What happened to the FIRST community I call my family?

[JBotAlan]

I'm sorry if my post about the shock sensor/inconsistent ramming calls was the final straw. It was more of an entertaining idea than anything. I realize that everyone involved here is human, and I also realize that there is no reason to bash everyone involved.

So here it is: I apologize for any post I may have created bashing anyone/anything. I am willing to love, and that's what I've been trying to do all along.

But something tells me, you aren't talking to me.

[Arefin Bari]

Originally Posted by JBotAlan

I'm sorry if my post about the shock sensor/inconsistent ramming calls was the final straw. It was more of an entertaining idea than anything. I realize that everyone involved here is human, and I also realize that there is no reason to bash everyone involved.

So here it is: I apologize for any post I may have created bashing anyone/anything. I am willing to love, and that's what I've been trying to do all along.

But something tells me, you aren't talking to me.

No no... don't get me wrong. I am not talking to "specific people." I am talking to the whole community.

[Cuog]

This year has been a pretty tough year for teams, I know I saw a lot of problems both first hand and as an outside observer reading here on CD. Problems combined that the stress we normally undergo and the seeming anonymity of the internet often lead to posts that may cross over that line separating Good Idea Land and Bad Idea Land. I would also like to ask anyone to remember to always always always think twice about posting, doubly so when you are upset.

[taylort]

I haven't been around as long as some have, (that should be evident), but I can definitely see some of your points.
The community definitely has changed irrevocably; it has grown exponentially over the years, and grown more and more competitive.
I think part of the changes you see with that are the growing competition. With so many teams, teams want to make themselves noticeable in the global community, and I think they may resort to less conventional methods of doing that. They think less and less about the community as a whole, and more of their team's advancement (sort of like what David said).

I really don't see how we can 'find a solution' to these problems, as much as encourage forum members to think about what they are posting, and crack down on bashing.

Or we can strengthen this wonderful community that I call my family as well. As others have echoed in other threads, the intimacy we had in earlier years is no longer there. But now we have a new thing on our side: universality. We still have our FIRST friends...but they grow more and more numerous with each year...and I can only see them continuing to grow.

[Doug Leppard]

You can't have 1,300 teams, 40+ regionals etc without problems and people complaining.

Sure there are problems, sure the alliance program with duplicates was bad, sure the banebots were bad.

But FIRST is like life and what it will be like in industry. It is made up of people and problems. I think overall the attitudes at FIRST are fantastic. Problems are small, FIRST works at both keeping the problems down and attitudes up.

This all starts with you an individual and as a team. It is all our responsibility to work on the problems and attitudes.

[David Brinza]

Don't think of the FIRST family as becoming "dysfunctional" (i.e. spiteful, distrustful, non-communicative) based on some posts in CD.

The fact is that many of us are success-driven and competitive by nature. We want to be at the top of our class, whether it is in school or on the field. Sometimes that desire will affect our better judgment, especially in the heat of the moment. It's a very difficult test of character to accept without any emotional display that people (drivers, referees, even Banebot designers) make mistakes when we are under the pressure of a "critical" match or fast-approaching ship date.

I think that after the smoke clears from an isolated incident or rash reaction to adversity, we pretty quickly revert to that cooperative and supportive FIRST community that you are proud to call your family.

[JaneYoung]

Ari -
I understand your plea to the community here in Chief Delphi.
I also understand that you asked a parent and future mentor to observe this community and she did.

I've been observing our community as well and what I've been thinking about for a few months with threads like the Banebots and the algorithm, and student/mentor lead discussions, and the defense thread(s) over the past few days is how unique this situation is.

I agree that we should be respectful in our posts, even when approaching topics from different perspectives and views. What astounds and encourages me, is that this community is made up of students, engineers, teachers, scientists, sponsors, parents, NEMS - all working together at communication, sharing information, working through problems to possible solutions.

We call ourselves community/family. We are. Our kitchen table where we gather is the size of Chief Delphi. We are at the very end of a season and this week, some of the threads are reflecting that. At the same time, other threads are developing that are reflecting our community in a positive light. If you have concerns regarding our poor showing as community, please direct your contact to some of these threads, showing her that yes, we argue and discuss, sometimes heatedly - but we also share history, team work at its best, and compassion. We learn and grow together. We are a community that is constantly changing and evolving. And we can always do better.
Jane