[Jared Russell]

Good advice here so far. To add/reiterate:

1. Time will help frame all disappointments. It has a special way of letting you remove yourself from your situation and seeing it for what it is. And I know for a fact that MORT has much to be proud of.

2. In FIRST, as in almost all aspects of life, there is a lot of luck that needs to go your way to get the top prizes. If you truly did all you could do then there is no reason to hang your head.

3. You can let disappointment affect you in many ways. You can be angry, you can be sad, or you can let it push you to be better. The operative point is that it is you who decides how to let it affect you. The way chosen by most of the successful people in FIRST should be obvious.