Re: Chairman's Award -- is the bar too high now?
 

Tell that to the kid who says he's going to teach himself how to fly. Or to the one who swears that if he just reaches far enough he'll touch the moon. Or to the girl who says if she digs enough she'll find China. Tell that to kids who grow up to be real engineers.

Maybe I'm seeing things with a slight rose-colored bend, but I'd rather that than give up. These goals are not unattainable. Every team will just attack them differently and at different paces. Think about it: 341 did not do all this in one year. That being said, how come they didn't win this in the past? Clearly other teams have also done other great things. Next year another team will go up on that stage, and we'll be talking about the great things they've done.

As a mentor, I encourage you to have your students look at what 341 did. Explore the steps they took. See how you can translate it for your team. A goal is only unattainable if you let it be.

Re: Chairman's Award -- is the bar too high now?
 

Something that we have found that works to "keep the presenters focused" is to actually practice our presentation in a very busy area. This brings everyone together, makes it a team event, emphasizes how hard the students work that present, and helps the presenters feel like they're not missing out on the fun at the hotel.

Last year they practiced in the pool at the hotel! It was great. They took turns saying their parts, while the other two goofed around. There were balls flying, people swimming around us, and squirting us with squirt guns, and everyone was laughing. It made the practice session a lot of fun. It also kept the presenters focused...they were able to relax and turned it into a game (they won if they could get through their part without laughing).

It was much much more effective than practicing in a quiet room, as if they were presenting to the actual judges. By having many things around them that could possibly distract them, they actually concentrated on focusing better.

And the rest of the team helped them, encouraged them, and made a big deal about how awesome it was that we were competing for the Chairman's Award.

Re: Chairman's Award -- is the bar too high now?
 

This the point at which Robert Browning begins to resonate:

The aim, if reached or not, makes great the life: Try to be Shakespeare, leave the rest to fate!

Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?

-------
I leave it to your google skill-set to find the sources. ;)

Re: Chairman's Award -- is the bar too high now?
 

I think people are starting to lose touch with what this award is actually about. The focus of a team should not be on how to win the Chairman's Award. Teams should be more concerned about what they can do to help their communities and developing outreach programs.

No team should ever say "How can we win this award? What do we need to do to win it?" Teams should think "What can we do to benefit our community? How can we help those around us and spread the FIRST program?"

Just my thoughts....

-Sam

P.S. Congrats to team 341 on their award. They represent a model team which other teams should try to emulate.

Re: Chairman's Award -- is the bar too high now?
 

Very true and yet, we have several teams who are worthy now of the Championship Chairman's and have been, just as 341 has been. There are other teams who grow closer with each passing year. We are not lacking in any way of worthy teams who work hard each year to maintain that worth and to deepen it.

If teams think the Chairman's Award is unobtainable, it is the thinking of the team that is limiting the possibility. It is not the award or the potential opportunity of garnering the award that is limiting the possibility. When a team understands that it is limiting itself and wants to change that, then it can begin to plan, to organize, and to decide what to do about the directions that it is free (and has been free) to move in. Some teams have a hard time figuring that out but when they do - it is golden. That is when the truth of Mr. Browning's words ring truest.

Jane

Re: Chairman's Award -- is the bar too high now?
 

The philosophy summed up as "There is no way we could ever catch them. Let's do it!" sums up what I try to achieve with my kids. Kids *are* competitive, and one of the most important lessons that FIRST teaches (IMNHO) is that no matter how good you are, or how hard you try, or how much you do, there are others out there who want it just as badly or more, who may or may not have the same or greater advantages that you have, so you'd better step up!

Re: Chairman's Award -- is the bar too high now?
 

To anyone who thinks that Daisy has raised to bar to places well beyond where it has been before didn't pay attention to the teams who are already in the Hall of Fame. I, personally, have done outreach with two Hall of Fame teams (111 and 365) shortly after each won the Championship Chairman's award. I've competed at Philadelphia Regional, where three hall of fame teams attend annually (103, 365, and 341). My teams have submitted at events where 234 and 612 won, two teams that haven't yet been inducted to the Hall of Fame, but will be. The team I mentor was founded by someone who previously mentored a Hall of Fame team. I can tell you that the bar for this award has been tremendously high for some time.

