[MattC9]

I believe that people that compete in robotics at a high level and world class athletes share similar traits. Some of these traits include, but are not limited to; a strong work ethic, respect for others, and a willingness to learn and teach. Athletes and robotics participants both have to work extremely hard day in and day out if they want to perform at a high level and meet their goal. This requires an extremely strong work ethic and determination. Respect for Others is another quality both groups of people share. In order to compete with others that have the same work ethic and ideals you must be able to respect them and realize that competing with them is only making you a better person. A willingness to learn and teach is extremely important to each group. An athlete will learn from a set of coaches and their peers to try and make them better down the road. A student will learn from many mentors and their peers, then pass along the skills they were able to learn. Both groups of people ultimately want what's best for their sport.

As a competitive swimmer I want to pass along my love for the sport of swimming. As a FIRST Alumni I want to pass along the message of FIRST and help kids get the same experience that I did because someone gave up their time to mentor me.