How did you findout about/became involved with in FIRST?

[NoQuestions]

I first heard about FIRST in middle school. Well, kind of. I knew that my middle school had a LEGO Robotics team, and I knew it was connected to the science club (which I was in), but I didn't really like the guys on the team. So even though I was interested, I decided not to try it.

Then high school came around. My school was reviving their FIRST team after a three or four year hiatus, and the school's electronics/woods teacher was trying to rally up enthusiasm for it in her classes. She hadn't been involved before, but she was really excited about the idea. I wasn't in an electronics class at the time, but my best friend was. He wanted to go to a meeting. So even though I wasn't too sure of my ability to fit in or contribute (I wasn't engineering minded in particular, I liked art and other such frilly things), I made a deal with him that I'd go to a robotics meeting if he went to a drama meeting.

I didn't like robotics very much at first. It was filled with a bunch of people that were kind of jerks (All of them dropped off the face of the earth when they learned that FRC wasn't like Battlebots and that it involved doing some work), but I stuck with it because I ended up making a bunch of promises to organize stuff. I ended up becoming the president by the end of my freshman year because I was the person who just organized stuff and made sure everyone was 'in the loop'.

Competition eventually started, and after that I was hooked. Turns out I was totally wrong about not fitting in, in time the team became pretty much my family. I've changed teams around a bit in the past four or five years, but I still love FIRST and the environment surrounding it.

Oh, and theater? Totally not a thing I'm involved with anymore. Turns out my best friend kind of won that deal, oops.

[Astrokid248]

Back when I was in fourth grade, which was the 2002/2003 school year, I was a big lego fan and my science teacher told me that there was a team involving legos that I could join. Mom let me, and I discovered how cool robotics was. I signed up for the middle school BEST team and got in in 6th grade, and in 7th grade I formally met the Robonauts. I had met various Robonauts before when they mentored and volunteered, but I didn't realize they were high schoolers. First chance I got I signed up for the FRC team, and the rest is history. My little brother followed me through the ranks, and my best friend to this day is the driver I spotted for back in BEST (she didn't even know my name until midway through the 7th grade season, apparently I was just "that little blond kid with the jigsaw" ). My mom is the Team Mom, and will remain the Team Mom even though both her kids are graduated from the team. It's kind of magical how I went from legos to replacing most of the iron in my blood with aluminum, and all thanks to my elementary school science teacher.

[OliviaG]

My two friends were in FRC team 1094, so they invited me to the 2010 regional competition, so I came and I watched a few matches and I wasn't really interested, I thought it was kind of boring. so a few weeks later they invited me to their Team open house, I went and I got to drive the robots and I thought that was just awesome, then After that I decided to join the team, and once I got in I was HOOKED!! And Since then Its gave me allot of choices for the future.

[Carolyn Duncan]

I learnd about FIRST over time and had to put the pieces together. I had Seen team 122 at the state fair doing an exhibition event in the technology building and my mom walked off and left me because she knew that once I found something I was interested in, she wasn't going to move me until I was ready. I'm not a math person at all, nor am I one for much that revolves around school work. I am, however, a bit handy and a bit mechanically inclined. Really I just grab tools and make stuff that works, I always have. Then one day I was at school typing a paper for some class I was taking. Our teacher sent the whole class to the computer lab to complete the assignment. There was a mindstorms kit on the table in the middle of the room and there was no way I was concentrating on typing with that around... My family still jokes that I was born with Legos in my hands... I had never gotten along well with the computer lab monitor so I didn't say much but I stared and willed them to be my Legos haha! I saw a paper taped on the wall one day talking about a robotics club and meeting so I told my mom I was going and she ignored me. When I got there after school there were 5 students- 2 senior girls, 1 senior guy and 2 freshman guys. We were out numbered by mentors! 2 college students joined, 1 school teacher, and 4 NASA engineers (who all disagreed on everything). I got there a few minutes late and when I walked in I was the jock so everyone stared, when I said "Is this where I get to play with Legos?" I was hooked and gave up playing soccer my senior year. We created team 495 and managed to go to the VCU regional and nationals at EPCOT in 2001.
That's when I met Lavery, and introduced him to water hehehe. I've held many titles, been a part of several teams, and acted in many different capacities which you could never make me regret. I learned a lot about myself and the world around me from FIRST. I have most lovingly been referred to as the "what if" chick and have gotten late night phone calls asking for help. I'm just goo at spotting potential problems or design flaws even if I can't explain them. I have been all over the country for FIRST and have missed it dearly. I'll be back very soon with the next generation.