Make no mistake about it, this isn't in any way to belittle Daisy or what they accomplished. But as anyone else who's familiar with Daisy and their history can attest to, they're far from the only incredible team in the mid-Atlantic regional or the Philadelphia regional. 341 has a long history of success, they won RCAs in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, and 2010. But you can see the holes in that legacy. The holes where teams 357 (2006), 1727 (2007), and 433 (2009) stepped up their game and managed to convert the incredible things they accomplished into an RCA in an event where 341 submitted. And from the opposite perspective, ask Daisy how they felt about having to submit in the same area as 365 for so many years before MOE won Chairman's.

And for all those who feel that age is a prerequisite to winning Chairman's, I suggest you re-read the paragraph before this one. 1727 won a RCA at the Chesapeake regional in only their second year. 341 submitted at that regional. I won't pretend that a long tradition of continued and increasing impact isn't helpful. I won't pretend that a RCA is the same as winning it in Atlanta/Indianapolis. But it shows that even the most storied and legendary teams are not guaranteed to receive the honors over a younger team if that younger team truly is a role-model.

The ultimate message is one that has been said far more eloquently and effectively already. But if you strive to win the Chairman's solely for the sake of winning Chairman's, you're missing the point.

Re: Chairman's Award -- is the bar too high now?
 

My two cents worth:

Chairmen's is an evolving award. Comparatively, the greater good we can do each year grows exponentially, and so does the message of FIRST. Society changes and so does the the competitive nature of FIRST. As a Michigander, I see the true difficulty some teams face when competing for Chairmen's.

As programs expand we see the undoubtedly significant impact of our actions. Every team, whether they do it for Chairmen's, or do it to change society, removes opportunities for others to do the same. Sure, there is a staggering number of possibilities for teams to pursue, but some might feel overwhelmed. In Michigan, it is difficult (though by no stretch of the imagination impossible) to win a Chairmen's award if you have not procured one previously.

But look around. The community is waiting. Innovation permits the creation and utilization of some remarkable things. Push forward! Create some crazy ideas and see them through. As we have Unsung FIRST Heroes, there are many Unsung FIRST Teams. Winning Chairmen's is something to be proud of, but the actions we take for those around us; those are something to be even more proud of.

Re: Chairman's Award -- is the bar too high now?
 

I think it all comes down to what motivates you... if you're doing good things for kids and in the community just so you can win a banner, a hunk of shiny plastic and a high-five from the judges, then you might be disheartened by how hard it is to win.

If you're doing good things for kids and the community because you want to do good things for kids and the community... then you're going to win every year. Maybe you won't win the Chairman's award, but you'll be inspired by those who do.


Jason

Re: Chairman's Award -- is the bar too high now?
 

Amen. Is there somewhere that we can make this a permanent banner for FIRST?

Re: Chairman's Award -- is the bar too high now?
 

Dean occasionally comments on the ‘bounce bounce’ pastime so here is a little story.

This conversation reminds me of a lunch I had with college basketball coach Tony Ingle. Tony has earned the distinction of being selected Coach of the Year at the High School, Junior College, and NCAA Division II level. He also is the only NCAA Division II Coach to win two national Coach of the Year awards.

In my early years as a FIRST mentor we were talking about team building, team dynamics, building 1st class teams, etc. He summarized some advice that I thought was spot on.

A coach / mentor has to always balances three things.

….Program Growth – the care and management of the program.
….Team Growth – the care and management of the current team.
….Personal Growth – the care and management of team members.

IMHO,

The Regional Chairman’s Award (RCA) reflects the team’s current and very recent team’s efforts. It is the personal and team growth piece plus a little slice of the Program Growth pie. The program growth plan may stretch over many years.

The Championship Chairman’s Award is the capstone to the long term program growth strategic plan. It is the summation of many teams, many students. It demonstrates the work and planning of a super-team where a super-team is the summation of many teams. It is the super-team’s work over a long period of time.

If your team wins a CA after you graduate you are still part of the winning CA program. Your efforts are part of that program that the award recognized.
Even though you may not be on the ‘team’ the year the CA is awarded, you are definitely part of the team’s program, therefore part of the CA award.

That is the definition of the CA. The bar isn't "too high". By definition it is the recognition of a program that is a summation of many great teams.

Re: Chairman's Award -- is the bar too high now?
 

Absolutely a great idea, if only more sponsors promoted that. I know NASA used to put that requirement into their grants. Wouldn't it be amazing if some large organization that GETS FIRST, could do some sort of grants for non-rookies that stipulate a future funding on CA submissions (not necessarily winners). Maybe the first year is a $1000 grant, and 2nd year is either a $0, $1000, or $5000 grant based on their CA submission. Maybe even a 3rd year option as well. Not that teams do a CA for money, but those that are doing amazing things each year are encouraged to continue their effors. As in the case of 3 HOF teams submitting at the same regional in one year. Just a thought....

