Whats the beef in FIRST?

[Greg Perkins]

OK guys,

what is going on this year? this humble bit of cyberspace has become a warzone of ego's. I mean we are here to build robots, thats it, not to make enemies, and not to prove anything. Just build your bot, and stop being such a antagonist to other people's designs. We ALL make mistakes, you should not jump head over heels about something someone posts, either directly relating to you or your bot, and just let the other person realize their mistakes and appologize for what they find wrong.

Now for those people who have known me since i joined CD, i and kinda of taking a peice of my own medicne. When i first joined CD, i made a extravaggantly remark about team 60 in 2002, in rough quotes "wow, thats good, but thats nothing compared to what we have". I'm still shooting myself in the foot for that comment, even today. I am trying to help all of you by teaching all of you from my mistakes, IE being cocky and arrogant, and finally realizing that i can be wrong.

So please folks, lets make this place warm, thought provoking, and nice. why ruin such a good thing over your views of someone.


random blurb,

this post has been inspired by my disgust of the community in the past year, and the views of others who notice the exact same thing. please, note these are my opinions only (do not reflect upon team 134, or ashley weed) and please feel free to chime in with your comments, mind you that they shall remain nameless if directed upon someone specifically.


keep it real,

Greg

[JVN]

Greg,
I'm gonna have to ask... what??

I thought this year everyone has been relatively well behaved compared to others. Maybe I'm just mellowing out and not noticing the bad stuff.

This is the year of good-feelings, as far as I'm concerned.
-John

[Greg Perkins]

John,

In a whole aspect, it has been a great year, however there are those small things that happen. I didnt start this thread as a way to slander other people around, but merely a tool to learn from.

and i do appologize in advance if anybody takes this the wrong way, it isnt meant to be taken in a negative way

[Collmandoman]

it's because we reelected $#$#...., people are complacent with anything these days.. no but really I have noticed.. but it's poor human nature
it's a pity we can't all walk away with a gold medal ~ because we all deserve one by shipping in 6 weeks ad everything we've taught and learned
people will be people -- whatever that means
totally boring post

[Emily Pease]

I think that each year there are more and more rookies who haven't quite gotten past the "so...this is like Battlebots, right?" idea, or they're just not well-versed in the FIRST mentality. You just have to be patient and teach by example.

I do kind of agree with you about the change in atmosphere around here, and my guess is that sometimes, the new members here don't "look before they leap" (they don't read through the forums to make sure they'll be saying something appropriate to this audience), and they probably should.

Overall, though, I think that FIRST and the CD community is as great as ever.

[Andy Baker]

Every year, about this time, some newer FIRST folks say some things that they later regret. They go to a competition, get a dose of GP, and change their way of thinking.

This is nothing new. It is enjoyable to watch, imo. People grow up, mature and realize that it is not all about them and their team.

I do agree with John, though, as this trend has seemed to be less prevalent this year.

Andy B.

[IMDWalrus]

Originally Posted by Andy Baker

Every year, about this time, some newer FIRST folks say some things that they later regret. They go to a competition, get a dose of GP, and change their way of thinking.

This is nothing new. It is enjoyable to watch, imo. People grow up, mature and realize that it is not all about them and their team.

I do agree with John, though, as this trend has seemed to be less prevalent this year.

Andy B.

Or, in the case of some of us, we say something we shouldn't during or after the competition season.

I made a post like that in my first year here...and then I went to Nationals, and I figured out what gracious professionalism is supposed to be.

Just give it time. I haven't seen any major issues this year, although I haven't been posting as much as I did in the past. As we get into the season and people begin seeing what GP really is, we'll most likely get beyond whatever issues we're having now.

[Eugenia Gabrielov]

I think I actually see what Greg is saying pretty well. The reason I think it has been a good year is that comments and issues have been managed quickly and maturely by other members of the FIRST community and/or moderators.

As a program grows, no matter what type of program it is, there are logistical issues. This is one of them, but since it is being handled well, I think that this competition season will bring a lot more GP then usual.

I think things are changing in that regard because more and more FIRST people are getting involved with new teams. Individuals that have already experienced the thrill and courtesy of competition can pass that on, so it helps to foster less of a battlebots attitude earlier in the game.

Good luck everyone,

Greg, thank you for bringing up your concern. If anybody was considering making a comment like that, I would hope they would think twice after reading your post.

- Genia

[KathieK]

Originally Posted by Collmandoman

it's a pity we can't all walk away with a gold medal ~ because we all deserve one by shipping in 6 weeks ad everything we've taught and learned

You are absolutely right! But somewhere along the line you start to take pride in your accomplishments and realize that while the gold medals are certainly nice to receive, it's the process of getting there that is just as important.

We had a "Mudslide Madness Meeting" last night (non-alcoholic) to celebrate the completion of a robot before ship date; the submission of a Chairman's Award on time; the submission of the Website on time (which took some work to update); and the submission of an animation by a freshman who pulled her first FIRST-all-nighter in order to complete it on time! These are great accomplishments!

And I agree, the posts I've been reading are less critical than in previous years.