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Originally Posted by cadandcookies
I could also point out longwinded and not particularly constructive comments likening this separation to a divorce, as well as the tendency of many of the questioners to preface a two sentence question with a minute of story time.
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I definitely am not implying that every single person asking a question handled themselves well. That being said, I am at least a little taken aback at the defensive nature of the moderator/panel.
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Originally Posted by cadandcookies
The valid points made by many of the community members present were overshadowed by their combatative phrasing. I find it unfortunate that the community seems to have used this meeting more as a time to vent at the higher ups in FIRST than to engage in a constructive dialogue about the future of this program that we all hold so dear.
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I have to disagree with you here. I felt that even some of the more "combative" members prompted some well-thought out questions and were intending to provoke some meaningful discussion. The panel knew people would be frustrated, and I'm not exactly sure what kind of response they were expecting. Bringing a decision to the community without community involvement, adding non-negotiables and leaving the room with the impression that nothing is to change is certainly disconcerting...
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Originally Posted by cadandcookies
I love this program, and I'm not a fan of the two championships concept, but watching this meeting was incredibly frustrating for me, watching people that I hold in incredibly high esteem behaving in ways that remind me more of bickering children than of people out to change our world.
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My thoughts of these individuals certainly didn't change because of it. One of the biggest things that has the community inspired by these mentors is their
PASSION. I didn't see what was presented as childish bickering, I saw them expressing legitimate concerns and asking important questions, while not receiving answers in return. I felt those that spoke represented the views of the community well and I'm thankful that they were able to speak, for whatever good it may do us in the long run...
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Originally Posted by cadandcookies
The entire world is not your team, and we all have distinct challenges and advantages. It's very important in my opinion to look at the championship split in the greater context of a growing FRC program and FIRST's stated goals
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Many of the people speaking have been on several, if not a handful of (successful) teams over the course of their FIRST careers. While no single individual is going to be able to capture the perspectives of the entire community, I think they need to be cognisant of the impact of the decisions they are making and consult those with different perspectives. I'm grateful that Don is doing his best to reach out to and speak with teams as he travels, but that is not enough for him or the board to weigh in on the perspectives of all of FRC either. Not consulting mentors/alumni and knowing that these demographics are not well-represented on the board is disappointing.
While I'm not happy with the decisions that have been made/are being made, I'm even less happy with the processes that are being used to reach their conclusions.
Thanks to everyone that represented the community at the meeting, I wish I would have been able to get to that part of the dome at the time. Thank you 1640 for providing us with footage, until FIRST releases theirs along with a summary/statement.