[starbound1332]

When I was in 7th grade, our FLL teams took a field trip to the SBPLI Regional at Hofstra University. When I saw the robot for the 1st time, I was

WOW!!!!!!!!!

How were they able to build this? Another thing was that the coach of the high school team was a Tech Ed. teacher at the junior high I went to, so I had somewhat of an idea of who she was. The Red/Blue Alliance system confused me back then because I didn't know how it worked. Another thing that confused me was the Gracious Professionalism. I knew a little bit of it from FLL, but I didn't understand it fully. One thing that surprised me was that there were different departments on the team. I always thought the team always worked on the robot, but there were extras, like making buttons. Now being a Junior, I fully understand what goes on in FRC and spread the knowledge to the younger ones, in fact at my regional today, I actual gave an FLL team a tour of the pits and explain what goes on in the program!

[Koko Ed]

Before I joined FIRST I was obsessed with becoming an animator. My ex wife told me there was a program that I could get my hands on if I became involved with FIRST. I tried it out and over the years I found myself more resourceful than skilled with the program and increasing frustration with the contest (it had nothing at all to do with anything the team did) caused me to lose all passion for it. Meanwhile I discovered and new passion for serving FIRST itself. Unfortunately my travels caused me and my wife to drift apart to an eventual separation and divorce and so in a way I'm om a "it's complicated" relationship with FIRST.

[Jaql]

The first time I had heard about FIRST was when my dad was telling me about FLL and brought me a book about it when I was little. When my high school actually offered a robotics club and a chance to join the FRC, I jumped at the chance.

The past three years on this team have been amazing to say the least. Going from writing the Chairman's Award as a freshman to being a primary driver and captain of the Spirit Squad in my junior year, it's been a great experience.

[safiq10]

My adventure with FIRST began with with my computer teacher recruiting me to join our schools robotics team (FLL). I went to the open house and was interested and as the season rolled on I realized I wasn't having that much fun so I was planning on quitting. Then came the Austin Qualifier, there was an FRC robot (the game was Lunacy) that was there and I immediately became hooked in trying to build an FRC robot. A Dean's list finalist began explaining to me what FRC is and how if I continued in FIRST I could eventually build a robot like the one he built. I was determined to build a robot as good as the one I saw, So I dedicated myself to FLL and 5 years later I'm an FRC student with my own FLL team. I only wish I could remember the team that introduced me to it....

[MarcD79]

Well let's see. Back in July of 2002 my son Michael was invited to a picnic by friends he met who were friends with my younger son Chris. He called it a picnic for the robotics team. Come September he wanted to check out the meeting, so my wife took him. The next week she "Got a headache" & asked me to take him. When I met "Engineer Dave" I was hooked. When the new game was revealed in Jan '03 Mike volunteered me to make a miniature ramp because he knew I liked to build things. He also volunteered me to help with the Scrimmage. Boy, I didn't know what I was getting into. Mike graduated in 03, got a FIRST Scholarship to UMASS & now Works at Pratt & Whitney as a Mechanical Engineer. Younger son Chris came on board from 2003-2008. Chris graduated in 07 & is now a navy corpsman in Hawaii with the marines. I have been doing the scrimmage ever since.
Of course it doesn't end there. One of the team mentors & a direct liaison to FIRST pushed me into volunteering at the CT Regional. That was in 2010. I'm still volunteering & was very happy to be Field Supervisor for the Groton & Southington District events in CT.