Annnnd we're down to the wire...relax...

[Andy Grady]

Hi all!

Just a little observation that I thought might be relevant to those on the boards here. I've been rummaging through the posts about various subjects lately and I have noticed like many others how many negative, criticising, or downright nasty posts there have been. This is nothing new to any of us...obviously. What it comes down to is the simple fact that we are all very competitive people. When it comes to FIRST, the people on this board are the most fiesty group of all. We are all outspoken, colorful, even egotistical people at points. I firmly believe no one here is a bad person, but in many cases we do tend to let our competitive side get the best of us. When I see this, I am reminded of my early high school years. When I was growing up, I loved baseball. I was graced with some of the best people as baseball coaches. They taught me to play for the love of the game, and to always make sure I have fun. Now this is all good and fine when you are about 10 years old and 4' tall. As I grew older, my love for the game started to diminish as all of the sudden winning became the number 1 purpose of the baseball game, pushing fun aside. So...I quit. I couldn't stand to play the game which I loved so much because all everyone cared about was winning or losing. Don't get me wrong, I love to win, but what is the point of playing if you can't have fun, especially if I knew that I would never be a professional baseball player. My point is, here we are all involved in this wonderful program. We are out there getting our competitive juices flowing, going head to head, and enjoying every bit of it. When you are at a competition, and everyone is happy, and you are conversing with the various friends you have made over the years at competition, its true fun. Don't let yourself get locked up in all the contraversy, questioning of the rules, exchanges, and nastiness that can appear when our competitive egos start flying. Remember this is a game, we are here to have fun! Stop, take a step back, deep cleansing breaths, and for cryin out loud chill, relax, and enjoy every bit of what we have...because it is one of the greatest things going.

Good Luck!
Andy Grady