Courtesy during awards.

[Tom Line]

Usually I see one of these threads every year. I haven't seen one yet this year, and some recent events made me feel pretty strongly that it's time to bring it up again.

This is directly aimed at team mentors.

1. If you don't have to leave (perhaps you have a 10 hour drive) before the awards, don't.
2. While team awards are being presented, clap. It is also your responsibility as a mentor to teach all your team members that they should be clapping and cheering for the other teams as well.
3. Your students should not be texting, playing cards, playing video games, or anything else during the awards.
4. If you can, stand and cheer. You may be looking at a team playing their last event.

As mentors it is our job to teach the team members what gracious professionalism looks and sounds like. Cheer your competitors. Standing ovations for each award. Let those folks know you're celebrating their success, and they'll be right there celebrating yours later on.

To end this on a positive note, I'll highlight a shining star in this regard. Team 2771 (Code Red) is the loudest, most helpful, most boisterous, most fun, most respectful team I've ever been around. We could all take a page out of their book on how to make regional events incredible.

[Akash Rastogi]

I'll add on a suggestion that IMO should be followed.

If your team is called up for a specific subteam award like website or entrepreneurship/animation; try to only send up a few students to receive your award if you have a large team. It gets a little annoying waiting for a lot of people to go up and down to get awards. That's just my opinion.

[Bob Steele]

Akash
In my opinion, it is only annoying if you are not the team going up.. and then only to a very few teams.
A team should send up the entire team... it is a team award..
Why should everyone not go up? they all worked hard and this may be their only recognition. I will gladly sit and wait for any team to receive their award.
We are not in that big of a rush.

Do you think the whole team should go up to receive the chairman's award?
finalist, champion?
Why should the other awards be any different?

[DCA Fan]

Absolutely excellent points. Here in San Diego, Team Paradox 2102 and Devil Duckies 1266 are real models of spirit during our ceremonies.

As to who should go up to receive awards, I'm all for having the whole team, students and mentors certainly deserve recognition for their collective work. What does occasionally get to me is when a large team also brings up all the parents and younger siblings as well; I'd much prefer the emphasis be on the participating students.

One amazing display of GP at the Los Angeles regional this year, when team 597 won Chairman's, team 599 modified their giant "599" sign to read "597" - that was fantastic.

[Peck]

the families have made sacrifices towards the production of the robot (think about how often... never... they see the "students" during robotics season actually at home. If that team wishes to show the conglomerate efforts of the families, that's fine with me (as long as they don't get a metal, those are for those who directly built the robot [yes, software helped build the robot])

[470-RBTX]

Originally Posted by Peck

the families have made sacrifices towards the production of the robot (think about how often... never... they see the "students" during robotics season actually at home. If that team wishes to show the conglomerate efforts of the families, that's fine with me (as long as they don't get a metal, those are for those who directly built the robot [yes, software helped build the robot])

I disagree, I understand that they have given up a large amount, but my parents understand that I love them, and that the time I spend in the shop, and the work I put in year round, is done so that I can make them proud. My accomplishments should "show the conglomerate efforts of the families" Every student is a representative of their family, school, team, and sponsors.

I am against the "everyone and their mom" idea because just as adding water to a salt solution dilutes it, adding more and more people who walk the field dilutes the prestige of the award. 470 will not allow you to come to competition if you don't put in work at the shop. Those who have physically earned it by coding, designing, or marketing deserve the experience of walking the field, shaking the judges hand, and grabbing the award.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Originally Posted by 470-RBTX

470 will not allow you to come to competition if you don't put in work at the shop. Those who have physically earned it by coding, designing, or marketing deserve the experience of walking the field, shaking the judges hand, and grabbing the award.

I am sorry that your team has this policy. Everyone that comes up for the award has had something to do with the team's success. We have many subteams, all of them valuable to the team and some who never come to the shop. The shop workers allow the animation team the time they need to work so that they don't have to spend time working on the robot. We have an active parent organization and even if we didn't, getting up late to go drive students home or early to get a student to the bus for a trip is still a real effort.

If you wear the shirt, you participate with the team. It's the price you pay for wearing tie dye.

[Andrew Schreiber]

Originally Posted by Akash Rastogi

No, actually, I would not say this. And I will repeat again that I was saying this for two specific awards- website and animation. I have also already said that if your team operates differently, then go for it-send up whoever you like. How you are interpreting what I wrote is not what I am saying about other awards. You also know the 80 person team I come from so I'm also not making a biased opinion on the matter.

(PS good luck in Midwest this weekend Sravan <3)

So now some awards are second class citizens? Yup, great way of encouraging students right there...

Originally Posted by Al Skierkiewicz

I am sorry that your team has this policy. Everyone that comes up for the award has had something to do with the team's success. We have many subteams, all of them valuable to the team and some who never come to the shop. The shop workers allow the animation team the time they need to work so that they don't have to spend time working on the robot. We have an active parent organization and even if we didn't, getting up late to go drive students home or early to get a student to the bus for a trip is still a real effort.

If you wear the shirt, you participate with the team. It's the price you pay for wearing tie dye.

Al, I won't tell a student they can't come to a local event. But on 397 our policy was if you participate we cover your costs and excuse you from school. If a student didn't put in the effort during build we just didn't cover their costs to travel or excuse them from school. THOSE are privileges and needed to be earned. This policy was partially based on a student who we DID excuse from school thursday/friday and then never showed up saturday.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

OK Andrew,
Again that is where teams differ. Our students can all attend the Midwest Regional if their grades meet our minimums. However, all students have to do a minimum of fundraising in order to get a shirt. Travel teams are selected on each students level of participation on their subteam, their grade in robot class and their grades in general. To participate in a pit crew or drive team the students have a higher minimum grade expectation and is a valued member of those subteams (mechanical, software, electrical, strategy/scouting, drivers).

