East Coast, West Coast, and Midwest FIRST

[Aaron Lussier]

Hi All,

I haven't really started a good thread in a while so here goes.

While at IRI in the OMNI hotel lobby, Ashlee Snodgrass, JVN, myself and a few engineers from team 308 became engaged in a conversation about how East coast FIRST, West Coast FIRST and Midwest FIRST, are different from each other, this also includes stuff I talked about with DJ Fluck later the next night. Here are something things I picked up about the conversation.

West Coast FIRST teams are practically family, often for them it does not matter who wins the regional, it just matters that they had fun doing what they love doing, with organizations like the WRRF, SCRRF, and competition such as the OCCRA the entire west coast seems to be one giant family with all teams helping out other teams in need

Midwest FIRST teams are piratically the same way as the West coast teams, but the problem with the mid west is the amount of teams spread over such a large area, its hard to keep close with some of the teams, however this is not the case with the entire Midwest, Organizations like Indiana FIRST are beginning to bring Midwest teams together to a place where they can all talk about things that they need to make there team successful, </Shameless plug> and plus they have got IRI </Shameless Plug>
From what I have heard and seen it seems Midwest teams are very in to trying to invent new ways to do certain tasks and different ways to do things that everybody does all ready i.e Mighty Mouse.

East coast FIRST seems to differ greatly from both West coast and Midwest FIRST. Teams from the East coast seem to have more of a desire to win, they like taking something that they know works and use it every year (the MAJORITY of the teams) a good example is team 173 R.A.G.E they have used the same drive for the past 4-5 years I believe. This is why from what I have witnessed at East coast regionals, the East coast Powerhouse teams try so hard to win.

So... anybody have anything to comment on? This is not meant to single certain teams out or to bash them, this is simply things that I have noticed taking with others and being on a FIRST team for three years.

Post Away.