Quote:
Originally posted by Ken Leung
...I am sorry if my original message came out as really negative. What I was getting at is that people should think about the different values of Nationals. ...
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Ken, really it didn't - I was still rather emotional over the whole limiting system when I replied.
I had the honor of being with two very different, yet equally incredible teams this past National. One, brought home the divisional gold - the other, hearts full of memories, and the simple knowledge of a job well done. I could not say one was better than the other. I met kids I hadn't known before, watched them cheer for their team, felt their agony in defeat - found great friends in late nights at the hotel.
This year, I spent time simply sitting at the top of Einstein and observing. I watched the robots battling it out on the field, I saw the ever growing conga lines down on the astroturf. I saw people in teams shirts that spanned the rainbow mixing, making friends.
Sure, the winning is a part of FIRST, a part of Nationals. But there's a spirit at Epcot when we are all there together. FIRSTers seem to share something unique, I've never been quite able to put my finger on it. It's the mix of east and west coasts, US and abroad, girls and boys, north and south. Rookie and veteran. It's a mix of all of us that makes Nationals even more unique than any regional. I only hope that that same feeling will remain with so many teams left behind.