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Posted by Jessica Boucher.   [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]


Student on team #237, Sie-H2O-Bots, from Watertown High School and Eastern Awning Systems & The Siemon Company.

Posted on 10/16/2000 12:59 PM MST


In Reply to: QUESTION OF THE WEEK!!! posted by Andy Grady on 10/15/2000 7:35 AM MST:



Oh, geez, this was certainly a doozie of a question, you seem to have struck a chord among all of us...but reading all this is strange, because I come from a different perspective.

My official title was 'national student public relations assistant'. The job was offered up to all FIRST-students in one of the team updates; for numerous reasons I jumped at the chance. This meant that I was to volunteer as much time as possible during Nats in the media tent, instead of hanging out with my team. I was helping out about a dozen students with the same title making faxes, walking around guests, coordinating media events, signing out photo passes to teams, and watching the media platform. We were considered crew.

Now, I know people were complaining about the problem with the media crews. As far as I can remember, there were crews from ABC, NBC, Associated Press, Nick & CNN there. This is more media than we have ever had.

I urge you to remember that FIRST is a growing and changing association. This was the first time that so much media came, and as prepared as we were, noone was expecting the things that happened. We weren't expecting the Nick crews to be flooded so badly by kids that they couldn't do their job and had to be given Crew shirts so they would blend in. We weren't expecting the CNN crews wanting to do an interview in front of the FIRST flag, thus pushing teams away that wanted their picture taken 'right then and no other time but then' (even though we told them that they could wait 5-10 minutes or wait in line on the other side of the flag). We weren't expecting the ABC crews to have a case of 'wandering fever' and leave their tripods all over the place. But, we made the best with what we had.

My point; isn't the reason why FIRST has team forums and encourages feedback is to have the chance to find out what not to do and how to fix it? Yes, this season had more media than ever; yes, we tried a few different things to create a medium between media coverage and team viewing (hence the reason for the media platform and team photo passes). Yes, things weren't great, but they will get better.

Its give and take, people. The crowd sparks the attention and the attention creates larger crowds. And isn't more media what most of us really want? This was the first year of trying something new and I'm sorry viewing wasn't that great, but I believe that it will be handled by FIRST for next year, if not figured out already.

-Jess Boucher, #237