?" discussion on that post. I even had a non-robotics friend contact me telling me that he saw it on Fark.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

And the bad press may also encourage students to move away, or parents to live in neighboring school districts. Less students = less money

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Warning, this is not going to be a popular opinion.

Which is sad. The school is following its written policy and catching flak for it. The school says they can't be a club without a staff member being involved. They have also decided to provide an alternative to it in the form of this MESA program.

The policy in question is:
They do not classify FRC teams as a sports club which is their choice and the team cannot be a club at the school. As for the equipment and the money, is it school equipment? Was the money donated to the school?

Yes, this is a bad situation but frankly the school is completely within its rights here.

Want a TLDR? The team didn't follow the rules, rules they've known about since at least September, and were shut down. When they didn't like that they went to the press hoping to force the school into bending the rules.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

While they are within their bounds to terminate the club on the standard rules and policies that the school district holds.

I think it is questionable that the school is taking/wanted to take donated money (or so the team claims) that was presumably for the team to use and using it for the school. The same goes for the tools. If they were donated for the team or purchased with money donated for the team they shouldn't be preventing access to them by former team members if the team plans to move elsewhere.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

The club can be terminated for that reason, Andrew, but the school cannot take donated money and use it toward any other purpose. Most schools require the return of said funds to the donors in question.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

Andrew, if they're out of bounds, so be it. However:

Let's say that I'm a local business owner who donated money to the team because I thought it was a good thing to sponsor. I want that money to be used by the team to deal with team business. Now, I hear that the school has shut down the team for lack of a faculty advisor. The money that I donated to the team, not the school, is being held by the school as their property. I see this news item. What do you think my response is going to be?

I am going to want that money to be either a) returned to the team or b) returned to me, unless I specifically choose to support the school, which I may or may not want to do anyway.

Same for equipment loans. Space is theirs; if they choose to lock it up, that's their choice. But as I said, if I'm local and hear this, I just might be rather annoyed.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

I checked the schools web site and it listed both the MESA program and a robotics club along with what I assume are staff contacts. Both were listed as school clubs.

Also noted on the teams web site is the issue started when the team tried to stop the school from taking funds donated specifically for the team and using it for another program.

Also had a message from someone involved with the team that some of the sponsors are asking the school to return the funds that were donated for the team.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

With the principal's permission, one of the team's leaders could have been allowed to be a school liaison, but the principal decided against. it also isn't clera if the staff member who had been part of the FRC program decided to leave or if it was "suggested" by the school. That staff member in question is not even leading the Oregon MESA program.

The other program, Oregon MESA, has a stated mission "to provide students underrepresented in the fields of mathematics, engineering, science and technology with the skills, knowledge and opportunities to develop their talents, explore technology-based careers, enter college and compete successfully in the workforce," in part by having students "Design and build projects and conduct research to prepare for science fairs."

This doesn't seem to infringe on FRC. One is in the classroom (which I balk at; classrooms have some serious disadvantages in this sort of thing), one is extracurricular. One caters specifically to minorities, whereas the other is open to all. One is more an introduction to science and tech, whereas the other is directly trying to be a pipeline for technology and engineering college students. There's no reason the two programs can't coexist.

Re: Dealing with disapointments
 

The district has not "stolen" the money as I keep seeing written, they have placed a hold on the account. Nor have they "stolen" the equipment, merely locked it down. Both of these are standard operating procedure would be my guess. I know that in Flint (which is all I have a lot of experience with) a non-school employee cannot get money out of a district account. I also know that we are not allowed in the building unless there is a district employee there.

Given the information we have currently the district has NOT stolen the money, they have not removed a piece of equipment and they are NOT using the money for other purposes. Until that account is emptied out and the room is cleared of equipment it is just a team who is having problems and making up unfounded claims.

I urge people NOT to contact the district as it only puts pressure on people who likely have nothing to do with this issue. Contact the team give them information about how they can avoid this, about local teams who would be willing to help out. Leave contacting the district to the team or, if they want help, to their regional director.