[FRC BOTMOM]

Behind the sceens every team has a lot of hard working robotics parents. They may not code, or build the bot but they do provide support, meals, rides, trailers, tools, help with funding etc. These are the things that keep the team going. So If a parent wants to acccept the award with the team let them. They have earned it.

[Dancin103]

Originally Posted by FRC BOTMOM

Behind the sceens every team has a lot of hard working robotics parents. They may not code, or build the bot but they do provide support, meals, rides, trailers, tools, help with funding etc. These are the things that keep the team going. So If a parent wants to acccept the award with the team let them. They have earned it.

THANK YOU! I could not have said it better. For our team, if our parents did not make dinner for 50+ people every night we would go hungry or hate pizza, if one of our parents did not graciously pull our trailer and haul our stuff around this country we would only show up to competitions with the basics, if we didn't have a few dedicated parents that build our practice field in full each year, our drive team would just have carpet to drive on, and if we didn't have a select few dedicated parents in our rookie year, today we would not have some of the awesome mentors that we do today (I know many of you have mentors that started as interested parents many moons ago, watched their kids graduate, and are still around today (some 17 years later)). Oh, and one more small thing, if we didn't have a few extremely dedicated parents a some 15 years ago that went to every board meeting every month and praised our team, we would either a.) be a non existent FIRST team, or b.) not have what we do today.

While these are only a few examples from my team, I know that from the stories and friendships formed with teams across the country, I know that many will agree that it is our parents and family members that are a HUGE aspect of each team.

ANY AWARD the team may get is a team effort, whether some want to believe that or not. Yes, our website team is two students that code everything, but the content of the website has come from ideas from every person on our team, and I'm sure it's similar for others. Even if it was only two students, the team is going to support them and congratulate them in their win by going up and receiving the award with them. Same for animation, yes we have an active subteam for animation, but it was ideas that stemmed from every student on the team, including manufacturing, that helped our team create the idea for the animation story that they did.

This is a TEAM for a reason, we all put effort into every department, students, mentors, advisors, and parents alike. We are a team, but most importantly we are a family. We support each other through and through and that bond should be celebrated.

[Andrew Schreiber]

Originally Posted by Akash Rastogi

I'll add on a suggestion that IMO should be followed.

If your team is called up for a specific subteam award like website or entrepreneurship/animation; try to only send up a few students to receive your award if you have a large team. It gets a little annoying waiting for a lot of people to go up and down to get awards. That's just my opinion.

Teams, disregard this.

Akash, the only awards that are not team awards are Woodie Flowers and Dean's List. Anything else your whole team earned.

[kjohnson]

Originally Posted by Andrew Schreiber

Teams, disregard this.

Akash, the only awards that are not team awards are Woodie Flowers and Dean's List. Anything else your whole team earned.

I can't agree more. Anyone who isn't willing to wait a few minutes so that a whole team can experience winning an award needs to rethink why you're at the award ceremony to begin with. Awards are given for recognition of teams and their accomplishments. While it may be rude to leave before the awards, I find it even more rude to sit through the ceremony in disgust because it "takes too long."

[Dancin103]

Originally Posted by Akash Rastogi

I'll add on a suggestion that IMO should be followed.

If your team is called up for a specific subteam award like website or entrepreneurship/animation; try to only send up a few students to receive your award if you have a large team. It gets a little annoying waiting for a lot of people to go up and down to get awards. That's just my opinion.

Akash,

I have much respect for you, but when I read this I was a bit taken back. It does not matter what award the team wins, the point is, it's a TEAM award and the ENTIRE TEAM should celebrate this accomplishment. For example, if the team wins KPCB Entrepreneurship, it took the whole team to compile that business plan to where it is.

All in all, this is a team, and not about the I's or the sub teams. Sorry, but I disagree with you.

Cassie

[Akash Rastogi]

Originally Posted by Bob Steele

Do you think the whole team should go up to receive the chairman's award?
finalist, champion?
Why should the other awards be any different?

Yes I think the whole team should go up for Chairmans, Winner, Finalist, etc.

Originally Posted by Dancin103

Akash,
For example, if the team wins KPCB Entrepreneurship, it took the whole team to compile that business plan to where it is.

All in all, this is a team, and not about the I's or the sub teams. Sorry, but I disagree with you.

Cassie

entrepreneurship was a bad example on my part. Depending on how your awards teams operate, you could have a few up to many students/mentors working on a submission and actually creating the business plan.

Haha, I didn't say you had to agree with what I thought about certain awards, no need to be sorry for that. I simply appreciate it when large teams send up a few students to receive something like website and animation awards because those were, in fact, only worked on by certain students/mentors.

I see this as something opposite of what most of you said. I see it as allowing certain students to be recognized in front of their own team but also other teams for something specific they have done. So no, I don't think Websites and animations are worked on by an entire team - if they are on your team, then that's awesome. I simply think that recognition of a few for these specific awards is important rather than sending up an entire team. The fact that a few minutes of time are saved- okay sure maybe I was a little harsh there, but hey everyone likes getting to a comfy bed as soon as competition day is done!

And Andrew- people reading these posts can form an opinion on their own.