[Alivia]

I definitely see your point that using "We're all winners" as a way to uplift student's spirits at the end of a competition can cause some problems, especially if it's used as an excuse.

Perhaps what mentors should say is something about all the accomplishments the team has made at that competition/season. It personalizes the statement, being able to say things like "For the first time, we did X, Y, Z." or "We worked X amount of hours and learned Y amount of things, and had so much fun doing these things." That's one thing that I particularly try to do.

However, it doesn't and shouldn't matter how many medals or trophies a team brings home to consider itself a winner. To me, a "losing" team can be just as much a winner as a "winning" team. They can accomplish the same thing--teaching responsibility, a passion for science, technology, and other facets. They both can help students grow in a way that they might not have grown without being a part of FIRST. Doesn't that make us all winners of life? Winners of learning? So why not say so?

An example: Last year, my team had lots of trouble with their robot at their regional. We lost many matches. We placed second to last. But you wouldn't have guessed that. Those students kept a smile on their face. They worked their butts off on that robot during the build season and during the competition. They didn't give up when the going got tough; it just made them work that much harder. They cheered for themselves. They cheered for other teams. And they had an absolutely great time doing it. So yeah, I'm going to call them winners. And yes, I might be wrong in doing that. But in my eyes, those students ARE winners, in every sense of the word.