Courtesy during awards.

[Tom Line]

Usually I see one of these threads every year. I haven't seen one yet this year, and some recent events made me feel pretty strongly that it's time to bring it up again.

This is directly aimed at team mentors.

1. If you don't have to leave (perhaps you have a 10 hour drive) before the awards, don't.
2. While team awards are being presented, clap. It is also your responsibility as a mentor to teach all your team members that they should be clapping and cheering for the other teams as well.
3. Your students should not be texting, playing cards, playing video games, or anything else during the awards.
4. If you can, stand and cheer. You may be looking at a team playing their last event.

As mentors it is our job to teach the team members what gracious professionalism looks and sounds like. Cheer your competitors. Standing ovations for each award. Let those folks know you're celebrating their success, and they'll be right there celebrating yours later on.

To end this on a positive note, I'll highlight a shining star in this regard. Team 2771 (Code Red) is the loudest, most helpful, most boisterous, most fun, most respectful team I've ever been around. We could all take a page out of their book on how to make regional events incredible.

[Akash Rastogi]

I'll add on a suggestion that IMO should be followed.

If your team is called up for a specific subteam award like website or entrepreneurship/animation; try to only send up a few students to receive your award if you have a large team. It gets a little annoying waiting for a lot of people to go up and down to get awards. That's just my opinion.

[Bob Steele]

Akash
In my opinion, it is only annoying if you are not the team going up.. and then only to a very few teams.
A team should send up the entire team... it is a team award..
Why should everyone not go up? they all worked hard and this may be their only recognition. I will gladly sit and wait for any team to receive their award.
We are not in that big of a rush.

Do you think the whole team should go up to receive the chairman's award?
finalist, champion?
Why should the other awards be any different?

[Andrew Schreiber]

Originally Posted by Akash Rastogi

I'll add on a suggestion that IMO should be followed.

If your team is called up for a specific subteam award like website or entrepreneurship/animation; try to only send up a few students to receive your award if you have a large team. It gets a little annoying waiting for a lot of people to go up and down to get awards. That's just my opinion.

Teams, disregard this.

Akash, the only awards that are not team awards are Woodie Flowers and Dean's List. Anything else your whole team earned.

[DCA Fan]

Absolutely excellent points. Here in San Diego, Team Paradox 2102 and Devil Duckies 1266 are real models of spirit during our ceremonies.

As to who should go up to receive awards, I'm all for having the whole team, students and mentors certainly deserve recognition for their collective work. What does occasionally get to me is when a large team also brings up all the parents and younger siblings as well; I'd much prefer the emphasis be on the participating students.

One amazing display of GP at the Los Angeles regional this year, when team 597 won Chairman's, team 599 modified their giant "599" sign to read "597" - that was fantastic.

[Peck]

the families have made sacrifices towards the production of the robot (think about how often... never... they see the "students" during robotics season actually at home. If that team wishes to show the conglomerate efforts of the families, that's fine with me (as long as they don't get a metal, those are for those who directly built the robot [yes, software helped build the robot])

[Dancin103]

Originally Posted by Akash Rastogi

I'll add on a suggestion that IMO should be followed.

If your team is called up for a specific subteam award like website or entrepreneurship/animation; try to only send up a few students to receive your award if you have a large team. It gets a little annoying waiting for a lot of people to go up and down to get awards. That's just my opinion.

Akash,

I have much respect for you, but when I read this I was a bit taken back. It does not matter what award the team wins, the point is, it's a TEAM award and the ENTIRE TEAM should celebrate this accomplishment. For example, if the team wins KPCB Entrepreneurship, it took the whole team to compile that business plan to where it is.

All in all, this is a team, and not about the I's or the sub teams. Sorry, but I disagree with you.

Cassie

[kjohnson]

Originally Posted by Andrew Schreiber

Teams, disregard this.

Akash, the only awards that are not team awards are Woodie Flowers and Dean's List. Anything else your whole team earned.

I can't agree more. Anyone who isn't willing to wait a few minutes so that a whole team can experience winning an award needs to rethink why you're at the award ceremony to begin with. Awards are given for recognition of teams and their accomplishments. While it may be rude to leave before the awards, I find it even more rude to sit through the ceremony in disgust because it "takes too long."

[JesseK]

Originally Posted by Tom Line

4. If you can, stand and cheer. You may be looking at a team playing their last event.

Great way to drive the point home. I hadn't ever thought of it that way.

[470-RBTX]

Originally Posted by Peck

the families have made sacrifices towards the production of the robot (think about how often... never... they see the "students" during robotics season actually at home. If that team wishes to show the conglomerate efforts of the families, that's fine with me (as long as they don't get a metal, those are for those who directly built the robot [yes, software helped build the robot])

I disagree, I understand that they have given up a large amount, but my parents understand that I love them, and that the time I spend in the shop, and the work I put in year round, is done so that I can make them proud. My accomplishments should "show the conglomerate efforts of the families" Every student is a representative of their family, school, team, and sponsors.

