i didnt like this years game....please read

[archiver]

Posted by colleen - T190 at 04/10/2001 8:54 AM EST


Engineer on team #190, Gompei, from Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science and WPI.


In Reply to: i didnt like this years game....please read
Posted by Travis Covington on 04/10/2001 2:05 AM EST:



I remember Jess posting something about this after the UTC regional.. talking about qualifying and the 'silence after a bad match'... and it's true.. in a competitive game.. there's always a reason to cheer.. there's always a winner, always an underdog, and you can always change your fate by some last minute move to overcome your opponent..

I understand the message Dean was trying to send.. that we were getting 'too much like' the sports teams and such.. and I must say, i beg to differ

Rivalry's have ALWAYS existed in FIRST.. my old team had quite a few.. i never knew why by i was always told 'oh, you have to beat team xx" and so on.. and it wasn't until '99 that things started to change.. where you couldn't have a rivalry really because you never knew when you'd have to count on them to be your partner..

In past years.. the game wasn't over til the buzzer sounded.. and their was always that tension, that chance, until it rang out.. this year though, the second the clock hit 1:00 and was still counting down while roars from the crowd sounded.. not because the alliance on stage did well, but because the fans of the other alliance knew they had one.. in UTC that happen to us... and it is the first time in 6 years on stage that i felt like i didn't want to be there.. as we're struggling to do our thing, right across in the plexiglass was the other alliance jumping and cheering.. and when we were on the flipside of the coin in LongIsland.. i did my best to keep our alliance from doing that.. I don't know that it worked, and maybe i even fell victim.. but i tried..

We need to go back to a game where teams have more control over their own fate.. in '99 and 2000 I walked away with more respect and admiration towards other teams than I did in 2k1.. if we played w/ people and mistakes were made and we did badly because of it.. it's hard to deal with because there is nothing you can do.. if you're the only one that can get across.. you can only get 10pts.. at least in '99 & 2000 you could do very very well and have a shot even if you had to play alone..

So FIRST gave it a shot.. it was fun while it lasted.. but I'm ready to return to a game where I feel like we have more control of our own destiny...