Chairman's Award -- is the bar too high now?

[artdutra04]

Don't gauge the success of your team against others, gauge it against how well your team does with the resources available.

Keep aiming for 110% output each and every season, and eventually you'll become a team capable of HOF-style outreach efforts.

[Lil' Lavery]

I forgot one thing I had planned to put in my previous post, which basically echoes the post before this.

What another team accomplished doesn't change what you've accomplished. Just because another team did something incredible and outstanding, it doesn't mean what you did isn't incredible or outstanding. Even if you don't win the Chairman's, it doesn't mean what you did is any less impressive. You shouldn't be any less proud of the effort you put in because of what another team did.

[Alex2614]

I believe that both are true. While the bar is set a little high, and gets higher each time, i don't believe there is such a thing as being TOO high.

Take my team, for example. We are one of three FRC teams in West Virginia. We have begun the process of changing our ENTIRE STATE with FLL, FTC, and FRC teams all over, presentations, etc. While we do not go abroad and travel overseas to start teams like many Chairman award-winning teams do, we still do a lot. And it comes down to what the judges feel is more important (our team as an example): going overseas, or focusing on changing a state that doesn't have much excitement of science and technology at all. Again, i'm just using 2614 as an example, this can apply to anyone. I think that if the judges do their job, they will see what impact a team has had, not just how far they've reached.

There will always be teams that do more than yours. Some teams just simply have more resources or are in an area that actually needed FIRST to be spread, unlike a lot of larger cities. Some teams are just blessed with these things, and these teams will win chairmans if they use their blessings wisely. However, that doesn't mean that other teams don't DESERVE chairmans. But i do feel that a team shouldn't do things just to win chairmans or engineering inspiration. They should be doing them because they want to make an impact. And any team that does this out of their hearts deserves recognition, even without an award to show it.

Yes, the bar might be a little high, but that should be the inspiration for other teams to strive for. Not all teams will win chairmans, but most of them do, however, deserve it in one way or another.

[Ichlieberoboter]

We had an issue with that. My friend and I were freshman on the team this year and we really wanted to do chairmans but the entire year the people who had been on the team previously said they had never submitted it and tried to convince us not to because they said we wouldn't win anyway. We kept working on doing more outreach and doing the chairmans essay, executive summaries, and video just on our own time instead of during practice since they didn't want us to, even though they told us we should just not do it. We finished it all barely on time (literally submitted it 13 seconds before the deadline) but we got it in. At competition, we actually ended up winning the judges award for all of the outreach we did. We are going to continue to submit chairmans and hopefully continue to improve with our outreach and presentation. Hopefully the rest of our team will start to realize the importance of chairmans and put more of an effort into it. It was a cool experience winning an award for our efforts and we hope other teams will be able to experience this as well. We also started to help our team realize and realize ourselves that it's not just about winning the award, it's the effort and the difference you make that is the important part.

[mrnoble]

This year, we applied for chairman's for the first time since our rookie season in 2004, because we had been focused on community service for a number of years and we wanted to share that with the FIRST community. While I don't regret encouraging the team to apply, I currently feel neutral about the experience and the award. I am leaning toward not having the team go through the process again. Here are my reasons.

1) The type of work that we are doing doesn't seem to fit the model. Our team is using their skills in STEM and fundraising to meet needs in our community, and it makes a difference, and I'm really proud that they are doing this. But I am unclear on whether it is what the kind of stuff that the award is intended to honor. Not saying that what I see Chairman's winners doing is bad (clearly not); it's just not quite our style, I guess.

2) I thought that going through the application process would help the students better understand and appreciate what they are already doing, but I don't think it actually did that for them. They like doing the service work anyway, and keeping a tally seemed more to be a distraction than a focusing tool.

3) kind of related to #1, I'm not sure that there isn't an element of self-promotion for FIRST that goes into what is judged to be good Chairman's work. FLL is great of course, but it's pretty clear that no one is going to win the award if their team doesn't start or mentor FLL. This is a bad comparison, but it's just a little like the Coke company giving a humanitarian award to a person for saving a remote village from dying of thirst by providing them with Coke products.

