Language at Championships

[Richard Wallace]

Originally Posted by Tetraman

If I had a FIRST team, the only time we'd go to Nationals is if we won a regional, and intead attend as many regionals as we could.

That pretty much sums up how our team planned for 2006.

We went to Atlanta last year as first-time regional CA winners, after having really enjoyed both our home regional and Buckeye. Many of us found the Championship overwhelming.

This year we earned an Atlanta slot with a regional EI award, but decided we'd only go if we could get our robot working well enough to be part of a winning alliance at our second regional (Waterloo). So our FRC team didn't go to Atlanta, but two of our FVC teams did.

Team picnic is coming up next weekend, and I'm looking forward to the discussion of goals for next year.

Back to the main topic here: certainly we can all agree that rude language is not GP. If you wouldn't say something in front of your grandmother, you shouldn't say it at a FIRST event.

[Cody Carey]

I agree, but I also probably don't keep a 100% clean mouth, especially
if Gay is a bad word. I would never go down a hall yelling the F word,
or anything even close to it... but if in the heat of a match I let the big
D out, I can't help it (the big D is not darn). I try to limit these things,
and when I do say them, they are usually under my breath and to
myself because I feel that I didn't perform as well as I should have.
Overall, I couldn't agree more that loudly yelling profanities is a
VERY BAD IDEA.

[Emily Pease]

Originally Posted by Cody C

I agree, but I also probably don't keep a 100% clean mouth, especially if Gay is a bad word.

Using the word "gay" as a synonym for "bad" is far more offensive to me than any swear word, and it seems to be used so often by high school students.

Topic: I totally agree with everyone who is disappointed about the cursing and general non-GP behavior sprouting nowadays; what can we do about it? I think the best way is to begin within our own teams. Lead by example, and don't be afraid to tell someone when he or she is out of line.

[JaneYoung]

Robotics teams are excellent vehicles for developing not only your engineering skills and talents but your social skills and your abilities to communicate, make wise judgements, apply common sense, and respect flexibility.

You don't wake up one day and become social or eloquent. These are skills you practice just like you practice driving the robot. It isn't something that you do when a judge walks by, it is something you do in the shop or the garage when things are getting a little tense.

'Dance like you are two and no one is watching' is a common phrase these days. Speaking with grace and dignity like Woodie's grandmother is near could be a common practice among FIRSTers.

[Kims Robot]

I didnt notice it as much at championships (I think I was too busy!) but I had noticed it more earlier this year with our team. The kids finally learned better than to swear or say anything rude in front of me... as they would get (they dubbed it) "the look of death". Its kind of funny, we all laugh about it, but I think they all dont ever want to see it too!

Now I was a kid too, and my mouth isnt always clean... but there are times where it just isnt necessary... I dont mind it if they hurt themselves, or if there is a situation where someone is really really frustrated... but its the casual throwing around of swears and things like that that I frown on and tried to condition my team against. Why bother if it might offend someone? Surely there are other words you can use...

We dont make our grandmothers proud by swearing in front of them, so why should it be commonplace?

[prettycolors91]

Originally Posted by Emily Pease

Using the word "gay" as a synonym for "bad" is far more offensive to me than any swear word, and it seems to be used so often by high school students.

Thats definetly the same thing for me. Using Gay in a derogatory way shows ignorance. It's the same thing as using Straight as a synonym for bad...it just doesn't make any sense, does it? If you mean "bad" then say "Bad" for goodness sake.

[mtaman02]

I happen to agree with the language being used by students and every once and awhile you will also hear it fly out of a mentor or an adult body surrounding the team. FIRST like many has said is a high paced sport, things that go on during a 2:10 match take many peoples breathes away. As the generations grow older and FIRST becomes more advanced in its game making we will probably hear more "bad" words being used. Personally even though the Mentors / Coaches or the adult bodies that be are responsible for how their team reacts during an event I strongly believe that students on the team should be held accountable and should know when too much use is to much, with having said this, I also strongly believe and agree that FIRST should give more responsibility to their assigned Judges in watching the teams overall performance and if necessary void a teams ability to win an award based on the language used. One bad apple spoils the bunch, One too many cooks spoils the soup. Yes its hard to watch & hear everyone during an event but keeping an ear out for such words should not be hard to do. Espicially when those who use it make sure its said loudly. Your actions not only reflect who you are but what your apart of, those who wanna use bad language will cost the team alot of glory but not winning say the team spirit award or a different award based on the teams ability to being appropriate.The other way to solve such problem can be delt with on the teams level by enforcing a bad language rule. Those Members who decide to use obscene language should be discharged from the team for any amount of time the coaches seem fit or indefinitely depending on how often the student uses the word.

