Behavior at the competitions

[Evert Timberg]

This goes back to inappropriate conduct during the speeches. I remember back to when I was a rookie and a student on the team I now mentor. I always thought that Dean's speeches were not interesting but I was never disrespectful. Now that I'm older, I find his speeches much more interesting and captivating. I think that part of the problem may be that once students see one person do it they'll do it as well. Once someone gets away with it once, they expect to get away with it all the time.

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by Evert Timberg

This goes back to inappropriate conduct during the speeches. I remember back to when I was a rookie and a student on the team I now mentor. I always thought that Dean's speeches were not interesting but I was never disrespectful. Now that I'm older, I find his speeches much more interesting and captivating. I think that part of the problem may be that once students see one person do it they'll do it as well. Once someone gets away with it once, they expect to get away with it all the time.

The team may not take action against the student but the team itself risks being punished for the students idiotic and selfish behavior by other teams who will now not want anything to do with them because they are perceived as endorsing such boorish behavior.
As I have pointed out to students on the team before: alot of students and mentors who came years before them work many endless hours to build the X-Cats reputation up to the level that it is to have it torn down be them because they can't be bothered acting like they have sense.
Any student who really feels like having a real life Facebook status moment and just blurt out the first thing that comes into their mind should just do the right thing and take off the team shirt and withdraw from he team before dragging them down after all the hard work they have already put in. It's the least they can do.

[kstl99]

Originally Posted by Koko Ed

I've seen things in my travels from regional to regional these past couple of years that by far surpasses ignoring Deans speeches (like openly using abusive language towards other teams, team members when the team loses and generally ignoring arena rules - the barrier is there for a reason not to jump over) but the kid barking out " WRAP IT UP!" in Boston would have probably seen his last moments as a member of my team if he pulled that stunt.

I agree. This was for me the only bad moment of an awesome event.

[Grim Tuesday]

Originally Posted by kstl99

I agree. This was for me the only bad moment of an awesome event.

I'm sorry, what happened in Boston?
*slaps self* $@#$@#$@#$@# my curiosity.

[kstl99]

Originally Posted by Grim Tuesday

I'm sorry, what happened in Boston?
*slaps self* $@#$@#$@#$@# my curiosity.

As Dean Kamen was speaking at the end of the event someone yelled "Wrap it up". I just found it very disprespectful towards a man I respect very much. He has earned the right to speak as long as he wants.

[Grim Tuesday]

Why would someone even think of doing that?
I hope they got kicked off their team.

[Libby K]

The horrifying part is, he was making a speech about why FIRST started to give out the Dean's List award, and how we should honor and celebrate the amazing students that FIRST has as a part of our big 'family'.

As a member of the Boston Regional Planning Committee, I am utterly disgusted that one of our special guests at the regional was treated so poorly.

I applaud Dean for how well he handled being so rudely interrupted- I was given the honor of presenting the Imagery Award at Boston in honor of my grandfather, and I probably would have either burst out crying or said something very un-gracious if someone did that to me.

I don't care who it is- Dean, Woodie, the President of the United States, your best friend, or just some hobo off the street- you treat all human beings with respect. That was just plain rude and I'm so sorry that it had to happen at such a wonderful regional.

[kstl99]

I guess that even at a regional there is one in every crowd. Everyone else I met and talked to there was great.I have so many good memories from this past weekend. That will be what I will remember

[Andrew Schreiber]

Originally Posted by Grim Tuesday

Why would someone even think of doing that?
I hope they got kicked off their team.

Because they think FIRST is about the robots. I hope they figure out soon that FIRST is about inspiration and the robots are no more important than the file used to take the edges off them. I hope they have many years in FIRST and can learn what it is really about.

[JaneYoung]

Originally Posted by Andrew Schreiber

I hope they figure out soon that FIRST is about inspiration and the robots are no more important than the file used to take the edges off them.

I'm not understanding this statement, Andrew.
Why would the robots in FRC be no more important than the files used to take the edges off of them?

I was never more proud of anyone than I was of a 2nd year student who stood at a whiteboard for the better part of a build day, doing the math. He was using trigonometry and he was using calculus and he was as happy as a clam. That's just one example of the valuable opportunities and moments of inspiration that the robots provide for FRC teams.

Talking with the mentors who have volunteered their time for the conferences at the Championship is inspiring. Understanding the impact that the engineers have had and will continue to have on their teams and those people who attend their conference presentations is, quite simply, a mind-blower.

The time and money invested in the robot build and the robots competitions is no small thing on a small scale or a large scale. The value and reach goes way beyond the importance of a file used to smooth an edge - although I can think of about 20 haikus highlighting the symbolism.

Behavior at competitions is totally under the direction and leadership of the team leaders and what they choose to role model as leaders and as a team. It is dependent on them.

Jane

[dag0620]

Originally Posted by JGecko146

I’m not saying you have to hang on Dean’s every word. I’ve heard Dean’s FIRST speeches since 1996 and still enjoy them but I understand this may not be the case for everyone. However by the time you reach high school you should know how to sit still for a few minutes and listen to someone speak. It’s a matter of respect. Whether you find Dean fascinating or boring, he’s the founder of FIRST and he deserves our respect. If your football coach or dance instructor or boss were speaking to your group and you were playing a game chances are they would find that completely unacceptable, so why should FIRST be any different.

