I have a SERIOUS complaint.

[archiver]

Posted by Erica Schindler at 04/13/2001 2:53 PM EST


Other on team #177, Bobcat Robotics, from South Windsor High School and International Fuel Cells/ ONSI Corporation.


In Reply to: Re: I have a SERIOUS complaint.
Posted by Jessica Boucher on 04/13/2001 9:31 AM EST:



I know what all of you guys mean, for the four years i was in FIRST, there was little to no recognition in the local newspapers, only the occasional article, or some pictures. Even after my team returned from nationals, after being divison winners, and going to the final 4, there was but a paragraph in the Hartford Courant. Now, for those of you who saw the article, it was in Thursday's Courant. I happen to know that the reporter called my house and interviewed my brother for 15 minutes, only to have 3 quotes in the article.
one more point: Does anyone else have the problems that the newspapers feel as if they can only cover one team? Well, for every year i have been in FIRST, there has only been one team covered in the papers, usually the one who makes the contact, and most the time, that team is dissed, and the team that did the best from the area is covered. All other area teams are either just listed, or not mentioned at all.
while i am pleased with any coverage that FIRST gets, because obviously some is better than none, it just seems to me that FIRST is way more important/educational/interesting, than most of the stuff that is published in these local papers anyway. Maybe i am just biased, but everyone i have told FIRST about seems to think that it is really cool, and wonders why thier high school never had a team. There is obviously interest in this, why cant the papers see that?
I suppose for now we will all have to deal with the fact that FIRST will only hold a paragraph or two in the local papers, due to the ignorant masses, unless there is absolutely no news that day, and in that case, it will on the 18th page, under an article about the president's lost cat or something...
TV news does slightly better, trying to show clips of all machines, not just the winners, which i am happy about. Everybody deserves some recognition of thier work, but, in my opinion, it is more important to have that recognition within the FIRST community, where everyone is treated with the respect they deserve.
just my 2 cents
erica schindler