I admit I use bad language that just about everyone else uses but there is a time and place for it all, one place it should not be is at any FIRST on non-FIRST sanctioned event. You may use it within the privacy of your own home or neighborhood not in a spectator friendly sport.

[Tetraman]

Originally Posted by Richard

Back to the main topic here: certainly we can all agree that rude language is not GP. If you wouldn't say something in front of your grandmother, you shouldn't say it at a FIRST event.

There it is! Thats what I was trying to remember for this post.

[KTorak]

Originally Posted by deficite

I'll close up saying that I was disappointed when I heard all the people laughing when the speech announcing the Chairman's Award was taking place. I thought it was very unprofessional and childish to say the least. I'd like to see any of the people laughing at the speaker (over something as silly as just having a running nose, which is what it sounded like) stand up in front of an international event and make a speech.

I also thought it was really unprofessional for teams to be leaving during the speech in order to go the party quicker. It's not like there wasn't going to be enough tables to seat everyone or enough food to feed a small army. The teams leaving obviously didn't realize that there were still tons of teams who had to completely crate their robot and pack up before leaving the dome.

Originally Posted by lukevanoort

I have been known to slip in the odd expletive when I crunch/burn/cut/rip/abrade/solder/puncture/electrocute/smash/etc. my fingers, but only in our shop, use of foul language at a competition is really a stupid idea. A competition is like a massive job orientation, and you don't swear at one of those do you? What you say is great advice and should be taken by every team. (Although it can be hard to enforce a no swearing rule)

That's understandable, and i'm sure many people do that in private. But I agree that it is unaccaptable at an event in front of the public.

[Eugenia Gabrielov]

Originally Posted by KTorak

I also thought it was really unprofessional for teams to be leaving during the speech in order to go the party quicker. It's not like there wasn't going to be enough tables to seat everyone or enough food to feed a small army. The teams leaving obviously didn't realize that there were still tons of teams who had to completely crate their robot and pack up before leaving the dome.

I am going to go off topic very quickly to negate this. Many teams left early because the event was running behind and they had to make their flights, their buses...my team had to leave very quickly right after the awards, some teams may have had even less flexibility.

Back on track - it's hard to control cursing at competition. The simplest thing to do is to just deal with it, but if an opportunity comes to fix the situation, take it.

[Mike Betts]

Originally Posted by Eugenia Gabrielov

I am going to go off topic very quickly to negate this. Many teams left early because the event was running behind and they had to make their flights, their buses...my team had to leave very quickly right after the awards, some teams may have had even less flexibility...

To add to Eugenia's comments, the 12 teams playing on Einstein had a pit to pack up and a robot to crate...

[lukevanoort]

I have been known to slip in the odd expletive when I crunch/burn/cut/rip/abrade/solder/puncture/electrocute/smash/etc. my fingers, but only in our shop, use of foul language at a competition is really a stupid idea. A competition is like a massive job orientation, and you don't swear at one of those do you? What you say is great advice and should be taken by every team. (Although it can be hard to enforce a no swearing rule)

[Beth Sweet]

Personally, I know that on my team, that kind of language is just not acceptable. The kids know that I don't tolerate it and, although they try to find amusing ways to get around the no bad words rule, they are pretty good about not using the language. It's all about what you ask of your students.

[Melissa Nute]

I only saw one really ungracious moment by a team and that was in which someone threw down their safety googles breaking them into pieces.

[MattK]

Just remember,

The Press/Media has almost unlimited accesses to anywhere at a FIRST Event (minus the gray carpet)... how bad would it be if 20/20 was doing a expose on FIRST, and they happened to catch an act like that on camera... some kid looses a match, and looses their cool... it would be a very bad representation of both FIRST and your Team. Just remember we all represent FIRST and our team while we are at an event that is open to the public!