[Justin]

Hi All,

I've been kinda quiet for a while...so why not reply to the QOTW while I have some down time. Anyhoo...I think that off season comps are tremendously important. They keep things going in a lot of cases. One thing that is cool about a lot of summer comps is they are held in conjunction w/some other summer event...and that can bring in a lot of public that wouldn't otherwise be exposed to FIRST. I think that it is becoming more and more important that FIRST be a year round event. Summer comps are a great way for that to happen.

I think FIRST provides a fair amount of support in renting the field out and stuff like that. Usally if you e-mail them w/problems/questions they are good abour replying. I think that summer comps are a good chance for Kids/Adults from teams to get a chance to feel what it's like to run a FIRST comp. I've helped w/River Rage the past few years...and planning a comp. is something I usally enjoy. It's a chance to use creative energies on something other than building a robot.

Lastly, What I love most about summer comps. The people who put them on, the people who go to them....they are the die hard FIRSTers. They're the ones who will battle summer heat in a gym, drive 3 hours +, give up a saturday of thier summer when they might otherwise be at the beach....because they love this game just that much. I enjoy meeting those people.

-Justin