Hotel Fun

[artdutra04]

As I was reading through this thread yesterday and today, some of the things that teams have done and thought as “fun” are not really that fun at all. The way you act, in or out of FIRST arenas, will always reflect back upon your team. The same gracious professionalism that carries us through the pits and onto the playing field should and does not end at the competition arena door. Although it may seem like fun to prank call everyone, and run down the hallways, playing ding-dong-ditch, or even worse (duct-taping students, trashing hotel rooms, etc), these actions will reflect back upon on not only your team, but the entire FIRST program. Do we really want FIRST to be known as the rampaging bunch of hooligans?

I seriously doubt that other people staying in the hotel would welcome prank calls at all hours of the night. I don’t think hotel management likes ruined walls from where the duct taped freshman was ripped off. I really don't think that innocent bystanders or people walking through the hotel like becoming the victims of Super-Soaker attacks. Would you act this way while in the competitions? Would your grandmothers be proud if you told them about these incidents?

Although I know that being in a huge hotel is tempting, please, for the sake of FIRST, obey the rules. We do not need every hotel to ban us. There are plenty of fun things to do that don’t break the rules, or upset other people. I don’t feel as if it is my place to lecture you on what you can and can’t do in the hotel, but I will say to use good judgment. There is a right place and time for everything and the hotel certainly isn’t the right place for a lot of the previously mentioned “fun” times.

- Art Dutra

PS. Listen to the wise Brandon Martus. Think before you (re)act.