National Wall of Fame and Chairman's awards

[AustinPowers]

I am from a veteran team just as Chief Delphi, Baxter Bomb Squad and many others. I see that everyone needs to show results from the completion since the schools and companies see only results. I agree that results need to be the focus, so that teams can convince administrators and companies that First is worth continuing and First is as good as sports programs. As a veteran team member I wish to campaign for a next level. I say this because after winning there is an unwritten rule that your team can not win again in things other than the robot completion. The kids are new every other year and that fact is over looked in most First rules. The mentors are not and this needs to be a focus of future chairman’s awards and such. Black listing teams will be the “Death of FIRST.” This is the problem for the future of FIRST. I warn that this needs to be address by all veteran teams. Not a destroy approach and force teams in giving up their name and number and starting again. What I see first saying like telling an NCAA team that you can only win one national award in your life time and no more. I am sure that every college will agree that having a team is not worth just that one win. The chairman’s award is a way of making sure the teams are replicating and growing first. So, by “word of mouth” First may fail if it is know that the teams have no more to win. I can not stand by and let this happen! Can you? I know that not all students will be engineers in the traditional disciplines, but doctors, lawyers and many other disciplines of engineering. Promote this!

I suggest and welcome comments to what I am about to suggest. Lets create another level for the veteran teams. It may be an added level of complying for the games and chairman’s awards and the like awards. Not the death by winning. The idea is this veteran teams will have status of input to many First decisions and voting rights, not to complicate the bureaucracy of meetings for first. This is for added input from that’s with experience from the inside. The game will have an added requirement, such as a particular task that only these teams will be allowed to do. This may require an additional tournament level, but based on the same game as the others. Example, the teams that qualify can get approved to perfect the autonomous mode. This will require a mile stone to be passed/approved by first. Then if this is reached, you will have an extra amount of time say two weeks to perfect the additional autonomous task. This will set us apart from the rookie teams.

In the chairman’s side of things, FIRST could require direct replication of the veterans teams knowledge by adopting a 2 or more year team and growing them to win an award and showing community growth of FIRST. First can become as popular as sports this way. The team may gain points some way to compete against one another in the accomplishments of growth. There is money donations for the cause for spreading the word about FIRST if it becomes as popular as sports. We all know it can.

Lets create the next level of FIRST together veteran teams. Please pass on my words if you agree to the people that want to make a difference. Dean Kamen always comes by to check on our team each time he is where we are in location. Mr. Kamen worked for Baxter at one time, a still gets lots of money from our company in royalties. So, I hope that he will listen to this call of the next level. And request input from the veteran teams. He is a master and we have met his requirements, thus it is only fair to make us masters as well, maybe?

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by AustinPowers

I am from a veteran team just as Chief Delphi, Baxter Bomb Squad and many others. I see that everyone needs to show results from the completion since the schools and companies see only results. I agree that results need to be the focus, so that teams can convince administrators and companies that First is worth continuing and First is as good as sports programs. As a veteran team member I wish to campaign for a next level. I say this because after winning there is an unwritten rule that your team can not win again in things other than the robot completion. The kids are new every other year and that fact is over looked in most First rules. The mentors are not and this needs to be a focus of future chairman’s awards and such. Black listing teams will be the “Death of FIRST.” This is the problem for the future of FIRST. I warn that this needs to be address by all veteran teams. Not a destroy approach and force teams in giving up their name and number and starting again. What I see first saying like telling an NCAA team that you can only win one national award in your life time and no more. I am sure that every college will agree that having a team is not worth just that one win. The chairman’s award is a way of making sure the teams are replicating and growing first. So, by “word of mouth” First may fail if it is know that the teams have no more to win. I can not stand by and let this happen! Can you? I know that not all students will be engineers in the traditional disciplines, but doctors, lawyers and many other disciplines of engineering. Promote this!

I suggest and welcome comments to what I am about to suggest. Lets create another level for the veteran teams. It may be an added level of complying for the games and chairman’s awards and the like awards. Not the death by winning. The idea is this veteran teams will have status of input to many First decisions and voting rights, not to complicate the bureaucracy of meetings for first. This is for added input from that’s with experience from the inside. The game will have an added requirement, such as a particular task that only these teams will be allowed to do. This may require an additional tournament level, but based on the same game as the others. Example, the teams that qualify can get approved to perfect the autonomous mode. This will require a mile stone to be passed/approved by first. Then if this is reached, you will have an extra amount of time say two weeks to perfect the additional autonomous task. This will set us apart from the rookie teams.

In the chairman’s side of things, FIRST could require direct replication of the veterans teams knowledge by adopting a 2 or more year team and growing them to win an award and showing community growth of FIRST. First can become as popular as sports this way. The team may gain points some way to compete against one another in the accomplishments of growth. There is money donations for the cause for spreading the word about FIRST if it becomes as popular as sports. We all know it can.

Lets create the next level of FIRST together veteran teams. Please pass on my words if you agree to the people that want to make a difference. Dean Kamen always comes by to check on our team each time he is where we are in location. Mr. Kamen worked for Baxter at one time, a still gets lots of money from our company in royalties. So, I hope that he will listen to this call of the next level. And request input from the veteran teams. He is a master and we have met his requirements, thus it is only fair to make us masters as well, maybe?

I thought the Hall of Fame was an award for the previous winners to compete for. I thought that was supposed to be "the next step up". I didn't know it was just for display purposes only.

[Rich Kressly]

We have been given a special place in the eyes of FIRST, have been held up as role models, have been recognized for our achievements, and have been encouraged to do more. During the weekend we had eight different students in the Hall of Fame rotating turns. The people they had a chance to meet (other Hall members, countless team members & mentors, championship sponsors, FIRST judges, FIRST Ambassadors, and coutless dignitaries including Dave Lavery, Woodie Flowers, John Abele, Dean himself) and tell our story to constitutes the most inspiring thing Team 103 has ever done at a FIRST event.

With all of that recognition comes a responsibility to encourage other teams, help them, and celebrate their successes. With all due respect I see the Hall of Fame as breathing more life into FIRST and it's true goal of reshaping the culture.

[Redhead Jokes]

Originally Posted by Rich Kressly

We have been given a special place in the eyes of FIRST, have been held up as role models, have been recognized for our achievements, and have been encouraged to do more. With all of that recognition comes a responsibility to encourage other teams, help them, and celebrate their successes. With all due respect I see the Hall of Fame as breathing more life into FIRST and it's true goal of reshaping the culture.

Well said.

Well done.