The future of FIRST

[EricH]

Originally Posted by lingomaniac88

People involved in FIRST today will pass the fundamentals of FIRST, such as gracious professionalism, to incoming members. They will pass them down to other people, and the cycle will continue.

I couldn't agree more.

Do you know how, say, Native American cultures were kept? They had storytellers, sages, and the like. They passed on their legends and culture to the next generation. So will we.

[Richard Wallace]

Originally Posted by lingomaniac88

People involved in FIRST today will pass the fundamentals of FIRST, such as gracious professionalism, to incoming members. They will pass them down to other people, and the cycle will continue.

Originally Posted by EricH

... Do you know how, say, Native American cultures were kept? They had storytellers, sages, and the like. They passed on their legends and culture to the next generation. So will we.

I really hope the vision of FIRST's future expressed above is proved correct in my great-great-grandchildren's time.

Lest we too-quickly condemn athletics, recall the old maxim that those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. In their late 19th- and early 20th-century beginnings, athletic programs representing schools and colleges were aimed at developing core values we recognize in FIRST: sportsmanship, inspiration, commitment, perseverance. In their early years, athletic programs were intended to change the culture to one that honored those values, and in which opportunity would come to those who practiced them -- not just to the children of the upper classes. Those who pioneered athletics, whose names are now remembered mostly by the their connection to awards, surely did not envision a world in which young people would aspire to athletic careers as a means to riches and celebrity.

[Daniel_LaFleur]

Originally Posted by Richard

I really hope the vision of FIRST's future expressed above is proved correct in my great-great-grandchildren's time.

Lest we too-quickly condemn athletics, recall the old maxim that those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. In their late 19th- and early 20th-century beginnings, athletic programs representing schools and colleges were aimed at developing core values we recognize in FIRST: sportsmanship, inspiration, commitment, perseverance. In their early years, athletic programs were intended to change the culture to one that honored those values, and in which opportunity would come to those who practiced them -- not just to the children of the upper classes. Those who pioneered athletics, whose names are now remembered mostly by the their connection to awards, surely did not envision a world in which young people would aspire to athletic careers as a means to riches and celebrity.

I'd like to second what Richard says here.

For FIRST to continue inspiring as it does, we need to be ever vigilant of FIRSTs core values.

We need to keep tabs on our own competitiveness, because we (by nature) are a competitive species, and we like to win. This is a competition and the goal of a competition is to win, but it is what we do to achieve that goal that defines the person and that is where we need to be vigilant.

[595294001]

I think that as long as FIRST can make sure that sponsorship dollars never surpass the teams expenses FIRST will be able to keep its core values.

The want for fame is a powerful thing, but the want for fortune is greater. FIRST needs to makes sure that it stays focused on the wants of its students, not their coaches or sponsors. The students are (usually), the most altruistic of the three FIRST groups.

[IKE]

I don't like how sports are constantly given a bad rap in this forum. I learned a ton of great life lessons from my wrestling coach and football coaches in High School. I know that is some areas, bad things can and do happen, but don't kid yourself if you think FIRST is immune to these behaviors.

That being said, I think that FIRST does a better job through constant speeches and most importnatly rewarding what really matters. Make sure that the culture continues to reward what is truly important.

[DonRotolo]

Originally Posted by EricH

Do you know how, say, Native American cultures were kept? They had storytellers, sages, and the like. They passed on their legends and culture to the next generation. So will we.

So who will be the storytellers for FIRST? And how will they tell them - that is, in what medium?

This sounds like an excellent project for teams; recall your team stories, video those who lived them telling them, and preserve these, showing them to future teams.

That would make for a good start on the future, IMHO.

Originally Posted by IKE

I learned a ton of great life lessons from my wrestling coach and football coaches in High School. I know that is some areas, bad things can and do happen, but don't kid yourself if you think FIRST is immune to these behaviors.

I think sports get a bad rap here because many participants did not get involved in sports, or they had bad experiences. My own sports experiences were with a 'win at all costs' team mentality, one which caused me to leave the team in my senior year. I do realize that this is highly unusual, and that coach was eventually "retired", despite his winning record.

[MrForbes]

Originally Posted by Don Rotolo

So who will be the storytellers for FIRST? And how will they tell them - that is, in what medium?

This sounds like an excellent project for teams; recall your team stories, video those who lived them telling them, and preserve these, showing them to future teams.

That would make for a good start on the future, IMHO

Sounds vaguely similar to Dean's homework?

[EricH]

Originally Posted by Don Rotolo

So who will be the storytellers for FIRST? And how will they tell them - that is, in what medium?

This sounds like an excellent project for teams; recall your team stories, video those who lived them telling them, and preserve these, showing them to future teams.

I can think of about 10,000 storytellers in one venue. One of them has the name of Don Rotolo...

The venue? CD itself. It's become possibly the best (and certainly the most frequently used) resource in the FRC community. Stories, legends, resources, and pictures are shared here on a daily basis. Think about that, and take care which stories you tell.