Clowns or Announcers?

[KathieK]

I am married to one such "clown." Funny thing is, I was the former professional clown, not Jack!

"Jack in the Hat" wears a tie-dyed custom-made tuxedo with the FIRST logo embroidered on the back. And a top hat adorned with FIRST pins. He may look "clownish" to some. But he takes his job as emcee very seriously. He recognizes the importance and responsibility of the role. He volunteers as emcee at FLL, FTC and FRC events. His costume is his team uniform, so to speak.

Sometimes the colorful garb is what captures the attention of the media. Last year the clip of Jack made the local, regional and national news. We may prefer that they focus on other parts of the events, but if the media chooses to show a colorful FIRSTer, I'm all for it.

The music, team spirit, dancing, hair painting, etc. is what makes this different from just a science fair. I say, let's keep the clowns. But then again, I like clowns!