[petek]

I became involved in FIRST because of:

a) A mistake;
b) A Grasshopper;
c) Good manners;
d) Dave Beck.

The mistake: When my daughter joined Cybersonics her freshman year, I purposely stayed away - to let her find her place and have fun without me being around. That wasn't a mistake, but going to the J&J regional that year was. At least it was a good one!

The Grasshopper: I had just sat down in my seat in the upper deck of the College Ave gym as a match started. When Grasshopper came off the wall and went down the side of the field and scooped up every ball in the line, the whole house jumped to their feet cheering. I'm not sure which impressed me more: the robot or the "gracious professionalism" shown by competitors screaming their heads off for its performance.

Good manners: I was not prepared for what I saw when I went into the student center for lunch with members of 30-odd teams and their fans. I was expecting it to be like it would if it had been 30 (or even three) basketball teams. Those FIRST kids were actually polite! There was plenty of rivalry, but all good-natured. And no four-letter words. It was as if everyone saw themselves as part of a really huge family. Like they really wanted to be there. How cool is that?

Dave Beck: Dave likes to fish - not just for trout, either. He knows what kind of bait to use and, once he gets a nibble, just how to hook them and reel them in. His bait: high school robotics. The hook: students - 35 at Palisades HS (and thousands more around the world). He gave me just enough encouragement and pulled just hard enough to let me get myself thoroughly hooked on FIRST. I didn't stand a chance.