[Bharat Nain]

When I think about Stress, I think of myself under intense pressure for a long period of time. FIRST competitions are not the only place where I got through a lot of pressure & stress. As of now, I almost feel that the competitions are not really stressful, but rather enjoyable. All you have to do is really think of it differently. It's just a robotics competition. No big deal. If you keep that in mind, possibly you wont feel the stress. Mr. Lavery's post got me thinking about those sorts of intense situations. FIRST is not that intense. I can recall only a few situations where I was actually nervous - The final round of Ramp Riot. The game tied about 4 times -- it was incredible. We won by just 5 points. We were lucky that we herded that one ball with 35 seconds remaining in the match and then went for the hang where two robots were waiting. We hung -- and at the end of the match[after a long delay] we realize we're the only robot hanging because others had some part of theirs touching the ground. I guess the game does get involving, but it was fun. You know what paid off those 4 rounds. It was just that Corey and I kept our calm. We did not panic, or do anything crazy. You get used to it once you have played enough. So on overall, my advice is: Stay calm, and take it easy. It pays off. Trembling and thinking about yourself as being under great stress and pressure does no good[atleast most of the time].