I know this is an old thread but I always ponder about the Chairmans award when ever it comes around....
-The Chairmans award is a tricky thing. If you were to ask 100 teams what they should do to win this award they would give you all unique answers. Some may even say that you do not "win" chairmans, you earn it. It is given to the team that helps their community through FIRST the best.
After reading alot of this thread there was alot I agree with, and alot that makes me wonder. Although chairmans is suposed to be an award for teams who are not trying to win it, thats not what chairmans is. In a perfect world this award would be given to the perfect team and there would be no need for essays and presentations. The judges would watch over all the teams and see who was truely real and who were just trying to fake it. We are not in a perfect world. Chairmans teams need to prove to the judges through presentation and essay that they are indeed deserving of this award.
-Now, trying to be a chairmans winner is right and wrong at the same time. It is wrong to try to win chairmans so be a chairmans winner, agree.
It is wrong to try to achieve what chairmans stands for to be a chairmans winner, disagree.
If a team looks at the chairmans award and says, "I want to be a role model team in FIRST and I will push my self to do so" there is nothing wrong with that. There is a fine line between teams "trying" to win chairmans and "trying" to achieve the reality of what a chairmans team is suposed to be. I find myself stressed all the time when it comes to chairmans. Not because the bar is too high or because I dont think we can win, but because I love what chairmans stands for. I see the international outreach that Daisy brought and I believe we can do even better. I stress in finding new ways to spread what I believe in, which is FIRST. I want more people to know about what we do so I go out and find ways that will let them know. Not because I want to win the chairmans award, but because I want to be what the chairmans award stands for. A team that other teams look up to. A team that represents FIRST. Because how can we spread FIRST if we are not even deserving the title of representing FIRST. So when people say that you shouldent try to win chairmans they are right and wrong. You should not try to win the award just to win it. But if a team puts the same amount of effort trying to become a team that represents FIRST then they should "try" to win this award. The bar is being raised because people are "trying". When the Falcons played the movie clips or when Daisy went international it was because they were trying to spread what they love.
-And I will be ever so happy if I lose but I deserved to win, rather then winning but deserved to lose, because BEING a chairmans team is alot more important then WINNING the chairmans award.
Thanks for listening