As an educator, I highly value the reflective point of the CA. You will find that for many folks, the best learning happens through or after a reflective period. In most high schools they go through a WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) accreditation process that is 90% reflective in nature. You spend 6 mo's reflecting on the state of your school, it's mission, where it has been, where it needs to go, accomplishments, and areas of needed improvement. The top honor is usually a 6 year accreditation. It simply means your school knows what it needs to do and are doing it the best they can.

This year our team modeled some of it's CA process after the WASC process. In fact our school's WASC coordinator headed up the CA entry. It was by far the best CA submission we have ever done, and we didn't win. We simply couldn't compete on the level of Team 115 (congrats to them - they are an amazing team). It shouldn't reflect negatively on us and I've tried to make that point very clearly with our team of how successful they are in this area, and what we can do better with the resources we have. It's the process that is important, and no team should forget that. If every team went through this process, we would more sustainability and program growth.

Re: Chairman's Award -- is the bar too high now?
 

Time for me to come out of my usually quiet corner. The Chairman's Award should not have a bar. We should never say a team has set the bar for this award! It is a bad notion in my opinion. If we say there is a "set bar" it will deter teams from trying at the goal of doing a Chairman's project.

It is not the award that teams should strive for, it is not the fame or F.I.R.S.T. legend they should work for, but the achievement of making an impact on the life of another, without the intent of personal gain. Every student, mentor, and coach should be working for the desire to change themselves. Only when you change your mentality, can you work to change the world around you. When you have the mentality that the Chairman's Award is set so high that you can't get it, is when you have lost site of what this goal really is about. It's about being selfless. When you gain that, then why should it seem an out of bounds goal.

So if a rookie team can go beyond the struggle of starting the team and can impact the community around them in a positive manor, why then could they not be considered for Chairman's.

Forget this "bar" mentality, go for the goal of being selfless in nature. This is what I see as the basics of the Chairman's Award, a team being selfless, and for the benefit of the community, wether global or local, around them. Miss Daisy did this to their full potential and effect, that is all F.I.R.S.T. asks of us. To be selfless and to do good to our full potential, whatever that may be.

Hope I made some form of sense there.

Ivey

Re: Chairman's Award -- is the bar too high now?
 

This thread has really helped me with the message for my team next year. We went from doing the minimum because we had to write a submission for the NASA grant as rookies to a serious effort in the last two years (four year team). But hearing about the winners can be crushing to those kids who pour their hearts out and get good feedback from the judges and just can't win.

As much as I tell them it's not about winning, they care and are hurt. As many times as I say we don't do things to 'look good on the Chariman's submission', I still hear it.

My take-away from this is that we need to keep working on Chairman's every year because it does make us better, and we need to keep celebrating the teams that show us the next level. Preparing a Chairman's award submission is a great focussing tool for part of the team that may not touch the robot, but they really understand the greater goal of inspiration and outreach. I'm not going to let them quit.

Is it worth suggesting some way to recognize the next tier teams, the 'almost there, keep going'? Not adding more awards or taking away from Chairman's, but sending the message that you're on the right track, or that you reached a milestone? Judge's feedback is nice but very brief and a bit vague, and ours has almost always been the same - nice job, keep it up, start some new teams.

Re: Chairman's Award -- is the bar too high now?
 

I'm not so sure that I agree with the term, selfless, completely, although I understand the thinking behind it. Let me explain (or try to) what I mean. Although it is true that many teams donate hundreds and thousands of hours towards achieving their take on the vision, mission, and goals of FIRST - what they are actually doing is building a more robust community, strengthening their area, and sometimes, having far-reaching effects. Profound effects. The actions of the individuals on the team may be selfless but I don't think that is necessarily the motivation. The motivation is to get the job done - to move forward, to dig deeper, driving the root system they are establishing - deeper into the areas/communities/conditions that exist, pushing the opportunity for change. We know of individual stories and will hear more with the coming seasons, of selfless acts being donated to this program. That's true. But, the motivation behind all of it is competitive, driven, and inspired. I think there is room for all of that and more, creating a very robust and tenacious program to power change.

Rose - I think the Judges' Award recognizes teams' efforts and achievements in ways that you are talking about.

Jane