If the kids were in fact friends of team members and not on the team themselves, then they still need to realize that once you put on a team shirt you will be seen by others as being on the team. Good, bad or indifferent unless you are clearly under the age range, let’s say six years old, people will guess you’re on the team.

I’m not trying to bash these kids, I’m just making the point that this does happen. I wish it was the first time I’d seen something like this, but it’s not. Maybe I look at the world of FIRST differently because I’ve seen it change my life and the lives of countless other people around me. To each his or her own. All I’m saying is that gracious professionalism is not something you turn on and off based on your interest level in what is going on around you.

Well in response to them being friends of the team

So in my Rookie Year I've heard a lot about first, while what goes on in my team is a different story (), what I always hear at the community level in FIRST is that this is like a sport.

Well in sporting events (even at the HS level) you as a friend or just supporter of the team often wear the Shirts and Gear of the Team. However does this make these people part of the team playing the game?????

I'm pretty sure the same applies for Robotics. Just my $0.02

[Kims Robot]

Originally Posted by dag0620

Well in sporting events (even at the HS level) you as a friend or just supporter of the team often wear the Shirts and Gear of the Team. However does this make these people part of the team playing the game?????

I don't know about other teams, but 1511 takes our "gear" pretty seriously. We make sure that anyone wearing it understands us, and understands GP. Its great that people come out to support us, and we suggest they wear red and black or give them our pins, but unless we are sure they can help us keep up our spirit and our image, we don't put shirts on them. Other teams can do as they wish, but when you are up for big awards like Chairmans, every person in your shirt/gear reflects on your team. It can be as simple as telling the chaperones who hold your seats the concept of "we want to be able to sit together, but we arent allowed to save seats, so its important to be gracious to other people & teams"... to making sure the parents, friends and sponsors that wear our shirts to events really understand what the team is about.

I've heard and understand many stories about assumptions, from the guy on the subway who isnt paying attention to his own kids acting up, and someone who says something stern to him, only to realize his wife just died... so everything always deserves a second thought, but I encourage teams to realize that their team gear reflects their team image, and to do what they can to make sure anyone wearing it is going to portray what they want to reflect.

A side story is that we were pretty cramped in the stands in Boston and one of our kids climbed over the seats just as we noticed a judge walking up the stairs right next to us. He was embarrassed for himself and the team, even though it wasn't anything major. He knew he was in team gear and reflecting our team, and felt badly that his actions might have looked negative to others.

[Nigel]

Originally Posted by Kims Robot

A side story is that we were pretty cramped in the stands in Boston and one of our kids climbed over the seats just as we noticed a judge walking up the stairs right next to us. He was embarrassed for himself and the team, even though it wasn't anything major. He knew he was in team gear and reflecting our team, and felt badly that his actions might have looked negative to others.

would he have felt bad/embarrassed without the judge present?

[Akash Rastogi]

I usually would not care about something like this, but I feel it should be heard.

On Friday and Saturday, the team sitting behind us in Boston repeatedly said "I hope team 11's robot breaks" (verbatim) while our alumni, current members, mentors, and parents were all there to listen and not say a word.

Now, we've never had something this rude said to us, and it was a blemish on our regional experience. The most ironic part was being paired with said team for eliminations. I was a little bitter about this by the end as the team did not show respect while we showed them our respect by sitting down during our matches when asked politely.

There were also other very obnoxious members of teams sitting opposite of us. If I was on their team I would just feel embarrassed about a student yelling obnoxiously and purposely at every little part of Dean's (and others' speeches). It was very rude when the special guests and speakers (who were amazing by the way) had to deal with ridiculously rude behavior from immature students from local teams.

[Tom Line]

Originally Posted by Tetraman

When I was a student, I was so on my gameboy during speaches/opening ceramonies/closing ceremonies. I don't do it anymore.

I don't resent those students that chose to not care about the speaches and discussions. And I don't know how to combat it. Telling students to "stop that, put that away" only makes it worse. It has to be something you deal with ahead of time.

I have to disagree with you here. There is one thing that must be an absolute on every team. There MUST be respect between the students and the mentors. If there isn't, there are major problems that need to be addressed immediately (that respect needs to be shown in both directions).

In your example, the solution should be very easy. The mentor says "put it away". If they do not, they are removed from the venue. We've made it very clear to team members after an incident a short time back where several members missed scouting assignments because they were up playing video games.

#1 No video games allowed at competitions.

#2 Any student that is troublesome or does not follow directions will be put in a cab for a ride home, at his parents expense. Some of our venues are 4 hours away from our school.

Now, we've never had to enact it, but while our students know they 'run' the team, they also know where the ultimate authority lies. Of course, I never expect to have to deal with it again. We now have a team system whereby the team leaders (students) deal with team problems with the mentors support, and it's already proved to work brilliantly.

We have had to talk to several folks to explain that while a particular person may have been a student a year or two ago, they are now a mentor and will be shown every last bit of respect that position includes - especially not arguing with them. But it's all good. It rarely if ever happens twice.