Thanks for posting this Tessa, it is well written and does a great job of capturing the emotional connection we develop with our teams.
I'm also a freshmen in college, and I tried to mentor a team that is close to where i now live (3000 miles away from home and my old team) but in all honesty, it wasn't the same. I ended up going to New York with my old team because it coincided with spring break. I watched their webcast the weekend before my midterms, and still spend hours calling them to stay in touch. I like to consider myself a long distance mentor, but in all honesty, your post made me realize that I mentor as much for my own benefit as I do for theirs...
"FIRST withdrawal syndrome," I remember seeing that phrase on this forum a while ago, but it didnt do justice to the feeling of emptiness that I felt when I got to college. I tried to join other clubs and teams, but Im always drawn back to FIRST, and always back to my old team. I'm still on their email lists, and an integral part of my day is reading the email traffic to know what the team is doing. You're right, teams cant get rid of their alumni that easily. I plan on going back to every social event my team hosts during summer and winter breaks when im home from school.
FIRST is worth it...
