[synth3tk]

Ok, I can't stay out of this one. I'm feeling a bit on the lazy side of posting today, so judge it lightly.

FIRST is about professionalism, yes. But it calls for a somewhat different type of professionalism. I agree with N7UJJ actually pointed out something worth noting, that corporations should take a hint from FIRST events. Big merger went through successfully? Celebrate! Dance! Just signed on a big-name customer? Let's go out for some pizza and drinks! I also concur with everybody who said that this is a stress reliever.

Last year, we (964) didn't do so hot, infact our robot barely worked. But you know what, every one of us had fun. We danced the YMCA, talked with other teams, enjoyed watching matches in between our matches, I even did some dancing and playing with kids in our Bearcat mascot suit. After six grueling weeks of designs, failures, testing, redesigning, and building, I think we all deserve to dance if the machine even turns on!

<rant>
Now, tell me, how many of us could have honestly known what a CNC was? Vice grip? PWM cable? Heck, I couldn't identify what a 7/16 ratchet was, let alone figure out how to use it. We've either learned to drill-and-tap, build a site out of CSS, compile a working autonomous mode, cut a piece of PVC with the bandsaw, or animate a video in 3DS that stresses of the importance of safety. Let me tell you a little secret: I'm wasn't doing so hot in school. This is my senior year, and I had some hardships through the local school administration trying to get homeschool credits transferred. I was seriously thinking about dropping out, why would I want to start over in 9th grade when I was supposed to graduate that year? Anyway, before I left the school, I joined the team, not knowing really what I was getting myself into. Had I not joined FIRST I probably wouldn't have given college a second chance. Sure, my mom, people at church, managers at work, all told me that I should go, it just wasn't the same as seeing a bunch of people learning in such an awesome program. When I was younger, I didn't realize it, but my dad had taken me to the Buckeye Regional, I believe it was 2000. Now, you think I would've wanted to join this if I just saw a bunch of people talking, acting, walking like they had sticks up their butts? One of the things that I like when I was there WAS the dancing. And then, I learn that FIRST hands out millions in scholarships?!? It's a no-brainer. Now I'm preparing to enroll at community college as I finish up my final year through an online school. There are literally hundreds of success stories where students who may have not only decided against going to college, but dropped out of HS, joined up, got involved, and gone to higher education facilities.

If it's the right kind, dancing is, and always will, be appropriate, even in "professional" settings. It can't get in the way of "learning" because for the most part, the learning was done starting January 5th and lasted until mid-February. Like mentioned before, it is only a celebration and showcase of what we accomplished. I'm sorry if you feel FIRST isn't the stiff-collered 9-to-5 straight-forward type of setting you're looking for, but I do hope you accept that, while nothing is perfect, it does what it's supposed to do above-and-beyond what the founder's may have meant for it.

"What's so great about this program, that I should give you the use of our workshop, our engineer(s), of $5,000?" That would be my response if you came to me asking for thousands. Obviously Intel, GM, NASA, Ford, Delphi, and SOOO many more companies, corporations, and businesses sponsored the events and teams, and spending thousands of dollars and man-hours must mean that there's some kind of payoff somewhere, and they endorse this "fun-loving free-for-all".
</rant>


So with that being said, invite them. Invite them with pride and excitement. They want to see that these kids are having fun, enjoying the new robots they worked so hard to build, to learn about.