You Know You're Proud To Be A FIRSTer When...

[NorviewsVeteran]

you know you're going to meet someone important, so you put on your robotics team shirt.

[Mr. Pockets]

When people call you a nerd or a geek and you thank them for the compliment

[Rion Atkinson]

When you wear this years team shirt so often its starting to fade.

[demosthenes2k8]

when you realize that, for every major event, (including the surprise party people threw for me today), you're wearing a team shirt.

[RoboMaster]

Good idea for a thread. Nice thinking!

when local schools actually count FIRST teams as a varsity sport/team

[Karibou]

Originally Posted by RoboMaster

Good idea for a thread. Nice thinking!

when local schools actually count FIRST teams as a varsity sport/team

Ohh man, I'm jealous.

When you're proud that you've managed to make friends on other teams, and that those friendships have affected yourself and your team in more ways than you thought possible.
...and when you know that the friendships that you form in FIRST will last a lifetime, and you can't say that of some of your non-FIRST friends.

[Katie_UPS]

when you realize FIRST is one of the solutions to your school district's problems.

[Tetraman]

an award a team gave you hypes the team up better then a FIRST given award.

[JaneYoung]

Originally Posted by Katie_UPS

when you realize FIRST is one of the solutions to your school district's problems.

The possibilities are endless.

[RoboMaster]

Oh, c'mon I'd think this thread would be jumping by now!

...when a member states that he's learned more about IT/Media through FIRST than through any other way.

[delsaner]

My web design teacher gave a small class speech on how the beginning FIRSTers may be the head of big companies or an interviewer in college. When a person goes to interview for that job or college, the head may to talk about past experiences about their life in FIRST, and make it more likely to get that job or get into that college. Although that was the general idea of the speech and I can't remember much more, it made me proud to be a FIRSTer.

[HashemReza]

When you've played baseball for 11 years, including all your years of high school, and as a senior...

...you quit the baseball team to focus on expanding your role on the robotics team.

[kgzak]

... You know one day you will make a difference.

[ErikEdhlund]

You know you're proud to be a FIRSTer when you choose to come and mentor for your team the year after you graduate.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

I am proud to be a Firster everytime time I see a student succeed, a rookie receive an award, a mentor tells me they will be coming back, or when that "light" in a student's eye blinks on when they have just answered a technical question for another team. I am proud whenever I see someone do their best, work with someone they don't know, discuss strategy like a pro, or congratulate another team on a job well done. I am proud when a non-team person who has been given a team tshirt is approached by hundreds of people and told "hey, I like your team!" or "You guys have a great robot". (This happens when we gave tshirts to visiting relatives at the Champs.) I am proud whenever I turn to a team during inspections and say "OK I just need two signatures here and I will go get your sticker, you passed!"
I am especially proud when someone I know receives the WFFA and I am able to be present to welcome them into the community.