Greatest Moment in my FIRST career

[Tetraman]

I could write a book about my greatest moment.

[bduddy]

Tough to decide between two moments at SVR 2004: being an undisputed 1st after the first day, the only team to go 6-0, or (along with 254 and another team I have sadly forgotten) managing to get a clean sweep and cover every goal. That was an incredible cheer when we got the last one on...

[galewind]

While it's easy to say that having 1089 win Chairman's on Saturday was my greatest moment in FIRST ever, I think it was the aftershock and realization that we have a new expectation to live up to that was even more amazing. We have a *lot* more work to do to, and armed with an amazing group of students and mentors, and absolutely AWESOME teams around us, I think we can help motivate more schools in our area to develop more opportunities for students to pursue science and technology, whether they become a part of FIRST or not.

Listening to our freshman and sophomore RCA presenters give their presentation today to the rest of the team, I was floored that our students have taken so much from the program in such a short period of time, and that they not only want, but they HUNGER to do more. It just reinforced to me why I have participated in FIRST for the last seven years.

Regardless of the issues that exist within the organization, or issues that exist within our team, our team winning RCA has made me think even more about how important it is to give students an ability to lead, an ability to communicate, and a knowledge and recognition that by being a cog within the machine that is a FIRST team, their responsibility and contributions make an impact in ways that they may not initially understand. Their accomplishments are fueling them, and many of them have never had to come to the realization that "hard work brings success". Too often students are missing that, and FIRST is a fantastic way for them to see it.

When I "accidentally" watched Wayne C and team 25 deliver a presentation to my high school back in 2002, I NEVER imagined that I could ever be a part of something so important, and I sincerely hope that I can continue to be a part of this team that's clearly taken up a life of its own, for many years to come.

[RMiller]

As with many, I have multiple moments:
1) Winning the Chairman's Award last year (2008) in Minnesota as a mentor for 1816, even if I had to get my nose crushed and bloodied by Mark Lawrence!
2) Winning the St. Louis Regional with 16 and 537 my senior year (2004). We were the 2nd seed with an undefeated record and had an excellent run with the Bomb Squad and Charger Robotics.
#1 far outweighed #2 for me though.

[Matt382]

[quote=RMiller;831426]
As with many, I have multiple moments:
1) Winning the Chairman's Award last year (2008) in Minnesota as a mentor for 1816, even if I had to get my nose crushed and bloodied by Mark Lawrence!
[quote]

1) After winning the Chairman's Award in Minnesota as a member of team 1816, going down to the arena, giving Mark Lawrence a huge hug for all his help mentoring, and seeing Ryan Miller holding a kleenex to his bloody nose.

2) Rookie year - winning the Wisconsin regional with the help of two amazing teams - Wildstang and Winnovation

3) Rookie year - Seeding 6th in the Archimedes division in Atlanta and winning the Highest Rookie Seed award

I could go on and on with all the wonderful memories I have from this inspiring program. Thanks FIRST for all the great memories and hopefully many more to come!

[Tetraman]

I've got some time on my hands...so I wrote a book:

So 174 was never really a team, just a rag-tag group of friends that all knew each other. Some students would get into serious fights and some of us did very un-FIRST things most of the time. We really didn't live up to the whole 'GP' thing. It was my senior year, and most of the rest of the team was having this year be the last year. The game was Tripple Play and we really worked hard to make a powerful robot. But all of us wern't really together, we didn't have that much spirit - we just wanted a good year.

We went to the first FLR and we did a really good job getting picked by 8th seeded 141 in the elims and fighting one of the hardest fights of our FIRST lives. I was the Human Player, and to keep within the theme of Tripple Play took on a Tri-corner hat to wear.

After a very sucessful showing at FLR, we were all pumped for Buckeye and we couldn't wait to get to that field. The bus ride there was filled with an electricity and we all felt it. Before anyone even sat down that Thusday - RIGHT out of the 6 hour bus ride - everyone was cheering when the robot was just about ready to take the field. I got down to my Human Player position and with a flag I made I got the entire team to shout like a director of a chior. It didn't matter if we won or lost, each time my friends would get on their feet and shout a the top of their lungs.

There was one moment where the DJ started to play YMCA, and the MC called out for someone to get the judges to stand up and dance. Well...I called them all to this duty. As I danced along side one of the judges, he turned to me and said "Are you a Senior?" I answered yes. He said, "You really want this don't you?" I shook my head and pointed at my team that was up in the stands dancing, "They really need this." The look that judge gave me was probably the first time someone ever looked at me like I was were I meant to be.

We got into Elims as a Seeded team for the first time, though we didn't make it past quarters (A good memory though, as we were beaten by a rookie team #1511).

I was feeling really sick after all the excitement, and went to the First Aid room to rest away from all the action while the rest of elims were going on. I had a really amazing conversation with the nurse that was attending the first aid room about how much FIRST means to me and all that. One of 174's mentors took me back to the bleachers just before awards, and I sat though each one. To be honest, I completely forgot about the Team Spirit award and just as the MC started talking my heart just jumpped.

