[generalbrando]

I don't want to say that everyone was offended by your post, M, but so far the only points made have been on the defensive.

I want to agree with you whole-heartedly because you simply aren't saying that FIRST hasn't been a good thing. You are just coming to question it because FIRST is changing (and the question is for better or worse, right?). I don't want to sound like an authority to congratulate you, but congratulations: in my mind if you don't question something you will usually with fall victim to it or you simply won't learn much.

Why don't we do something about this? I am with you on this - FIRST is becoming something that isn't wholely focused on it's own message. Why do I think that is happening? Because we don't even think of the other programs in FIRST when we say it. We think of the "FIRST Robotics Compeitition" which is actually only one part of FIRST. Today there is nothing that could possibly be bigger for FIRST and I would guess that the second most important thing is the FIRST Lego League. FIRST, as we saw even more this year and we will see more next year, does not have enough resources to do what they want/need to. This year a good amount of technical equipment was cut from some Regionals in order to keep expanding. Why expand? To get the message out there. To get the program out to more students and professionals. That's good and bad. There will always be those powerhouse teams that don't focus on the students enough (I believe Team 71 is one of them, having been on the team and been on and seen other teams). But the FIRST Robotics program does have a positive effect. I feel, however, that the program is growing so much that it's at a turning point. When I started work to have a team this past season, I felt like I was getting my fellow students involved into this growing community where each and every person has a real ownership in the entire experience. I'm not saying that's gone - but it's diminishing. FIRST Robotics, in my mind, will continue to grow and be the tool of experience that it is now for many teams. For many teams it will also become the capitalistic focus that Nascar is today. That's ok. But FIRST Robotics is not enough. It will not be able to carry on the full meaning of FIRST - that idea of change in culture that Dean set out for so long ago. It will have an impact, but as you said: we're not at our full potential.

So, working on the idea that FIRST isn't bigger than us because we are FIRST, let's make some changes. FIRST itself is a group of people working on FIRST's message (in the boardest sense) but almost all of the people are concentrated on this competition. How can we organize and expand this group of people that want to get up off our lazy butts and make more of an impact. Having a life dedicated to FIRST is having it's wear on people (the thread about burning out shows that well). I think that's because it's becoming so well based on this competition. Many teams work round the year to get the funds they need. There are off season competitions. Now we even have a preseason Edubot (which is ok - that's for learning anyway). But it's all so much and it's not working on FIRST so much as it's working on that one element of FIRST - the robotics competition.

A little disclaimer: I love FIRST. I love the competition. If you read some of my other posts, you'll see that I was on stage in St. Louis with a bad fever. My message is NOT that Dean, Woodie, FIRST staffers, or FIRST participants have gone astray on a path that should not be traveled. That path, in my mind, is the way that FIRST Robotics itself should follow in order to serve its purpose. What I'm saying is that FIRST Robotics is becoming a limited tool that is inadequate for exercising the true potential of so many people. I borrow some ideas from M and I add my own - as food for thought and as inspiration:

Let's do it.
Let's do more.

You can hit reply, e-mail me (mensing@bu.edu), or IM me (general198 or AcademyFreek). I would love to discuss this with anyone.