If You Could Start Over With Your FIRST Experience...

[Nicole175]

i definitely would have started freshman year rather than sophomore. robotics was definitely the best club Ive ever joined... honestly, its more like a family than a club. and i wish i could have found it sooner (: plus, it would have given me more time to learn java and discover my role on the team sooner

i wish i was a bit more experienced now, and if i had joined earlier i feel like i would be... but besides being more involved... i dont think i would change anything about my experience (: so many great memories, and im sure many many more to come

[AcesJames]

I think if there was anything I could have changed, it would be my involvement in my freshman year. I did a lot of sitting around, and a lot of watching. I did end up on pit crew that year, just because I lurked around the pits so much. It did teach me a lot, but I think I could have learned even more, had I really dove into it and tried to explore, rather than just carefully observing.

As for the time past freshman year, I wouldn't change much at all, except for a few small things. I would have liked to have a larger impact on the way my team is run. For the past season and a half, I've been seeing such great examples of genius ideas from other teams on CD, and then bringing those ideas to my own team and asking why we couldn't do something similar. At this point, I'm now ready to take it one step further, and motivate my team to be the best we can be, and not follow and copy a team that I wish we were more like.

Finally, in going along with my previous point, I've almost made a habit out of saying more than doing. At the shop, or at competitions, I've been the one to push others along with words, rather than pushing forward with them in my actions, and physically doing the work with them. The old adage of "leading by example" is perfect here. I need to do much more of that in this coming season.

[demosthenes2k8]

I agree with a lot of what was stated by AcesJames-I'd definitely try to be more involved in freshman year, because I ended sitting behind the at-the-time software members and watching them. (I got revenge by pointing out errors before they compiled.) That even kinda happened sophomore year, although I was actually given tasks.

I would definitely take the opportunity to do it again, though, simply because FIRST has been such a huge part of my life and it's definitely changed me.

[JaneYoung]

Just a thought here - never underestimate the power of observation or quiet learning. It takes all sorts of skills and talents to run an efficient and successful team and what you pick up/observe/learn may not be used (to your knowledge) during the current season but can be applied at a later time. (There are some excellent threads in CD regarding what the meaning of success is if anyone is interested in searching and reading, btw.)

Great posts, people - well, except for the old one, Al.

Jane

[Enigma's puzzle]

If i could do it again, I would have pushed to start a Team when i was a Freshman instead of a Junior. Ohhh, the missed opportunities.

[Hawiian Cadder]

welllll. i designed the robot this year, and i didn't put much thought into how many screws to use, on previous robots there was a metal screw about every two inches, in some places on this years robot there was a screw ever 3/8 of an inch, almost 800 in all, nearly 10 LBS of fastening hard-wear.

[Dkt01]

I started in my sophomore year, which was probably my biggest regret. After joining the team I realized that this was probably the best thing I've ever done. Starting freshman year (or sooner if possible) would have been nice.

[hallk]

I would have started started earlier. That being said I wouldn't have given up so many of my other interests to over commit myself to robotics.

[dag0620]

1 regret

Instead of pushing so hard of getting involved in programming, I should of just let the other guy on our team do it all like he wanted and avoided the constant times we were at eachothers throat.. Instead I should of went to build team to increase my knowlege on working with tools. If i end up switching to build team, its going to be at a disadvangte not being heavily involved in that world.

[bladetech932]

I would do it over again the exact same way just so I could enjoy all the things I've done all over again! I have no regrets and loved every single minute!