What will FRC 2016 Stronghold be remembered by?

[chandrew]

Tipping fouls specifically.

[pipsqueaker]

I will remember it as the year of close matches. So many matches on Einstein were decided by 5 points or less.

I would have loved to remember this as the year 2056 traded in their streak to take the final world championship, but there is no denying that the beach bots played out of their goddamn minds. 2056's defense bot played so incredibly well too, that defense was truly a wonder to watch. 987 finally entered into the Hall of Fame. Carver came out of the blue to go all the way. Whatever people think about the tiebreakers, I will look fondly back on this year.

Also 1690's pre-match flair was really fun to watch

[Wayne TenBrink]

Originally Posted by mrnoble

... Raise the floor, keep the ceiling high, keep the challenge fresh, engage the culture, etc. I honestly think that Will.i.am's little statement is an "engagement with the culture" and will be a tool for reaching more students. It was the perfect capstone to a great game. I look forward to sharing that little video with my students next fall and watching the interest increase. ....

I won't be sharing that video with my students. Is FIRST changing the culture or is the culture changing FIRST? For the better??? I may be old school, but I found his remarks offensive.

Originally Posted by pipsqueaker

...played out of their goddamn minds. ...

I know people mean well, but I hope we can do better than this. Our choice of words is important.

[mrnoble]

Originally Posted by Wayne TenBrink

Our choice of words is important.

I agree. It's fair to note that the culture is changing, regardless of what happens in FIRST. Language use certainly is a very large part of that change. Websites like IFLScience are obvious hints that what was once barroom language is now out in the open. So what do we do? I guess it's up to each individual, but I know that relationships and mutual respect are key parts of working with students as far as I am concerned, and words are just tools for communicating. If it takes accepting the S and F word as part of respectful and relational dialogue with my kids, then I will gladly go there. Unless you are personally offended by words like bloody, sard, and odds bodkins, then you are also a product of the same evolution of language that is affecting our young people.

[CloakAndDagger]

In relation to will.i.am's statement

When you look at first, the mission statement is to make first as inclusive and attractive to the 'average high school student' as any sports team, and keep it competitive as well. To operate under the assumption that the average high school student doesn't swear, or that in some way having a notorious pop star, who has no aversion towards swearing, swear, reflects poorly on our organization is false in my opinion.

Don't get me wrong, we (FIRST) should attempt to keep up a professional demeanor, but I also think that we need to work on breaking the idea of robotics students being nerds, and geeks, because that doesn't help our organization grow.

On a side note, there is a valid reason that FIRST doesn't mic drive teams

[SeeleySWS]

Originally Posted by CloakAndDagger

On a side note, there is a valid reason that FIRST doesn't mic drive teams

Haha especially this year! I can say that our team's drive teams both had a lot of great moments!

You can complain about what #TSIMFD but Will really said what I think most high schoolers think about the program... I mean we can act like engineers and scientists don't swear but they do... It might not have been professional but it sums up what all the students think.

[NormaLamotte]

Wayne TenBrink, you have it exactly right. If we resort to using coarse language to relate to individuals who are or will become our great thinkers and doers, then my understanding of gracious professionalism is completely undone. Many grandmas were not proud of that comment. Mentors, leaders (and in my community, teachers who want to keep their jobs) and all others who want to work with CHILDREN need to continue to work toward cultivating an environment that is healthy for kids.

[mrnoble]

Originally Posted by NormaLamotte

Wayne TenBrink, you have it exactly right. If we resort to using coarse language to relate to individuals who are or will become our great thinkers and doers, then my understanding of gracious professionalism is completely undone. Many grandmas were not proud of that comment. Mentors, leaders (and in my community, teachers who want to keep their jobs) and all others who want to work with CHILDREN need to continue to work toward cultivating an environment that is healthy for kids.

Clearly we have differing perspectives on this issue. Our communities certainly have different standards for what constitutes an offense worthy of termination, as well. Agree or disagree, isn't it interesting that successful schools exist where the principle uses the f word on back to school night in his welcome speech?

[Akash Rastogi]

Originally Posted by mrnoble

Clearly we have differing perspectives on this issue. Our communities certainly have different standards for what constitutes an offense worthy of termination, as well. Agree or disagree, isn't it interesting that successful schools exist where the principle uses the f word on back to school night in his welcome speech?

I thought the statement was hilarious and candid. He stated how he felt. Dean laughed his butt off right after while hugging him.

If Dean found it amusing, I don't think other people should feel otherwise.

[bvisness]

I thought #tsimfd was funny, but that's not what I'm remembering this year for. I'm remembering it for our team's final qualification match - wherein we flipped our robot over, but STILL GOT THE CAPTURE because our alliance partners pushed us onto the batter.

https://youtu.be/YNJj_0nLkbI

[Gregor]

Originally Posted by Wayne TenBrink

I won't be sharing that video with my students.

You don't have to share it because they've already seen it, that's the beauty of the entire thing. It's already gone "semi-viral" through robotics social media.

Shutting down the "robot kids are total nerds" persona would go a long way into bringing robotics into the mainstream (see: Battlebots), and Mr. I Am is helping do just that.

If you're worried about role models using swear words, you should listen to coaches (including some famous, fantastic mentors) behind the glass. There's a time and place in our culture for swearing, and Mr. I Am nailed it.

[Oblarg]

Originally Posted by Gregor

Shutting down the "robot kids are total nerds" persona would go a long way into bringing robotics into the mainstream (see: Battlebots), and Mr. I Am is helping do just that.

Honestly, this makes me a bit wary.

The fact is, lots of people who enjoy robotics are nerds. While pushing for mainstream acceptance of STEM is obviously a laudable goal, I don't think we should do it at the expense of alienating the people who already like it. When we send the message "no, robotics isn't nerdy, it's actually cool!" we have to be careful that we're not tacitly sending the message that robotics would not be worth enjoying if it were "nerdy." That's equally damaging.

[grstex]

Originally Posted by Wayne TenBrink

I won't be sharing that video with my students. Is FIRST changing the culture or is the culture changing FIRST? For the better??? I may be old school, but I found his remarks offensive.



I know people mean well, but I hope we can do better than this. Our choice of words is important.

“Never use a big word when a little filthy one will do.”
― Johnny Carson

Will.i.am explained it perfectly: he said it the way he felt it. Life's too short to hold back good passion.

The only real shame is that few will remember what he said at closing ceremonies where he told tens of thousands of students that their hard work, ingenuity and entrepreneurship will solve problems like poverty and inner city decay. Maybe if he felt free to speak with the same level of passion, that message would have hit home too.

[pipsqueaker]

I know people mean well, but I hope we can do better than this. Our choice of words is important.

I'm well aware of the importance of diction, and yet sometimes a few well-placed, meaningful profanities can convey meaning and energy just as well (or even better) than any other words

[connor.worley]

Good game. Good balance of offensive objectives and offense vs defense overall. Fun to watch.