Rookie on the Championship

[mhayon]

Wow. People have told me how immense the Championship Event was, but I had to experience it first-hand until I was a believer.

I'm a senior, so this is my first (and only) year on a team, and sadly, the last time I'll be a student member experiencing FIRST.

Not only did I witness an incredible display of spirit, I saw just how much work these teams had put in. I mean, I could understand some of the work other teams had put in before, but it wasn't until I was in a huge room filled with pits that I was truly amazed. "A Science Fair on Steroids" I called it. As much hard work I had put in, there were hundreds of people matching it.

Just being there in my rookie year was amazing. I got to see a huge amount of talent and other team skills, and it was great to just know that I was a part of it. Now I understand why FIRST tries to get rookies there [at all]- going to Championships in your rookie year (and seeing so much of what FIRST is about) encourages you to work that much harder during the following FIRST season.

Before I got to Atlanta (and after I got home), other people asked me if we had won anything. After I said we hadn't won any awards, they would usually start to feel sorry. But while in Atlanta, I realized it didn't matter who won, really. Just like this competition is less about "the robot" than would be seen, this is less of a "competition." I mean, it sure is nice to have a nice banner hanging over you. But if anyone in that stadium thought he/she was going home a loser, he/she apparently missed something. And I sort of feel sorry for that person, and that he/she should get the FIRST bug and try again next year.

But winning is still a large accomplishment (even though we all could name hundreds of large accomplishments going unrecognized). I want to congratulate 67 for Chairman's Award-- you achieved exactly what FIRST wanted its teams to do. And 1511-- in a couple of years, it'll be you guys.
That's not to say that all of the award winners (and those that didn't get them this year) didn't do amazingly- cuz they all did. If you won Chairman's at a regional and didn't get National Chairman's, you must have been doing something right. Someone must have thought you were something really special, and wasn't about to let it go unnoticed. And that goes for all the Award Winners-- at all the Regionals and the Championship Event.

Bottom line, it was great just to be there. More than 'great.' I'm sure it's been described many times, but I just wanted to let you know FIRST has gotten to another rookie.