Congrats Paul Copioli. WFA Award Winner 2005!

[Vince]

Bravo Zulu Paul! Keep up the great work - Vince

[Jeff Waegelin]

Congratulations, Paul! Ever since you invited us to visit your team's facility back in 2002, I've known you were a great designer, great mentor, and great leader. Congratulations on an honor well deserved!

[Scott Shaw 237]

A big congratulations to you Paul! I had the great fortune meeting you at Rochester and allying with you guys. You are a great coach and great mentor and truley deserved this award.

[JVN]

Paul,
Congratulations. Of course you are SO incredibly deserving of this award, none of us were surprised to see you honored.
I thought Woodie's speech about you was great, it was touching to hear the looong list of your accomplishments (Man, it seriously gave me tingles).

One that was forgotten...

"Paul Copioli has taken the time to not only mentor his own team, but to also directly mentor a college team from upstate New York. His energy, dedication, and passion spread across the great distance seperating the two teams, and he helped to inspire even more students and also to provide a positive role-model for some young mentors."

Over the past year, I have gotten the chance to work very closely with Paul on several projects. We partnered together on the FIRST Kitbot, and also on our 2005 robots. I consider myself lucky. The things I have learned from him will serve me for the rest of my life. His positive influence on team 229, and on our students has been incredible. We are better, having known him.


His impact on his students, and on all of FIRST is amazing.
We are ALL lucky to have Paul, and I am happy and proud to call him my friend.

Again -- Congratulations to you Paul!
Enjoy the spotlight which you have earned, and continue to be a role-model for the rest of us.


Thank You -- Your Admiring Friend,
John

[Karthik]

For those of you who don't know Paul or haven't seen him in action, it's quite an amazing sight. He has level of energy that is rarely matched. Watching Paul while he's doing his thing is truly inspirational. It's people like Paul that make this program the success it is. Add another one to the fine list of Woodie Flowers Award Winners.

Congratulations buddy, you deserve this.

[Micah Siegel]

Paul, I'm glad you have now been sung and are no longer an Unsung Hero. Wayne's been saying this whole year that you were gonna win WFA, I was very impressed with his foresight, and I am incredulous at all you have done for FIRST.

[Jay Trzaskos]

Originally Posted by JVN

Paul,
Congratulations. Of course you are SO incredibly deserving of this award, none of us were surprised to see you honored.
I thought Woodie's speech about you was great, it was touching to hear the looong list of your accomplishments (Man, it seriously gave me tingles).

One that was forgotten...

"Paul Copioli has taken the time to not only mentor his own team, but to also directly mentor a college team from upstate New York. His energy, dedication, and passion spread across the great distance seperating the two teams, and he helped to inspire even more students and also to provide a positive role-model for some young mentors."

Over the past year, I have gotten the chance to work very closely with Paul on several projects. We partnered together on the FIRST Kitbot, and also on our 2005 robots. I consider myself lucky. The things I have learned from him will serve me for the rest of my life. His positive influence on team 229, and on our students has been incredible. We are better, having known him.


His impact on his students, and on all of FIRST is amazing.
We are ALL lucky to have Paul, and I am happy and proud to call him my friend.

Again -- Congratulations to you Paul!
Enjoy the spotlight which you have earned, and continue to be a role-model for the rest of us.


Thank You -- Your Admiring Friend,
John

Mark me down as a truly inspired high schooler from northern NY. I am grateful to have met you. John said it all, It was great to talk to you this year Paul. Congratulations Mr. Copioli, you deserve it.

JT
229

[K.Shaw]

Congrats Paul! im glad that i got to meet you up in Rochester! even when it's not your team you are still coaching the drive team..... "run faster!".. i believe you were yelling that during one of our matches haha

[Vince lau]

Congratulations Paul

[Waynep]

Paul,
As my mentor, advocate, and friend, I could not be more proud of you for recieving the WFA recognition. Congrats buddy! This is well deserved and about time you won it.
Jeez, Paul. Trying to keep up with you is tough. Did you really have to win a regional, Division Championship, and the National WFA all in the same year? I can only hope to keep working and make as profound an impact one day as you have. Once again Congratulations.
-wayno

[Jaine Perotti]

Congratulations Paul Copioli!

