Speaking on behalf of FRC 2789, I want to say our trip was fantastic. We thoroughly enjoyed the competition, and we really feel we have shaken down the robot for Lone Star.
Regarding Chris's concern here:
Quote:
Originally Posted by galewind
First, I was shocked to hear that there were students from other FIRST teams insulting teams from other states/countries in or near their pits. The fact that this even occurs really damages the image of New Jersey (beyond what it is now) and has the potential to lessen the impact of our programs. We really should try to monitor ourselves to make sure that guests feel welcome at our regional, and to make sure that behavior like that exhibited by a few students doesn't reflect on our regional.
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I want to make it very clear that these rude individuals were very much in the minority. As someone who has been to the NJ regional several/many times before, I was quite confident that we would be welcomed with open arms as we were. The other mentors who are less experienced did approach the trip with some trepidation. However, the consensus among the students and the mentors was that NJ was a great place to be, had stiff competition, and will be on our list for regional events in the future (if y'all don't go to district event model).
We made a lot of friends that we plan to keep in touch with going forward, and we might attempt some inter-regional collaboration in the future. We also got plenty of help. In particular, we'd like to put a spotlight on:
Team 41 - for the occasional nut or bolt, and Garrett Dicken in particular for his controls help
Team 25 - in particular Shaun McNaulty (sp?) for his motivation to our team
Team 2753 - for being excellent neighbors in the pit, and James Wittel for his assistance in scouting and marketing
Team 56 - for the all-too-important drywall screws we needed to get the crate packed up and shipped to Houston
Team 223 - Mark, Randy, and the rest who so graciously loaned us victors
The staff - particularly Don Bowers, Harvey Morgenstin, Jim Hobin, Monique DiTuri, Nathan Knauss, the queuers, inspectors, referees, and countless others who welcomed us, supported us, and made for such a great competition
I'm sure I'm forgetting somebody in there...so if I did, please know we did appreciate you.
We've pre-scouted Houston, and we'll be one of only 14 teams going into the event with another regional already under our belt. Given the competition we went up against, the team is more confident than ever going into Houston.
Thanks, New Jersey, for all the help!