Unusual Place for Spreading FIRST?

[KathieK]

Originally Posted by MissInformation

You know how grandmothers get shirts that say "Ask my about my grandchildren"? I want one that says "Ask me about my robotics team."

Heidi, my "Ask Me About FIRST" button that I usually wear on my jacket has generated a lot of conversations. Along with the "I Support Connecticut FLL" and "I Found NEMO" buttons. And then there's the classic RAGE "Git 'R' Done!" button... all conversation starters. Buttons are not for competitions alone!

[Wetzel]

Originally Posted by dubious elise

As for airplanes, I've never had much luck. The person next to me, be they a teammate, family member, or complete stranger, never fails to fall asleep within minutes of takeoff.

When I was on my way to San Jose for the regional in 2003, I happened to have a seat next to Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton(DC). She thought it sounded like a great program and that DC schools should have them. Consumate politician, eh?

I think there are three DC teams now, but DC still doesn't have a spot on the interactive map. :-/

Wetzel

[KelliV]

Originally Posted by MissInformation

A couple of times I've gotten into long conversations about FIRST with homeowners who have come in to see me after I've cited them for violations, which is kind of odd.

That's not to odd... I work in Property Management and write Violations too and I had a guy just literally 5 minutes ago ask me if I could wave a violation from April for garbage or something... He started chatting with me and all of a sudden he goes "I was in Atlanta to see this a FIRST competition." I just about flipped out in my office and needless to say the violation went away.

The oddest place I have chatted about FIRST had to have been NCA cheerleading camp... It's always odd to have another FIRSTer, much less a cheerleader, notice a random button you have on your duffel bag and start up a conversation.

Originally Posted by Wetzel

I happened to have a seat next to Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton(DC). She thought it sounded like a great program and that DC schools should have them. Consumate politician, eh?

In DC for JSA I talked with none other than Ralph Nader about WildStang and FIRST after he spoke to us and he seemed interested in it... but then again he is a really quarky guy so you never know.

[MissInformation]

Oh, another odd place I have talked bot is on my Alaskan cruise last summer, especially at dinner time. We chose the option for anytime seating, which meant we could eat at different times each meal, but that we would be at a different table each night with different people. So while people sipped champagne cocktails and dined on meals such as Beef Wellington, Alaskan King Crab Legs, lobster, grilled swordfish steaks, and pan-seared tilapia in a light garlic sauce, I enthralled them with tales of FIRST, the teams, the game, the bratty teens and how much I adore them… well, at least I like to think they were enthralled… one elderly gent would wink at me whenever he saw me on the ship after our dinner together…

And on the train from Fairbanks to Denali National Park, we shared a table with a family from a town somewhere in the vicinity of Grundy, and I had to tell them all about what a wonderful team Grundy has… and when I found out their son would be attending VCU in the fall, I told him about all of our former students who were attending VCU and all about the VCU Regional… Okay, so I talk a lot. A whole lot. But I did pause a few times to let Eric say a word or two.

And just last week, I talked bot while donating blood at the Reston Town Center. The topic came up because our team captain and I made appointments together but she forgot her ID and had to wait for her mother to bring it, I tried waiting with her, but they wanted me to meet my appointment. So I talked about robotics with the lady who pricked my finger for the iron test, and I told FIRST facts to the guy who iodined my arm and put the needle in… and I chatted about team 116 and our bratlings with the people laying around me in various stages of donating… if their eyes were glazed over, I attributed it to the blood they were losing… Did I mention I talk a lot?

Originally Posted by KathieK

Heidi, my "Ask Me About FIRST" button that I usually wear on my jacket has generated a lot of conversations. Along with the "I Support Connecticut FLL" and "I Found NEMO" buttons. And then there's the classic RAGE "Git 'R' Done!" button... all conversation starters. Buttons are not for competitions alone!

My bestest friend in the whole world is a Morris dancer and a typical Morris dance wears buttons and pins all over their vests. Amongst her many attachments, she sports our team buttons and the Dave says 'That's Pimp' and 'That's Pimp too' buttons. So she always gets people asking her about the buttons (most popular is "Who's Dave and why is he saying that's pimp") so she has to talk about FIRST all the time too! Luckily, she's attended a few competitions and if very knowledgeable of FIRST because I won't shut-up about it!

Heidi

[aaronD341]

The other week I was at a leadership camp for scouts, and we were introdicing our selves at lunch and say what school we went to when i said Wissahickon this cool kid named Dan said that he and his team(484) had been there for ramp riot, I found it cool that I could be amoungst total strangers and still find someone on a FIRST team

[shyra1353]

At the orientation day for engineering students at University of Toronto, I was talking to the head of one of the teams and she was saying that they were going to do RoboCup next year. And I remembered reading a thread about RoboCup on cd a year (at least) ago and so I started talking about FIRST and my experience and she told me that I "had" to join next year.