[Justin]

Hi,

I'd like to share a few of my thoughts about the internationalization of FIRST and expansion in general. I've been around since 96 and it is safe to say FIRST has grown just a little. Even in 1998 as a few more regionals were added there was concern that things were getting to big and FIRST was loosing the tight-knit feel that many people liked so much. That has always been a big concern with FIRST are we growing so fast that things have become diluted? Is the message lost? Dean has articulated this concern in recent years. He has called on the veteran teams to help the rookies understand what we really mean by this concept of gracious professionalism.

The problem I have is that Dean frequently seems to say one thing and then completely contradict it in the next sentence. For example he will say that we're growing so fast that we need to pause and remember what we're up to and then in the next breath he will implore us all to do our homework so that we can grow faster. I would like to see a little more focus on growing in a constructive way that remains true to the mission of FIRST rather than growth for growth's sake. Another example of this is that Dean will say things like there are 22,000 high schools in the United States and they all need teams. Then we will hear things about how the NYC regional is the "Ellis island of FIRST." What happened to the U.S. teams?

It's interesting I've always had the perception that much of the push to grow FIRST has been reaching some kind of critical mass that only Dean knows. Some have suggested for years that it is about TV but if we couldn't make it on TV during the Battle Bots era...will be ever? Is surrendering control to the corporate big wigs who run TV empires a good thing? I wish Dean would spell out the goal/mission/vision whatever in a way that gives teams actionable goals to work towards.

Thanks,

Justin