I don't know how to explain the feeling. It was like everything that was ever wrong just became right. Everything that all of us ever did to each other to make us seem less and less like a team - gone. The fights - gone. The anger and gossip - gone. The MC read off "The winner of the Team Spirit award.... Team 1 -- 7 -- 4. The Arctic Warriors" And wow, I can't even tell you. I kinda didn't want to believe it, but thats what it was. I had my arms up to the sky with tears in my eyes just like all the other team mates beside me. I was so late getting down to the stage and I slapped each Judges hand really hard giving a quick but so grateful thank you.

I walked over to where someone was taking pictures and another mentor gave me one of the trophys and I held it up high with a shout to my team who huddled around.

As we walked back up to the stands some guy looked at me all crying and seriously shaking, he goes "Yo man, you look like you just won the Chairmans award!" I kinda laughed and said "Yea, we won the most important award in FIRST." Obviously the guy didn't get it. I mean we only won the Team Spirit award..."But thats the thing. We are finally called a team."

We won the Buckeye the next year when I mentored them, 174's first regional win....doesn't even come close to winning a simple Team Spirit award.

[RMiller]

Originally Posted by Matt382

1) After winning the Chairman's Award in Minnesota as a member of team 1816, going down to the arena, giving Mark Lawrence a huge hug for all his help mentoring, and seeing Ryan Miller holding a kleenex to his bloody nose.

I am glad I provide such entertainment! Thankfully, I think that was the worst injury of the year for us or and at the Minnesota regional.
See you in a couple weeks at Milwaukee.

[blaxbb]

In order

1. Joining
2. Scoring a ringer as a human player in 2007
3. Winning NYC Regional

[Lil' Lavery]

I've had some great moments through FIRST. Winning a Chairman's Award, an FVC Championship, wrapping around the rack in 2007, and many others.

Even with all those moments, I certainly hope my greatest moment in FIRST hasn't happened yet.

[Justin Montois]

So far...

1) Going to the finals at FLR in 2007 as the number 8 seed

2) Winning Chairman's at FLR 3 out of the past 4 years

3) Mentoring all of the great kids that I've had the pleasure of working with over my 5 years in FIRST.

[Dan2081]

Mine was last year at Atl, our team was only a second year, we had the #5 pick on Archimedes

[Kyle Love]

My greatest moment is when I was able to drive the TechnoKat robot in St. Louis in 2007. We won the regional. That year we had a "second robot" (nicknamed 45T), and all the many many hours put in with that robot is the reason why we (as a team) were able to perform so well.

[davidfv]

Originally Posted by RMiller

As with many, I have multiple moments:
1) Winning the Chairman's Award last year (2008) in Minnesota as a mentor for 1816, even if I had to get my nose crushed and bloodied by Mark Lawrence!
2) Winning the St. Louis Regional with 16 and 537 my senior year (2004). We were the 2nd seed with an undefeated record and had an excellent run with the Bomb Squad and Charger Robotics.
#1 far outweighed #2 for me though.

LOL... I was the Game Announcer for that regional and saw you running towards Mark and then you going down as he was cheering the Chairman's award. Mark was so excited. This year we will have to clear a zone around him in case you win again!

[Nica F.]

The greatest moment in my FIRST career would have to be winning the IRI scholarship this past summer. Moving around a wide range of teams put me in situations that I have learned so much from. The essay that I wrote for the IRI scholarship is an essay that I am sure to say was the most heartfelt out of any scholarship, award, college essay I have ever written in my life.

With IRI being the last event I would be attending as a high school FIRST student, it was my last hurrah to be able to share my FIRST experience with others, even if it meant a panel of judges from an offseason event. After doing what I have been in my years of FIRST, I never have felt more like I actually have been doing it right until my name was called to receive the award.

[Woody1458]

After a really tough season in 2008 that I could rant about for hours, we ended having a totally non functioning robot at both Regionals we attended. The whole season we E-stopped all but 2 matches. At Davis we were put in the pits next to a team from Deer Valley (I forget the number) Who had come to the competition with 1 member, a 38"x38" robot, and no robotics experience. We decided that our robot was hopeless but maybe we could help out this team. We were afraid that, as rookies, they would have a bad 1st year experience with FIRST and not come back. By the end of thursday we (not only our team, lots of people helped) got them with legal bumpers, a correctly sized frame, and a scissor lift that could knock orbit balls off the overpass. I was so happy when they out ranked us by a hugh margin (we got 34th, they got around 15th). Then a local school, 2390 Dougherty Valley, with whom our team has a large relation had issues with wiring and programming, and released some magic smoke on friday. We helped them rewire and programed a hybrid for them. They ended up seating 10th but were not picked. Luckily for them, their day wasn't over. In the semis alliance 4 IIRC had a team member break un-repairably. 2390 was drafted as a backup. Wen that was announced, it was one of my most exciting events in FIRST (more so then winning a regional). They did not however win the finals but got second place and went home their rookie year with a blue banner. Coolest part was that at the award ceremony we already knew that there was no way we had won an award. Our robot was awful and we didn't try for any non robot awards. Also we figured because we didn't hand out booklets or first aid kits we hadn't done enough for GP or Safety. Fortunately I was wrong. Someone had told the judges about what we did for 2390 and Deer Valley and they gave us GP. Realize at this point we had totally given up on the season, even our Coach (now ex-coach) had left to be with his family. They announced that 1458 had one GP and we all went ecstatic. It was absolutely unforgettable.

In my 4 years of FIRST and 13 FIRST events, nothing compares to that level of excitement.