[gblake]

Originally Posted by NoahB4536

This last weekend my team competed at the Minnesota 10K lakes regional. As per usual there were lots of speakers but it seemed to me like this year they talked a lot about how everyone was a winner by just showing up to the event. Now I am not bashing the speakers, I just wanted to address an issue that has come up in other sports, which is that if competitors at an event are told that everyone is a winner it can take away some of the joy of winning and interfere with the competition aspect of coopertition. Calling everyone a winner can also make it tough for people to deal with losing, although that is mostly with younger kids. I was in the pits for some of the regional so I did not get to watch every speaker and therefore cannot attest to the extent to which this was occurring but I do believe that it is important for the FRC to not give into the concept of everyone being a winner. There are three winning teams in a regional and although that does not necessarily mean that the other teams are "losers" it does mean that the other teams can be motivated to learn and improve in their pursuit of excellence.

It's fine for the speakers to say that at an FRC competition, because, while FIRST/FRC uses competition(s), FRC's primary goal is causing cultural change and then seeing individuals in those cultures reap the benefits from the change. Also, participants who are involved and then show up at an event absorb skills, etc. that are valuable for a lifetime.

Winning a cheesy trophy or banner isn't what it means to "win" in FIRST.

That's why it can be sensible to say that you "win" just by showing up.

Don't be too distracted by the shiny robots, and the games they play. Enjoy them, but keep your eyes on the real prize(s).

Blake
PS: Of course, it is possible to both attend an FRC event, and actively avoid receiving any benefits from the experience. I don't mind if a speaker ignores those exceptions to the general rule.