I've been out of FIRST for a while and decided I want to mentor again.

[Brandon Holley]

Originally Posted by Michael Hill

Thanks Jane!

Also, thanks to everyone else who's helping me here. Looks like FIRST has changed A LOT since I left. I'm really looking forward to getting back to it. Please continue to post changes that have been made since I've left.

Hi Michael-

My time in FIRST has been spent as follows:
2001-2005 - High schooler on team 11 in NJ
2005-present- Mentor on team 125 in Boston

A LOT has changed from when I first started. Mainly all for the good, with a few minor exceptions. As you mentioned, theres no longer that brutal (yet awesome) metal on metal contact there used to be. Robots tend to need to be less robust than they had to be 8 or 9 years ago, but obviously longevity is still an issue.

The actual games have taken on more of a theme each year, which has been good and bad in some ways.
-In 2008, called Overdrive, we had a game on an oval track where we needed to race around as fast as possible while simultaneously picking up a 40" diameter ball and throwing it over a bar.
-In 2009, called Lunacy, we played on a plastic playing field surface and were required to use wheels made of Delrin (this was to simulate the gravity on the moon).
-In 2010, called Breakaway, we played a version of robot soccer with very strict rules regarding how a team could hold onto a ball. Oh we also had to hang from a tower at the end for bonus points.
-Last year, called Logomotion, we celebrated the 20th anniversary of FIRST by playing a game where we needed to construct the FIRST logo using inflatable tubes.

The games have become more polished for certain, but the rule book has also gotten progressively larger. We have a pretty good Q&A system where teams can post questions directly to the GDC and have them make an interpretation of the rules based on your question. The Q&A answers become a appendix to the rule book.

This combined with the other responses, I think theres a pretty decent summary in here of what's different. Welcome back!

-Brando