[Karibou]

Good thread, Jane. Thank you.

As valuable as a lot of the information on CD is, there is a lot of it that doesn't concern me. Well, it does, but I don't have the mental capacity or experience to even grasp some of the discussions (Do I know about gear ratios? No. Should I learn? Yes. Should I insert myself into a hardcore discussion between seniors, college students, and professional adults on a new AM gearbox to ask about the basics and begin my learning there? No, that's just bad judgement.). I usually do learn a bit from the technical discussions, but that's not my posting forte here on CD. I feel much more at home with the management, spirit, and general team organization threads, and spend more of my time posting there. For example: my team isn't going to be changing our image any time soon, so I won't take an incredible amount away from those threads. However, I can still contribute my knowledge to those threads to help others. I really love that I can both help and learn in the same environment.

I also serve as a bit of a liaison between my team and the FIRST world. Nobody else on my team is as connected and hears as many opinions as I do, so I always can bring a lot of different views to the table, and different interpretations of rules. If these forums didn't exist, I don't think that anyone from my team would know of the happenings within the Q&A. I don't think that most of them would know that it exists. The rules would not be read, and we would be in a real pickle sometimes.

What I have found to be just as valuable is the people. By posting and forming relationships with users, I have gained a platform of friends that I would have never thought that I would have. Friends to be geeky with, friends to collaborate with, friends to provide a solid shoulder to cry on from several hundred miles away, friends to give levelheaded advice, and friends that care. The FIRST community is filled with such great students and mentors, and I wish that I could say that everyone in my network of friends at home could share the same qualities.