[grstex]

This thread really struck a raw nerve with me. I shadowed a team this weekend whose town has a median household income below the national poverty line, and $30,000 below the median household income of the state. They drove a broken bus 8 hours through the desert to get to the competition. My brother used to mentor a team whose students barely showed up because they were working 2 jobs after school to support their family. These teams didn't make the playoffs. Were they "losers?" Did they "not try hard enough?" Were they not "motivated?" Check your privilege. There are some people in this world for whom just showing up is a major victory.

I'm sorry if I'm being harsh, but for the past 20+ years Dean and Woodie have been giving speeches at FIRST events telling kids that just participating makes them winners. I don't think they've "devalued" the program or made it less competitive in that time (as if that's what FIRST is really all about), seeing as it's grown from a few dozen teams to a few thousand.