It has to be the energy & culture. No matter where you go at a FIRST event, regardless of the tier, the energy and excitement is there. It's people competing for the glory with guts and gusto, but being professionals about it. The excitement to be at a competition, the stress of whether your bot will work or not, the sounds of triumph as you successfully set out to do everything you planned to for that event, the determination to do better if you didn't yet.
When I saw my first FIRST event, Mount Olive (this year), the raw energy of the room was enough to be inspiring. The sheer number of people all here, for the same challenge, was unbelievable. Nobody was angry,nobody was upset. To lose meant either you made a mistake, or someone had a better robot that you could appreciate. Without that type of "We'll help you out" mentality, it would be almost inhospitable.
The raw culture of FRC is what makes the program so attractive. The idea that a 4-year program can instill the values of coopertition and gracious professionalism, along with a wide variety of useful real-world skills, is inspiring. I honestly wish I'd gotten involved sooner, and don't plan on stopping any time soon, even if I wanted to
