As a long time participant in FIRST competitions (student, volunteer and mentor) and an active volunteer in FIRST Israel, I'd like to chime in if I may (
noting that any opinions expressed here are my own and do not represent those of FIRST, or FIRST Israel).
Right from the start, I think there is no question that this year's regional was quite simply a disaster and that the, the communication problem which plagued the regional was a crippling blow to teams competing at the Israeli regional (what the Turkish, Bosnian and two Californian teams must think of us now...
).
While a handful of teams exhibited extremely disappointing behavior, it has not been noted here (and so I will make the point myself) that
the vast majority of teams were kind and understanding, keeping their head high throughout the competition and trying to make the most of a very unpleasant situation.
For this I would like to applaud the teams: the Israeli students have consistently shown true character in these past seasons, proving their understanding of, and commitment to, FIRST's core values.
I must agree with Jane's suggestion: Internet forums are nice and dandy (I'm writing this in a ChiefDelphi Forums T-Shirt!) but real world action is most definitely in order!
I think you all know how to contact me in the real world or online if you need any help.
To the Worldwide FIRST community:
Please understand that teams were placed under stresses and strains far beyond what they could ever be expected to withstand.
Thus these "incidents", while being very serious, are far from representative of the FIRST Israel community which is, as I stated above, a thriving and powerful community which is very committed to the core values of FIRST
-Leav Oz-Ari