Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom Bottiglieri
How are values involved at all? Isn't the whole point of science to make educated, analytical decisions rather than just trusting your gut? Isn't the word 'science' a part of the FIRST acronym?
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FIRST is more about values than it is about science. This isn't about trusting your gut, this is about doing things the "right way".
It would be an educated, analytical decision for my team to never loan another team a tool, a part, a raw material, or a helping hand -- indeed, it would definitely increase our chances of winning. But it ain't what FIRST is about.
The proudest moment I have had thus far as a FIRST mentor is absolutely **NOT** the regional win we had this year (after never even making the top eight before). The proudest moment I had was when another team needed a banebots 12:1 transmission and announced it over the PIT speaker, and one of my students didn't even ask me, they just passed the part over the pit wall -- knowing full well that we were playing against them next, and that the transmission might very well make a difference in who won the match. (It did, and we lost, and it didn't matter.)
That has *nothing* to do with winning the match, nor in getting the highest seed, nor in getting a trophy or a medal or a pat on the back. But it has everything to do with FIRST.