Hey everyone!
I had a blast at nationals this year. It was my first year being an alumni and I wasn't expecting to have as much fun as previous years.
One of the highlights of my nationals trip was I got to meet two people I've wanted to for a while.
Encounter #1: Saturday morning at the Omni, after getting dressed and heading downstairs, I went to eat breakfast in the CNN Center food court. I went over to the sandwich shop, one of the only places open at the time, and placed my order. I shuffled off to the left to wait for my order. A mentor from team 45 The TechnoKats, wearing a competition team coach pin, stepped over in the wait line behind me. I know a few people (Deej) that came from that team, so I figured I'd start a conversation while waiting. Much to my surprise it was the one and only Andy Baker! (On top of that, he knew my name!
) We talked for a bit before my order came and someone else came over to get Andy's attention. I said goodbye and went to enjoy my mini pancakes, eggs, and sausage.
Encounter #2: This also happened on Saturday. My friend Tom and I explored the Hall of Fame, looking at what other teams had done in past. We noticed a teammate of ours, Kyle, talking with a member of the X-Cats. After looking at the rest of the displays, we sauntered over to where they were. Kyle had to head out to tend to other duties, so Tom and myself stayed there and continued the discussion. Turns out it was Koko Ed! Koko meets Coco. We stayed there for about 20 minutes talking about how the year was going, the game in general, chairmans awards, etc. I would have stuck around longer but we had a match so Tom and I had to leave.
Being an alumni, I guess I now have more time to interact socially with other FIRSTers. I hope to meet many more people next year!
Did anyone else get to meet someone they wanted to? Or did anyone not get to meet someone?