My first FIRST competition was the 2012 Minnesota 10,000 Lakes Regional. Never have I experienced anything so breathtaking. The rest of the team tries to tell me I even DANCED in front of the field in between elimination matches, but I have no idea what they're talking about
The energy was incredible. Call me a stereotypical Minnesotan, but I've played and watched hockey my whole life. The energy in Williams arena when filled with high school kids excited about FRC was infinitely more intoxicating than the energy in an NHL playoff game between rivals.
That competition was the first time I had had real FUN in years. It was also my first time eating fast food since about the fifth or sixth grade. And, as my teammates say, my first time dancing (I still deny this...)
One thing I do want to add:
Really, only people in Minnesota (and most likely the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area) would know this, but Kennedy (where 3081 is from) and Jefferson (where 2470 is from), both in Bloomington, are big rivals. I played hockey and lacrosse for Kennedy so I know how bitter this rivalry is. But when 3081 made it to the finals and 2470 didn't, we didn't have enough batteries. So 2470 loaned us theirs. That's what we should be doing. We compete, do our best, and help everyone else do their best. It took me sixteen years (on the dot! My birthday was the Monday before 10K) and joining an FRC team to figure it out, but I did.
All in all, I wouldn't have traded it for the world. I've got a long way to go, but the last day of that regional was the best day of my life, and it would've been even if we hadn't won that regional or even made it to the finals. I wouldn't trade that experience for the world.