Meeting FIRST People in odd places

[Jeff Waegelin]

So, I'm down here at the University of Michigan for Band Week, and already, in just the Trumpet section, I've met three former FIRST people. One was from 226, one from 240, and one all the way from 374 in Anchorage, Alaska. Apparently, there are quite a few FIRSTers in the Michigan Marching Band that I haven't met, also. This got me thinking about something. Where have you met FIRST people in odd places? By odd places, I mean anywhere that you wouldn't consider a FIRST-related activity. So, what are your stories? They don't have to be much, but I think it would be cool to get an idea of where FIRSTers are in the "outside world."

[Rickertsen2]

I met a "First person" in a barber shop once.

[Joe Lambie]

One day at my post office I was wearing a t-shirt from my freshman year on team 93 and this guy asked me if I had been in the FIRST program. I started talking with him and found out he was one of the original mentors for my team, however he retired and left by the time I had arrived on the team. I just found it amusing and neat that in an area of 250,000 people, and maybe 500 having come in contact with he team, and two alumnus come across each other and are able to connect because of FIRST. Definitely one of my cooler experiences as a result of the program.

[RogerR]

met a guy while camping at hart springs, whose brother had been the team captain for a miami team (not sure of number)

[lallamavolador]

Originally Posted by RogerR

met a guy while camping at hart springs, whose brother had been the team captain for a miami team (not sure of number)

there are only 2 miami teams.... 59 and 10-something, if its 59 I know m,ost of the recent team captains

[lallamavolador]

I was on a plane to london and i saw some kid with a FIRST shirt on, turns out he had the seat next to me on the plane....when i asked him about his team it was awkward because he told me "this is my brothers shirt" lol but it was still cool we talked about robotics for about 2 hours into the flight before it began awkward conversations so i started watching a movie...i forgot the team tho

[Billfred]

Originally Posted by lallamavolador

there are only 2 miami teams.... 59 and 10-something, if its 59 I know m,ost of the recent team captains

Add to that the former 212.

[Éowyn]

Well, this is summer, my family went to a water park near us, and the ticket-taker was from team 1625! He immediatly recognized my brother and I from the milwakee regional, and we had a short little chat. A little reminder that January can't come fast enough!

[lallamavolador]

Originally Posted by Billfred

Add to that the former 212.

true ....our mentor used to be the mentor of team 212

[Arefin Bari]

Originally Posted by lallamavolador

there are only 2 miami teams.... 59 and 10-something, if its 59 I know m,ost of the recent team captains

The other team is 1029 - Wolvcats.

[Saru29]

I was working at a boycout camp over the summer and i discovered that one of the fellow staff members was from 1089. I was quite surprised! I had also met a kid from 303 while attending another camp in pennsylvania.

[sporno]

actually for me .. i awalys see people from my youth group in FIRST... at the VCU regional I saw like 3 people and was like OH my g-d!

[robbekid]

Ahhhh this was funny, once I came back from the LI regional and was playing Tribes a first person shooter for those who dont know the game, turns out i mentioned the competition and the driver from the team we were up against in the semi finals, also played and we talked about the game. it was weird cause I had known him for 2-3 years..

[Pavan Dave]

Originally Posted by robbekid

Ahhhh this was funny, once I came back from the LI regional and was playing Tribes a first person shooter for those who dont know the game, turns out i mentioned the competition and the driver from the team we were up against in the semi finals, also played and we talked about the game. it was weird cause I had known him for 2-3 years..

Something similar happened to me actually. I played a game called RuneScape and I was in a clan and I said "Hey guys, long time no see, robotics has been keeping me busy," and so one of the guys on there says, "You in FIRST robotics?" and I said, "Yeah, team 118," and he was like "Dude that is awesome." Apparently him and his two friends who had been my three online buddies that I had known for 2 years were all in robotics and met up at championships last year which was kind of awkward but cool at the same time.

Pavan.

[Not2B]

Waitress saw the FIRST logo on my shirt and asked if I worked with a team. She had never been on a team, never been to an event, didn't know anyone on a team, never saw a TV show about FIRST... so I asked how she knew about FIRST.

She is studing marketing, and one assignment was to pick out a cool logo they knew nothing about, and then research it and report back to the class what it ment and who it was for. She has picked out the FIRST logo cuz it was so cool looking, and then had to explaine FIRST's mission to an entire marketing class.

We're everywhere...