[Sunshine]

Why do I get this feeling that I am throwing myself into the fire?
well, here it goes ........


I believe that your suggestion is “somewhat flawed” (emphasis on "somewhat"). FIRST stands For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. Their name says it all and puts emphasis on RECOGNITION. Recognition on being the best that you can be amongst your peers. It prepares you for life and life skills. The goals are for you to strive to be the best you can in ALL elements of FIRST.

It’s not about just building robots. You hear this over and over again by Woodie and Dean. It’s striving to be the best you can in all elements. And if you are THE best you should be recognized for it. That’s how life works and we should mirror how life gives recognition. You get awarded by excelling and being the best.

So you propose that a team only wins one award?
In the long haul, wouldn’t this cheapen the process? Would teams then strive for only one area of excellence? Would teams, knowing that they could only receive recognition in one category, only strive to improve in one area? I can not see how you can have it both ways. Be the best! And if you are the best in multiply areas you should be recognized for your accomplishments.

You mention that there are large teams that are large and are loud, with everyone able to see and hear them and they win 3+ awards. I do not believe that a loud team will win the WF, EI or CA awards. You may be right that they could/would win the Chrysler Team Spirit Award because they are large and loud but that would be it.

I started out by saying that your logic was somewhat flawed. I believe that FIRST recognizes your concerns and tries hard to spread the wealth. I believe that is way you do not see teams winning awards for CA and EI simultaneously. Do teams win the General Motors Industrial Design Award and the Delphi “Driving Tomorrow’s Technology” Award? I would have to do some digging but I believe that this does not happen because of the concerns you raise.

I believe that many of the awards inspire teams to work hard 12 months out of year. I believe that awards like the Web Page, CA, EI, Entrepreneurship Award and Safety Award fall under this category. IMHO, a team should work hard all year long on these and if they do great, they should be compensated. BUT, I do believe that a team should only win one award between CA, EI, and Entrepreneurship. These (IMHO) are the ultimate awards that everyone should be striving for. They show that you have the whole package. They show that you get it. They show everyone that you strive to be the best that you can be. Get one of these and you achieved the goals and mission of FIRST. Get recognized for one of these and you do not need any others. You will notice that put greater value on the Entrepreneurship Award. IMHO, I believe that this award should qualify you for the championship. In my mind it shows that you have developed a business plan that demonstrates you try to be the best in all of the other categories and you show that you are trying to sustain your great program. But again, that may just be me 

My last passing thought. I hope we never get to a point where a team doesn’t get the deserved recognition because they also have a great robot and do well in competition. Remember it’s a lot more than just building a robot. If a team does well for 12 months and also does well for 6 weeks during building season they should get recognized for their accomplishments both on and off the field.

Notice that these comments come from someone who won three awards in St. Louis so my ideas may be a bit tainted. BUT the students worked very hard all year long and strived to be the best they could in these catagories.