Question: What was the first FIRST competition you attended?

[2348humanplayer]

Ha! I got on of the best stories for my first regional!

Out here in Hawaii, we didn't have a regional. However, a couple of schools found interest in the competitions, and wanted to start some teams. Thus, my dad became the lead engineering mentor for team 359, the Hawaiian Kids in 2000. I went probably 2-3 times a week to go and watch them....and play with the balls. After build season, I went with my parents and sister with the team to San Jose to watch them compete in the Silicon Valley Regional. They did.....pretty bad, with a robot that basically put all their weight high in the air, resulting in much toppling over. But, the biggest thrill for me was that during lunch on Saturday, my dad took my sister and I to the pits to look at robots. Halfway through looking, he brought us to meet the emcee I now admire and love, Mark Leon. He took us on the field, and the three of us danced the YMCA in front of the entire audience! He's the emcee at the Hawaii Regional now, and every year I make it a mission to go and have a chat with him at lunch, and the best thing is, he still remembers me from that one moment. That was a great moment for me, and what helped greatly in solidifying my love for FRC. FIRST Forever!

(BTW, if Mark's the emcee at your local regional, if you can get him while he's not busy, ask him about a guy named Todd from Hawaii. He'll most likely remember me )