What's happening to this program???

[Al Skierkiewicz]

To those disheartened on this thread. If there is one thing I have learned in the time I have participated is that there is always someone who did something, some team that isn't gracious, some school that locks out another school or some parent who doesn't like the way the program is run and wants to start their own team. I have found that these stories are usually second and third hand, blown out of proportion, taken out of context or perpetrated by a freshman. (I use the term 'freshman' to indicate anyone who is a first year student or adult even if they are on an established team)
There are so many great teams, wonderful and caring adults, smart and gifted students all working under the example of GP that minor setbacks have no chance of disrupting the program. The perfume act is unfortunate and I can only hope it has no long lasting effects either physically or emotionally. The talk of a team trying to rip off pneumatics is not even a bump in the road. We will always have someone pointing these incidents out to us but there are more effective ways to handle it then bringing it up in a public forum. Some of the issues brought up earlier in this thread did have some merit in that one or two did fly in the face of the established rules and intent. Those issues (because they upset a level playing field) do need discussion, without finger pointing, and a resolution made if necessary.
Until we reach a perfect world, we need to continue to teach freshman by example, with understanding, compassion and GP and in private when it is appropriate.

[Weightmn]

Thanks Al for your post. I also thank you for your kind comments about the perfume incident.

I agree that things won't ever be perfect anywhere unfortunately- but we can try!

I also feel unless we make some of these points known, so many will not know they are happening. We had no clue people were scouting planning strategies to damage others robots. We all were shocked. We also would not choose to be in an alliance with them- we have noted that for future reference.

Others do need to be aware that some unhappiness is being spread and when we are aware of it- we can meet those challanges head on. Then when approached by a team such as this- we or others say NO... it is not okay to strategize or operate that way. Either they comment to the judges/officials or possibly talk to the mentors, or even say we do not operate that way and it is neither Gracious nor Professional and we will not participate in that sort of behavior nor be paired with someone we know is doing this.

I think this type of forum is a good forum to reach the masses and tell others the good and the bad. I most certainly love reading the good stories and news but I think we shouuld not cover up the bad- so many people learn so many different things here.

Thanks for writing and thanks for your opinions.
D'

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Originally Posted by Weightmn

I think this type of forum is a good forum to reach the masses and tell others the good and the bad. I most certainly love reading the good stories and news but I think we shouuld not cover up the bad- so many people learn so many different things here.

Thanks for writing and thanks for your opinions.
D'

Anytime. I have millions of good stories, the bad I think I can count on my hands. Good luck!

[Weightmn]

Originally Posted by Al Skierkiewicz

Anytime. I have millions of good stories, the bad I think I can count on my hands. Good luck!

Hey now that is what I LIKE TO HEAR!!!
Share some of those goodies sometime...don't keep them all to yourself hehe

D'

[servo175]

It gets me really aggravated when i hear so many people dwelling on the few problems of other teams. There is a big deal being made about this incident of ungracious professionalism and its a downer. Even if, hypothetically, this team decided to try to pull that off at the nationals they would end up losing their match, probably be disqualified from the event, and more importantly lose all respect from FIRST and its teams.

I agree that some teams do not understand what gracious professionalism is and do not completely grasp the full concept of FIRST but complaining about it is not a good enough way to fix it. The only way to fix it is to have your team display those qualities.

As Dean Kamen would say "You get what you celebrate." If we celebrate what FIRST stands for and celebrate gracious professionalism other teams will learn from that and have no choice but to do the same. You cant sit someone down and try to explain to them what FIRST is all about. The only way for them to understand is by seeing it and then end up gaining this huge respect for it. Once you really can respect the whole FRC then they will want
to be a part of it. FIRST is not easy to sell but it sells itself.

[ScoutingNerd175]

Originally Posted by servo175

It gets me really aggravated when i hear so many people dwelling on the few problems of other teams. There is a big deal being made about this incident of ungracious professionalism and its a downer. Even if, hypothetically, this team decided to try to pull that off at the nationals they would end up losing their match, probably be disqualified from the event, and more importantly lose all respect from FIRST and its teams.

Honestly, I agree. Unfortunately, this is not a perfect world and sometimes people don't do the responsible thing. A lot of us in the program are still young, and we are still learning to make the right choices in life. FIRST is wonderful because it advocates those right choices and even has awards for them. There are always people who are only in it to win it. All we can do to help other teams do the right thing is to do the right thing ourselves. It is human nature that a few people involved in the FIRST program will make wrong choices, but it in no way means that FIRST itself is falling apart.

[KenWittlief]

Im patiently waiting for 2:00:00AM EST so I can set my clocks ahead and change my smoke detector batteries (WOOT!) and saw this thread.

Al hit the square snail in the head. It takes about a year for some students, mentors and parents to really understand FIRST, to 'get it'

so you gotta expect some people involved in the teams are going to be out in left field. Happens every year.

Other things that happen every year:

debates over whether the students should build the robot without adult help
every team has at least one romance
every team has at least one cross-team romance at a regional or the championship
every team ends up with one student in tears at an event (sometimes off by themselves)
every team ends up with at least one student and one adult who gets so upset they quit the team
every year there is at least one team that is the outcast / rebels / renegades
every year there is a controversy about some aspect of the game, or how it ends up being played

its good to know these things ahead of time. You can almost make a list and check them off each year as they happen.

Knowledge is power. Know whats coming and you can be ready for it when it happens.

[katiyeh07]

Originally Posted by KenWittlief

Other things that happen every year:
debates over whether the students should build the robot without adult help
every team has at least one romance
every team has at least one cross-team romance at a regional or the championship
every team ends up with one student in tears at an event (sometimes off by themselves)
every team ends up with at least one student and one adult who gets so upset they quit the team
every year there is at least one team that is the outcast / rebels / renegades
every year there is a controversy about some aspect of the game, or how it ends up being played

its good to know these things ahead of time. You can almost make a list and check them off each year as they happen.

Knowledge is power. Know whats coming and you can be ready for it when it happens.

way to keep it righteous...