I am against the "everyone and their mom" idea because just as adding water to a salt solution dilutes it, adding more and more people who walk the field dilutes the prestige of the award. 470 will not allow you to come to competition if you don't put in work at the shop. Those who have physically earned it by coding, designing, or marketing deserve the experience of walking the field, shaking the judges hand, and grabbing the award.

[Akash Rastogi]

Originally Posted by Bob Steele

Do you think the whole team should go up to receive the chairman's award?
finalist, champion?
Why should the other awards be any different?

Yes I think the whole team should go up for Chairmans, Winner, Finalist, etc.

Originally Posted by Dancin103

Akash,
For example, if the team wins KPCB Entrepreneurship, it took the whole team to compile that business plan to where it is.

All in all, this is a team, and not about the I's or the sub teams. Sorry, but I disagree with you.

Cassie

entrepreneurship was a bad example on my part. Depending on how your awards teams operate, you could have a few up to many students/mentors working on a submission and actually creating the business plan.

Haha, I didn't say you had to agree with what I thought about certain awards, no need to be sorry for that. I simply appreciate it when large teams send up a few students to receive something like website and animation awards because those were, in fact, only worked on by certain students/mentors.

I see this as something opposite of what most of you said. I see it as allowing certain students to be recognized in front of their own team but also other teams for something specific they have done. So no, I don't think Websites and animations are worked on by an entire team - if they are on your team, then that's awesome. I simply think that recognition of a few for these specific awards is important rather than sending up an entire team. The fact that a few minutes of time are saved- okay sure maybe I was a little harsh there, but hey everyone likes getting to a comfy bed as soon as competition day is done!

And Andrew- people reading these posts can form an opinion on their own.

[Kevin Sevcik]

Question for the peanut gallery: Is it rude or inconsiderate for a member of a large team to insist on hugging, shaking hands, or talking with every single judge, delaying the awards ceremony for everyone? Related question is if it would be rude for a team to stand around for 5 min before walking for their award because they were waiting on an absent member. Basically, at what point do you think a team delaying the ceremony would start to be inconsiderate?

[BigJ]

Originally Posted by Kevin Sevcik

Question for the peanut gallery: Is it rude or inconsiderate for a member of a large team to insist on hugging, shaking hands, or talking with every single judge, delaying the awards ceremony for everyone?

I've never seen this happen (except for WFFA, but at the events I normallly frequent, WI, IL, and MN, the WFFA is awarded and congratulated by all other WFFA winners in attendance), but I could understand it for the last award of the night (WFFA or Chairman's).

Related question is if it would be rude for a team to stand around for 5 min before walking for their award because they were waiting on an absent member. Basically, at what point do you think a team delaying the ceremony would start to be inconsiderate?

I've never seen a team not stream onto the field, maybe with a couple stragglers. I think waiting around unless you're around 5 or less people who were somehow much closer would be rude.

[Andrew Schreiber]

Originally Posted by Akash Rastogi

Haha, I didn't say you had to agree with what I thought about certain awards, no need to be sorry for that. I simply appreciate it when large teams send up a few students to receive something like website and animation awards because those were, in fact, only worked on by certain students/mentors.

Interesting that you would pick animation as an award you think only a few work on.

For those of you who don't know I started out doing animation and have been a website mentor for several years now. I can absolutely say that the notion that these subteams don't work hand in hand with the entire team is absolutely wrong. The team must support them in their passions, they must provide content for the website, ideas for the animation, and feedback on both. There is nothing more discouraging than hearing someone tell you that what you are doing doesn't matter or even not backing you up on what you're interested in.

By your logic I shouldn't go up with my team if they win an award for a mechanical system or a cool construction technique because I had nothing to do with it. I think even you would think this is stupid.

If you can't find the extra time to wait for the WHOLE team to celebrate their team's accomplishment I suggest you find a new hobby. I believe in celebrating greatness in all forms, even if it involves celebrating people who supported their team mates. Actually, strike that, I think that people who support their team mates should be celebrated especially hard.

[Akash Rastogi]

Originally Posted by Andrew Schreiber

Interesting that you would pick animation as an award you think only a few work on.

For those of you who don't know I started out doing animation and have been a website mentor for several years now. I can absolutely say that the notion that these subteams don't work hand in hand with the entire team is absolutely wrong. The team must support them in their passions, they must provide content for the website, ideas for the animation, and feedback on both. There is nothing more discouraging than hearing someone tell you that what you are doing doesn't matter or even not backing you up on what you're interested in.

By your logic I shouldn't go up with my team if they win an award for a mechanical system or a cool construction technique because I had nothing to do with it. I think even you would think this is stupid.

If you can't find the extra time to wait for the WHOLE team to celebrate their team's accomplishment I suggest you find a new hobby. I believe in celebrating greatness in all forms, even if it involves celebrating people who supported their team mates. Actually, strike that, I think that people who support their team mates should be celebrated especially hard.

If that is how your team operates, then by all means send them all up if you truly believe everyone lends a hand in the work. I simply disagree.
And yes I brought up website and animation specifically because I do think that only a few work on these things and deserve to be recognized in front of their peers. If you want to continue to argue about opinion, PM me.