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Re: Where was the GP at Championships?
I am amazed at all these situations, and I agree with everyone who notes that as this community grows, we are going to pick up a few bad eggs, it's simply inevitable. What we do need to do is first, continue to emphasize the message of gracious professionalism, both on and off the field. Really have students understand what "I graciously accept" means. We need a reporting system that allows staffers and volunteers to report any incidents of ungracious behavior (honestly, yelling at event staff is simply unacceptable, no one has any right to feel elitist to them), and I feel that FIRST needs to in some way make Gracious Professionalism a bigger part of the awards. Yes it's not what we're directly here to teach (science/tech education), but let's set ourselves truly apart from other sports by emphasizing sportsmanship even more. A sportsmanship award is a good start, but let's also look at ways that could competitively make a difference and strongly encourage, even coerce, people into playing nice with one another. While this may only really make a difference in a FIRST competition, I think that people will find that the behavior and general feel of such an event will be something they will want to emulate and carry over into their everyday lives.
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