I have never met you before, but I am familiar with your presence on these forums, and I am in awe of the wonderful accomplishments you have achieved. You are an inspiration to me, as well as many others.

On behalf of all of those whose lives you have affected, thank you.

-- Jaine Perotti

[pakrat]

Congrats to you Paul! You probably don't remember me, but i asked you about 4-bar linkage at champs and you told me how it worked. ITs a really cool concept. Thanks again for all you've done,
Rich Ross
Team 830

[Mike Schroeder]

Paul, what can i say, you may be my Midwest Archnemisis, but its not in a Batman/joker sort of way, more like abbot and costello (sorry kiddies a bit before your time) comedy act but anyway, i can think of only a handful of people that deserve this award just as much as you do... and most of them already have won it, Thank you for the wisdom you bring to FIRST, as well as your tirless dedication, not just to The Thunder Chickens, or To Chiefdelphi, but to the whole of the FIRST Community, and anyone else that will listen

ps. what happens when the hunter becomes the hunted

[Sean Schuff]

Paul -

Ever since Andy Baker introduced us to each other as regional WFA winners at last year's Midwest Regional I have been truly impressed by your level of dedication and enthusiasm. You know how to build transmissions, you know how to build robots, but most importantly, you know how to transform gangly, awkward, self-concious kids into individuals who are team players and understand the meaning of respect, integrity and dedication. You truly take the mission of FIRST to a new level and challenge us all to be better mentors and role models.

My hat's off to you and all those you have inspired over the years!

Sean

[Paul Copioli]

Wow! What a year for 217! This was, by far, our best year as a team. Not just on the field, but off the field as well. There are so many people to thank this year I just don't know where to begin, but I will start with all the people in this thread who gave me their kind words of congratulations: thank-you for your words of encouragement.


To Chelsea (student on 217 who authored my entry),

You have a gift. Your writing skills are very very good and I hope you can use that skill successfully your whole life. Thank-you for all the kind words you put in the essay.

To all of team 217, especially the mentors who let me be the nice guy;

You are all my inspiration and you are why I come back every year pumped and ready to go.

I have met many people over the years through FIRST, many on this forum. But there have been a few that have really made an impression on me that I will never forget:

First, to my best friend in FIRST, Andy Baker; you are truly a modern day hero for students and adults alike. You are the model that I tried to follow in trying to balance family, FIRST, and career. My life has changed since I met you.

Second, to the man who inspired me to post as much as I could on this forum to help out anyone I can: Joe Johnson. You are the man! I got involved on this forum because of you. I got more involved in FIRST my second year because of you (I almost quit FIRST after my 1st season). Meeting you gave me that random "nudge" that set me down this path.

Mr. Al Skierkewicz and Bill Baedke (217),
You gentlemen are what I want to be when I grow up. Your gentle and giving nature are awe inspiring and I try to emulate some of your traits in hopes of becoming a better man.

Ken Patton,
You, sir, are the epitome of class and integrity. What can I say except thank-you for being a role model for all of us big kids that mentor in FIRST.

Kyle and Dennis Hughes,
You two make a great team and I am glad 217 and 27 had the opportunity to work close together this year. I thank-you for the way you handle yourselves, your students, and your family on a day to day basis. Your behavior is an example to all.

John V.,
You are the most impressive college student I have met in my time in FIRST. Our collaboration was awesome. Your insight and design ideas were advanced beyond your years. Good luck at IFI. You will be missed, my friend.

Last, but certainly not least; to my family,
Thank-you for the support and understanding you give me during the grueling competition season. Thank-you for realizing how important what I am doing is to the future of our great Nation. I know you are making great sacrifices for this cause and for that I am grateful.

I know I have left many people out of this thank-you, but I have personally thanked you and you know who you are and how I feel.

-Paul

P.S. - Bear hug total: Copioli 3, Big Mike 2 ....