4) the effort to make the video, write the paper and executive summary, and prepare the presentation was a distraction for some of my best students, who have told me that they regret having agreed to work on it. They would rather have had their hands in the robot and the service work, and I don't blame them.

5) Probably the biggest deal: I am guessing on all of this. Is the bar set too high? How would we know? Without direct feedback, all I can go on is what other teams share, and on stuff from the past. Kids are now feeling disappointed and frustrated; not because they didn't win, but because they don't know if what they worked so hard on telling the community about was just shouting into the wind.

Anyway, those are my current thoughts on the matter. Thanks to whoever revived this topic.

[MysterE]

After four years of submitting for Chairmans Award, we won it at the Bayou Regional. Did we do all of the outreach we did to win? No. Did we use the criteria of what a Chairmans Award team is supposed to be? Heck yes.

I think what most people don't realize is that a regional level, a Chairmans Award is definitely reachable. It's simply about finding a niche and filling it. Our team's success is based on firsts. We started the first offseason in the Bayou Regional, the first FTC Qualifier in the state, the first official Kickoff in the state. . . And so on. If you were to have asked me last year if winning a Chairmans is possible for every team. . . I'm not sure. But looking back, I can see our learning curve. You have to find your own magic. You have to determine what makes YOUR team worthy to be called a Chairmans team.

Now... Looking to the World level. We know that winning this year is a pipe dream. If it weren't then we'd already be done and we have so much farther to go. Still, It's not beyond our reach, just currently out of our grasp. It's not about what any other team has done either. It's the magic that we bring. What magic does your team bring? What makes your outreach distinct? What is it about your team that makes people stop and take notice? If you haven't figured that out yet; that would be the first step. Let's face it. Everyone does demos. Everyone talks to politicians. Everyone does a lot of things. . . But what do YOU do? Where is YOUR heart?

It's not impossible. It's hard. And the tears of the struggle will be made all that more sweet from the striving.

[waialua359]

Originally Posted by MysterE

I think what most people don't realize is that a regional level, a Chairmans Award is definitely reachable.

This part of your post caught my attention.
I think in some respects, winning at a regional level can be more difficult than at the Championship level.


And I could go on for hours as to why.
The only thing I will say is that for us personally, winning any categorical award at the Hawaii regional is much much harder than it was when we started participating there at the inaugural 2008 event.

Congratulations to all that have won it this season and good luck at the Championships.

[kjolana1124]

Originally Posted by gvarndell

Kids are extremely competitive.
They don't like pursuing unattainable goals.

Tell that to the kid who says he's going to teach himself how to fly. Or to the one who swears that if he just reaches far enough he'll touch the moon. Or to the girl who says if she digs enough she'll find China. Tell that to kids who grow up to be real engineers.

Maybe I'm seeing things with a slight rose-colored bend, but I'd rather that than give up. These goals are not unattainable. Every team will just attack them differently and at different paces. Think about it: 341 did not do all this in one year. That being said, how come they didn't win this in the past? Clearly other teams have also done other great things. Next year another team will go up on that stage, and we'll be talking about the great things they've done.

As a mentor, I encourage you to have your students look at what 341 did. Explore the steps they took. See how you can translate it for your team. A goal is only unattainable if you let it be.

[Bill_B]

Originally Posted by kjolana1124

... A goal is only unattainable if you let it be.

This the point at which Robert Browning begins to resonate:

The aim, if reached or not, makes great the life: Try to be Shakespeare, leave the rest to fate!

Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?

-------
I leave it to your google skill-set to find the sources.

[JaneYoung]

Originally Posted by Bill_B

This the point at which Robert Browning begins to resonate:

The aim, if reached or not, makes great the life: Try to be Shakespeare, leave the rest to fate!

Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?

-------
I leave it to your google skill-set to find the sources.

Very true and yet, we have several teams who are worthy now of the Championship Chairman's and have been, just as 341 has been. There are other teams who grow closer with each passing year. We are not lacking in any way of worthy teams who work hard each year to maintain that worth and to deepen it.

