[Chris Hibner]

Wow, that was an extremely thoughtful post. Coming to meaningful insights and being able to express those thoughts in a clear manner is a pretty great skill to have, and one that isn't really taught very easily.

I just want to make one comment about those that think the competition aspect is important. I am a big proponent of FIRST as a competition. I embrace the competitiveness. However, I (and I'm sure most others involved in FIRST that embrace the competitive aspect), don't do it simply because it's a competition. Like you said, just go buy a basketball.

Those of us that embrace the competition do so because being competitive enhances the learning and the inspiration. Think about it: how hard are you going to try and how much are you going to learn if you don't care? On the other hand, if you just want to beat Wildstang really really badly, how much extra time and effort are you going to put in. Furthermore, do you think you'll learn more after putting in all of that extra time? I think the answer is "yes".

Anyway, I am involved in FIRST because I think it's important to help inspire the students to achieve more than they might have without FIRST. That being said, I think the role that the competition plays is an important one, and we all wouldn't get nearly as excited without it.