FIRST Relationships

[Gui Cavalcanti]

I'm under the notion that FIRST relationships tend to last longer than normal high schooler relationships, although that may be just me.

The leaders of 422 in 2001 (Administration and Communications) had been going out since their freshman year (they were seniors), and managed to keep track of the team fairly well even when they were fighting. As the new communications officer, I'm sort of going out with a team member and everything was flowing rather smoothly throughout build season, with only one or two rocky spots on Thursday of regionals. We've now been going strong for 5 months... woo

Has your team experienced any of this? Do you think it's generally a good or a bad thing for FIRSTers to be dating on the same team? What about different teams?

Have there been any cross-country FIRST relationships?

[Ian W.]

there's no relationships on my team, which i guess is good, considering there's only 3 girls. There were some boys who hounded the girls, i won't say who, otherwise all the girls would run away from him at nats.

I was friends with someone who had a boy friend in London though (she lived on Long Island).

[Melissa Nute]

On my team, this year, there were 3 couples during the building sessions, now there is only 2 and those two couples have been going out for a while.

[Harrison]

My team had 2 at the start, and we still have them...I think there might be a 3rd now as well, altho I'm not entirely sure.

Quite a few people on the team are in relationships w/ people that aren't on the team...

Not to mention one gal on my team who met someone at one of the competitions...Time to see if a Toronto-Cleveland relationship can work (best of luck to you guys BTW)...

[Jessica Boucher]

I swear, I will post my rules just one more time...

Just remember the 4 points of dating with FIRST:

1.) Never date on your own team.

2.) If you must date on your own team, dont date one of your own kind (aka the driver should not be dating the human player, people on the strategy team shouldn't date eachother, etc)

3.) If you date someone outside of FIRST, just common courtesy here: explain FIRST and how much time you will be spending towards it...communication leads to understanding. And hey, maybe they'll want to get involved too.

and the newest realization:
4.) If you keep a level head about things, whether it be fling or serious relationship, the people you connect with within the Competition make the dearest friends afterwards.

Now, I have seen all four of these points broken (1 & 2 were both broken by JVN and his girl ) and be succesful, but Ive also seen considerably more heartbreak then benefit....but thats what Ive run into in my crazy travels.

-Jessica B

PS - Haven't I seen this thread before?

[JVN]

[AdamT]

600 miles...Va-Fl...east coast...how about that?

[Team238-aholic]

When I was a junior, there was one couple on our team...and they did everything together...and the girls parents were chaperones...and there was a strict rule that girls were not allowed in the boys rooms (what a retarded rule), and I ended up going into my brothers room...and GASP!!!! There were no chaperones in there...and I got YELLED at...but I walk to my room..and there are the couple..BY THEMSELVES...NO CHAPERONES...did they get in trouble? no....

maybe I'm just bitter...lol...but FIRST relationships on the same team don't work out....i liked going after the other teams....lol...the boys on my team were just so....ummm....not my type

[Harrison]

lol, there are/were no escorts for any of the couples on my team...

Good ole in-room hot tubs in the suites we had in the hotel at the GLR...plenty of room for two...lol

[A. Leese]

I think we only have one couple who's on our team..if they even are a couple..I dunno..question about the cross-country thing..kinda did that..Florida and Boston..3 months then bust..yea..oh well

[devilzangel1014]

Ok wel being the only girl on my team wait wait now i'm one of two but still, i think the fact that you spend alot of ur free time with these people, leds to attraction ( maybe lack of options). By id have to put my vote in for its better when ur on different teams. Itz an interesting chemistry and then a touch of revivalry.

[melitami]

the thing to remember, Gui, is that Mark and I had already been dating for almost 2 years when the team was started.

But really, it is not easy dating someone on your own team, especially when you're administrative head and his mother is the team mom and you don't exactly get along. It was amazing that we did stay together through that, and didn't kill each other, and no one on the team killed us

~Melissa

PS congrats on your relationship, Gui

[Lora Knepper]

First off, I think it can be done with the right people, and second off, I think Jess' rules are very much true from what I've seen

I've personally tried the FIRST relationship thing - a few times at that. Max distance was 1400 miles (give or take), closest was on my own team. But I have found now that my life has taken a rather large turn away from FIRST, sometimes it's a little easier when you're both not robotics crazies At least you don't spend hours squabbling over strategies and building designs - and you don't spend forever trying to track each other down in the Nationals "city"

Jess... I remember an old rule you had about dating someone within FIRST, but don't date while at competitions. I think that has to be one of the best ones to follow - particulary if you are not on the same team!

[Matt Attallah]

Well, as being our team only has 2 guies, me being one of them, there are no inter-team dating going on. For a while, i did have the hots for some team members, but that some-what went away. The other male person on our team is not dating anyone, eather, from our team. Infact, i don't think anyone on our robotics team, for 5 years, have ever been in any inter-team dating, i don't think so...

[Melissa Nute]

Actually, I take back my earlier comment...there is only one couple now...