Thank you, FIRST. Thank you!
We're all human, and we all make mistakes. The mark of greatness is not in one's ability to never make mistakes, but to recognize and rectify them as efficiently as possible. This is definitely an update that would make my grandmother proud.
On the whole, this has been a hard year on FIRST, with so many issues arising and everything. Sometimes it seems that people forget why they became involved in the program, and why they stay. People become so worked up in the details they fail to see the big picture. I was not immune to this, as I lost quite a bit of sleep during the build season due to the Banebots. But I'm still here today, and I can't wait to compete at UTC this week.
At this point in the season, people need to realize what is past is past. Things can't be changed now, so holding grudges over these issues will solve nothing. This Team Update clearly signifies that FIRST has realized how deep these issues go this year, and will work as hard as they possibly can to solve this problems. If anything, see this Team Update as the sight of a land bird by a sailing crew lost at sea. Things will get much better; very soon too.
Don't let your experiences from this build season become your last. If this is your rookie year, this is not a typical year. Things will get much better next year. If you are a returning veteran, don't jump ship because of a little stormy weather; c'mon, if you can design and build a robot from scratch in six weeks, then weathering out these issues should be a piece of cake.
We've already seen FIRST solve, or begin working extensively on, many of these issues. I expect by the time the Championships comes to pass, we will all have a much higher respect for FIRST and what they can accomplish. I know I most likely will, as it began today with this Team Update.
