2010 New Jersey Regional

[galewind]

First and foremost, I'd love to say thank you all for your kind words regarding the WFFA that I received this weekend. My students did a tremendous job of writing an outstanding essay for me, and I really appreciate their efforts. I blubber like a baby at these things (it's one of the things I took from Wayne Cokeley), and the warm thanks that I received on and off the field has made me feel so tremendously loved that if I had the foresight I would have bought stock in Kleenex.

For us the competition side of the NJ regional was sweet with a tinge of bitterness. It was great for us to have a fairly competitive machine this year, and I was proud of how well we did in the qualifying matches. Our alliance partners for eliminations, 1279 and 223, were absolutely wonderful to work with, and I feel terrible that we were unable to get working for the third round. Our machines complemented each other well, and I really feel we could have gone farther as an alliance. I would trade almost anything to be able to be able to go back and at least get them to call for a surrogate bot. I would love to be able to run with these teams again -- Monty anyone?

There were a few things I was a bit disappointed with about the NJ regional this year, though... some things that really hurt the experience for at least one team, and others that I feel they could have improved upon.

First, I was shocked to hear that there were students from other FIRST teams insulting teams from other states/countries in or near their pits. The fact that this even occurs really damages the image of New Jersey (beyond what it is now) and has the potential to lessen the impact of our programs. We really should try to monitor ourselves to make sure that guests feel welcome at our regional, and to make sure that behavior like that exhibited by a few students doesn't reflect on our regional.

Second, during the Sunday awards ceremony, there were two things that I feel could have been handled better: Dean's List and Chairman's Award. I really believe that Dean's List should be handled at the same level, if not higher than, the WFFA award, because it truly demonstrates exemplary students on teams. Many teams wrote fantastic essays for their students, and none of this information was shared at our Dean's List award presentation. As mentors and students, we often look to find inspiration in the impact of our program, and celebrating outstanding student achievement is a hallmark of FIRST. For me, simply speaking about the award and presenting the names and teams of the students really diminishes the purpose of the award. I want to be more inspired by their accomplishments, to know what exactly makes them so outstanding. I'd also love to see FIRST have a repository of the essays as a testimony of the program!

For the Chairman's Award, I feel that interjecting the video as they did somewhat diminished the celebration of the award. Having spoken to (and in some cases worked with) 1403 mentors and students on a number of occasions, I know quite a bit about what they do inside and outside of their school. As they were receiving their reward, the stadium was effectively in silence watching their fantastic video. In my eyes, somewhat subdued the celebration of award. Nonetheless, It was a wonderful thought to show the video, though, because it's clear that they worked hard on it (as they do in all things!). Cougar Robotics is an outstanding and deserving team, and we at 1089 are very happy for them to receive the award. Kudos to 1403!

Congratulations to 25, 1676, and 3059 for winning this great event, and congrats to all teams for a job well done! Thanks to the volunteers and judges who made the event what it was!

See you in the off-season!