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Unread 06-07-2010, 05:15
smurfgirl smurfgirl is offline
Still a New Englander on the inside
AKA: Ellen McIsaac
FRC #5012 (Gryffingear)
Team Role: Mentor
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Rookie Year: 2005
Location: Palmdale, CA
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Re: FAHA: How to Make Things Enjoyable Again

Quote:
Originally Posted by Beth Sweet View Post
Most of the present team members have only seen success, and there are only a few who remember the fun time we had just by participating when how we did didn't seem to matter. This is amplified by the fact that none of the original mentors are closely involved day-to-day with the team anymore and most of the new ones don't have any past FIRST experience and also seem to hold wild success as an absolute expectation.
First, I think you should take solace in the fact that you're not alone in this struggle. I've heard of this happening other teams, and since they've gotten through it, it means that there's hope for you too. You know your team members best, so ultimately you'll probably be able to figure out what will help them find the joy in being a part of FIRST again after inspiration from everyone's suggestions.

Here are some suggestions:
- Have the whole team set goals for the year at the beginning of the season, and make a plan for how to implement them. Feel free to have some more attainable goals mixed with loftier goals. Maybe you won't win your regional, but if you can reflect on your season and realize that you met the goals you made for yourself (say, recruiting 10 new students, having a functional autonomous mode, making a team cheer and having team spirit, building your own robot frame, etc.), you can still take pride in your accomplishments together.
- Do a demonstration. Watching the wide-eyed grins of little kids discovering your robot feels really good. Inspiring others can bring people back to remember why FIRST is such a cool organization and make them feel lucky and excited to participate in it. Planning an event as a group might also be good for team dynamics.
- Volunteer at a competition. Since you won't be invested in your team's ranking, your team will be able to appreciate how much fun competitions are and just have a good time, while providing some of the huge manpower required to make events possible. How much better does it get than that?
- Talk to other teams and make new friends! Focus on the "cooper-" part of "coopertition" and make things fun and social. Maybe you can sit with another local team at your regional and have lunch together, volunteer for a cause together, or organize a social event between your teams. Having friends on other teams makes competitions fun because you can cheer together, celebrate each other's successes, and take part in friendly competition when you're in matches against each other.

Feel free to send me a message if you'd like to hear about some of my more personal experiences with this issue - my team as well as some other teams I know have been through this to various extents, but the stories are a bit long and I don't want to start putting out everyone's dirty laundry. Talking things out with someone can sometimes help a lot. If you're not comfortable talking to someone you don't know, maybe you could bring it up with a trusted mentor or someone else in the FIRST community. Best of luck in your pursuits!
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Ellen McIsaac
Team 1124 ÜberBots 2005-2015
Team 5012 Gryffingear 2015+