[smurfgirl]

There is a lot of luck involved with competitions- the matches you end up with can change the outcome of where you seed by a lot, which may cause some people to misunderstand how strong any given team actually performs. If you are experienced enough, you will realize that seeding and whether or not you are selected for elims is not a measure of how strong you are as a team... but not every scouter/team has made this realization. Often, "the wrong" teams are selected. On Galileo this year, there were so many strong teams that they simply couldn't all be in elims. There were some things that surprised me- how did 25 and 971 last so long? How did 1124 get picked so soon? But again... part of this competition is luck. A good team may get overlooked, a team with lesser performance may be picked on a whim because the captain saw them last or their spirit stuck in his head.

I would not take your team's performance on Galileo as a sign of personal failure, or even failure on the part of your team. People throughout the country and the world know that MORT stands for excellence and is consistently a leader and an inspiration in the FIRST community. People still recognize that. Anyone who has ever visited Chief Delphi knows what wise words you speak and how many things you personally have done to help other teams and other individuals.

Some things speak more powerfully about a team and about a person than whether or not they played in elims at the Championship. Your efforts in the community, your gracious professionalism, your character and endless spirit- these are the things that people will remember for a long time. In two or four or ten years, no one will remember your performance on Galileo, but I bet the name EWCP will still stick in people's minds. These are the things that matter, the values and the goals that outlast any one competition or season or drive team.

I realize how frustrating and disappointing it can be to watch your team not be selected, especially when it seems deserving, but I would focus on bigger picture. The main goal of FIRST is not just to build a winning robot- the competition is a means to something much greater and more beautiful than that. You and your team have embraced this greater mission, and you should be proud to be recognized for that.