David,
I know right now it is going to seem like a lot of people are telling you to apologize. Don't apologize until you feel you mean it. And don't do it in public. You know the people you offended most and a personal apology is much more meaningful than one that is forced by the community.
Regarding your mentor; As a mentor I can tell you that I have done some pretty stupid things, we all have. We have all opened our mouths and crammed our foots in them multiple times. Sometimes we realize it ourselves but more often than not it takes someone we respect telling us that we are chewing on a filthy shoe. One of the hardest things to do is to take criticism well. The questions you should be asking yourself are; What did I do wrong? Why did I do it? How can I make amends? How can I become a better person as a result of this? My best suggestion on how to react to your mentor is to thank them for making you realize how you were representing yourself and your team.
As for participating on CD, my advice remains the same as always, think before you post. Never post angry. Maybe hang out in chit-chat for a bit. Participate in some Caption Contests. CD isn't all serious business and most long time posters have some fun from time to time. I'm not saying to stop posting in serious places but merely to not ignore the opportunities for laughter that are available.
My closing advice here, never let a mistake get in the way of personal growth. I've screwed up plenty in my life but I've come out a much better person for it. Andy Baker said it much more succinctly than I am able to but I do believe that a man should not be judged by his actions but by his reactions.
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Originally Posted by Akash Rastogi
Kara, Kevin:
I, along with many others I've talked to about this, don't really take the actions of an individual into account when making a judgment about any team. I don't really see why anyone would. For example, I do not think any less of David's team based on anything he has posted because that would be prejudice of me to do. I usually assume nothing about a team (good OR bad) until I have met most of their members and mentors. Anything else is just unfair to the team. In other words, give the team the benefit of the doubt. Of course, something like having a team hoodie on and drinking at a regional or competition would be a different type of case.
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Akash, the individual is the product of the group that he developed in. If an individual represents themselves in a manner that is not fitting it looks bad on the group that helped him develop. This may not be proper but it is common practice.
I admit, I judge teams based on the actions of their mentors and their students. If a person is an arrogant jerk I don't want to associate with them and will avoid them if at all possible. (This is a general statement NOT relating to the OP) I know many others do as well.