[archiver]

Posted by s_alaniz at 04/10/2001 1:33 PM EST


Other on team #57 from Houston Regional co-ordinator.


In Reply to: i didnt like this years game....please read
Posted by Travis Covington on 04/10/2001 2:05 AM EST:



: in this game people WANTED the other team not to lose
BUT TO FAIL.


Hey I emphatize but I disagree. Sounds like you took it
all pretty hard and that's not a bad thing, we're all
human and the emotions that follow bad luck, bad
breaks... et al are part of being human. There's no
solution to that (or if there is I wish someone would
share it.)

As for the cheering for your failure. I don't think
that was a universal theme. For those who DID cheer at
a team's "failure" ..why do you think Dean constantly
reminds us about that "gracious professionalism?" I
suppose that message needs to be revisited yet again.

All I can say is that MY team ranked 10th in our
division but was not picked. We were disappointed but
we sat and cheered during the finals and we cheered
loudest for our personal favorites ( and moaned when
they made a mistake).

I know about machine failures. My team has been
there several times in the past 3 years and we know the
feeling. We also know the feeling of having an alliance
partner mess up and cost valuable points. (Just prior
to one of our rounds, there was a
"0" score for an alliance because a coach forgot the
rules and hit the stop button in stead of having thr
drivers do it. and people say this was not an exciting
game!) Our team had 4 disasterous rounds but I'm sure
other teams had similar experiences.

BUT the real point I think I need to make is this:
"Gracious Professionalism" doesn't just apply to the
winners. It applies to second place, third place and on
down the line. If in the heat of the moment someone
loses control ... or even a lot of people lose control
and cheer wildly when an alliance loses, it's not meant
as a slur but as joy in the success of their own team.
If I were on the winning alliance I would have found it
hard to restain myself too.

Alliances... well, if you eliminate alliances.. then
you get back to a one winner system... I like
alliances.. it makes teams have to consider carefully
who they pair with.

Team 115 was a quarterfinalist... my team would have
been uncontrollably happy if we had managed that. We
would be bragging that we nailed fourth place. We
didn't but I'll brag anyway... I had the best team I
could have wanted and I'm very proud of the way we
proformed ... we're looking forward to next year... see
you there.

Best Wishes

Steve Alaniz