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It will be a great season- despite the restrictions
Hey Ken-
I'm in the competition this year part out of spite! Our group has been in FIRST since 1997 and we have been growing yearly. As a teacher I have seen many of my students mature and move on to a degree I never see in my classes. The competition brings out the best and worst of people- I guess I can see I've seen just about everything you could imagine in this "Game". I could tell you stories....
Anyway, the game restrictions this year really threw me for a loop, as my other posts have no doubt shown! Team 25 has essentially been restricted to attending one regional and will go no further unless we are successful.
Nonetheless I have 40 eager students working their butts off fund raising on the hopes that we will still make the Nationals. That drive cannot be ignored. As a teacher, that is where the rewards are. To hell with FIRST's restrictions- if we go we go. It would be great if we won and then kicked butt again in Orlando but we can live with a full bank account for next year if it comes down to it.
This past Wednesday my guys began hand stamping our button supply with a new season's designs. Some of the kids cut down last season's goals into ball storage bins which actually fit through the door frames. Others disassembled our ramp to salvage hardware. Last weekend we washed 100 cars for the money. Our electronics mentor has issued a programming challenge to the crew and some are developing novel new ways to make RoboKong dance. Animation lives. Two hundred Hawaiian shirts are on order (wait til' you see this year's colors- OY). Our little guys are chasing polar bears with a LegoBot. We as a team go on and on, Florida or not.
This season will be what WE make of it. I look forward to a great run! And wouldn't it be great if an ODD number 25 showed up in the winner's circle just to spite the rules makers?!
WC
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