Where has the GP gone???

[Pjohn1959]

Over the past few days, I have been reading some posts that make me feel that the high level of Gracious Professionalism that we all strive to maintain, is fleeting. There are stories about teams that feel that they were robbed, and teams questioning another team about the legitimacy of their Chairman’s Award. There is another about mentors/engineers in the pits helping to maintain their team’s robot during the matches, and the stories go on.

We ALL put in a tremendous amount of time and effort into the ‘robot’ to make it the best that it can be, and then to see it in competition in the various regionals, This is the fun part of the job. However, this is just a small step in the process. It is my understanding behind the idea of the FIRST competition to Inspire the students to better themselves though Science and Technology, and for them to focus on their future and to continue their development thru higher education.

We should remember that the competitions are just a game, and that the future of this country, and of the lives of the students are much more important. The students that have experienced FIRST are already winners. They are focused and ready to meet the challenges of their post secondary education and to pursue various engineering degrees. They also know the importance of what it means to ‘give back’. I have heard and seen many stories of former FIRST students that have graduated with their degree, and have gone on to either be a mentor, or start up a new FIRST team. This is what the FIRST community should represent.

My two cents worth…