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Posted by michael bastoni.   [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]


Coach on team #23, PNTA, from Plymouth North High School and Boston Edison Co.

Posted on 6/6/99 6:39 PM MST


In Reply to: New Poll posted by PollMaster on 5/27/99 8:30 PM MST:



Ahh, an opportunity to wade into what appears to be some deep water,
with strong currents and an undertoe.....hmmmm my kind of conditions.

The Disney invitational sounds good.....as long as there are other,
open venues to participate in.

As for advance reservations...go ahead and make them.

Even if your team isn't invited you should go and participate.
Should'nt you ?

Disney is doing this for the money too, so don't feel too bad about canceling
them 30 days prior to leaving (If you don't get an invitation and feel like sulking)

What I like as a coach, is that the invitational is a real motivator...One
we might need in the future.


Here's what I think. (For what it's worth)

I think the corporate sponsor wants to at least believe that the students
are doing more than just helping the engineers build the robot and saying
that they are inspired to work hard and be good engineers....I think
the FIRST effort can accomplish more than this...and on most teams it does.

That's exactly why an invitational national at say the Geographical center
of North America...might be the right answer...It would serve as the reward
for the teams who made a concious efforts to achieve...to do the 8 THINGS
FIRST ASKS OF EVERY TEAM. Or for those teams who fielded an effective Robot.
(the '8 things' refers to a posting 5/13/99 by Michael Bastoni, you can find it
using the built in search engine on the tool bar above. THIS WEB SITE IS AWESOME
BRANDON)

An Invitational National would send a message that working hard, working diligently,
and acquiring skills, is the real ticket to the nationals...

You go to the nationals because you earned it through what you learned or
tried to learn. Or through designing and building a
competetive robot. Not simply because you raised enough money or can afford to go.

Here's my support for this POV. At the 2007 games (the MIT design competition
that FIRST is modeled after) ANY student who fields a working robot receives
an A for a grade...That's what Alex Slocum the Mech Prof. who runs the event said.
Well...the implication is that if you do not field a working robot, maybe
you do not get an A....or maybe you can get an A another way...fact is,
only A's participate...FIRST does not have anything analagous to this A thing...and
it's an important ingredient...an Invitation to the Nationals is anaogous
to the A....I doubt the 'plywood box' would argue.

And if you think the nationals is important to the kids...hey by all means
come down and watch....no one is saying you can't come...in fact non invited
teams should come...I'd certainly want to be there even if our team did'nt make it.

And a cool cornfield in South Idaho, or Wyoming sounds better than a hot
tarmack in Florida...where would you want to kneel?

Mr. B