Supporting the FIRST organization through growing pains

[popnbrown]

Originally Posted by Billfred

I'm by no means an expert on such subjects, but I have to believe this is a key issue in the modern FRC control system. When you have vertical integration through the whole system, things can often be made more robust. (Consider syncing an iPhone with a Mac versus using iTunes on Windows.)

True but I think it's cool how FRC uses a mixed system, shows you the GP and Coop and core values of FIRST that they are trying to spread.

While that message is all well and good, I don't think the competition field is the place to espouse it. Doesn't matter if it's Einstein or the All-Plain-Kitbots-Middle-O-Nowhere District.

Well, I semi-disagree. I think it's a concept and something to be espoused fully and all the time. I think we all know that STEM is important, and we're all working to encourage that.


Kinda irrelevant but still relevant rant:
I'm starting to get a feeling that FIRST is turning into another robotics competition, and it's kind of saddening. Winning is not everything. People say we are all winners to lift spirits, but honestly, I do believe that those that participate in FIRST are winners. I see a lot of people losing the real meaning of FIRST and participating in it as another competition. It's a whole lot more than that....a whole lot.