If teams think the Chairman's Award is unobtainable, it is the thinking of the team that is limiting the possibility. It is not the award or the potential opportunity of garnering the award that is limiting the possibility. When a team understands that it is limiting itself and wants to change that, then it can begin to plan, to organize, and to decide what to do about the directions that it is free (and has been free) to move in. Some teams have a hard time figuring that out but when they do - it is golden. That is when the truth of Mr. Browning's words ring truest.

Jane

[dtengineering]

I think it all comes down to what motivates you... if you're doing good things for kids and in the community just so you can win a banner, a hunk of shiny plastic and a high-five from the judges, then you might be disheartened by how hard it is to win.

If you're doing good things for kids and the community because you want to do good things for kids and the community... then you're going to win every year. Maybe you won't win the Chairman's award, but you'll be inspired by those who do.


Jason

[pfreivald]

Originally Posted by dtengineering

I think it all comes down to what motivates you... if you're doing good things for kids and in the community just so you can win a banner, a hunk of shiny plastic and a high-five from the judges, then you might be disheartened by how hard it is to win.

If you're doing good things for kids and the community because you want to do good things for kids and the community... then you're going to win every year. Maybe you won't win the Chairman's award, but you'll be inspired by those who do.


Jason

Amen. Is there somewhere that we can make this a permanent banner for FIRST?

[Carolyn_Grace]

Originally Posted by kjolana1124

In the hotel in Atlanta, when our Chairman's presenters were going over our presentation, we seemed to get off task a lot. A few times I tried to get us back into focus, to which they responded "We're not going to win anyway, why does it matter?"

Something that we have found that works to "keep the presenters focused" is to actually practice our presentation in a very busy area. This brings everyone together, makes it a team event, emphasizes how hard the students work that present, and helps the presenters feel like they're not missing out on the fun at the hotel.

Last year they practiced in the pool at the hotel! It was great. They took turns saying their parts, while the other two goofed around. There were balls flying, people swimming around us, and squirting us with squirt guns, and everyone was laughing. It made the practice session a lot of fun. It also kept the presenters focused...they were able to relax and turned it into a game (they won if they could get through their part without laughing).

It was much much more effective than practicing in a quiet room, as if they were presenting to the actual judges. By having many things around them that could possibly distract them, they actually concentrated on focusing better.

And the rest of the team helped them, encouraged them, and made a big deal about how awesome it was that we were competing for the Chairman's Award.

[Lil' Lavery]

To anyone who thinks that Daisy has raised to bar to places well beyond where it has been before didn't pay attention to the teams who are already in the Hall of Fame. I, personally, have done outreach with two Hall of Fame teams (111 and 365) shortly after each won the Championship Chairman's award. I've competed at Philadelphia Regional, where three hall of fame teams attend annually (103, 365, and 341). My teams have submitted at events where 234 and 612 won, two teams that haven't yet been inducted to the Hall of Fame, but will be. The team I mentor was founded by someone who previously mentored a Hall of Fame team. I can tell you that the bar for this award has been tremendously high for some time.

Make no mistake about it, this isn't in any way to belittle Daisy or what they accomplished. But as anyone else who's familiar with Daisy and their history can attest to, they're far from the only incredible team in the mid-Atlantic regional or the Philadelphia regional. 341 has a long history of success, they won RCAs in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, and 2010. But you can see the holes in that legacy. The holes where teams 357 (2006), 1727 (2007), and 433 (2009) stepped up their game and managed to convert the incredible things they accomplished into an RCA in an event where 341 submitted. And from the opposite perspective, ask Daisy how they felt about having to submit in the same area as 365 for so many years before MOE won Chairman's.

And for all those who feel that age is a prerequisite to winning Chairman's, I suggest you re-read the paragraph before this one. 1727 won a RCA at the Chesapeake regional in only their second year. 341 submitted at that regional. I won't pretend that a long tradition of continued and increasing impact isn't helpful. I won't pretend that a RCA is the same as winning it in Atlanta/Indianapolis. But it shows that even the most storied and legendary teams are not guaranteed to receive the honors over a younger team if that younger team truly is a role-model.

The ultimate message is one that has been said far more eloquently and effectively already. But if you strive to win the Chairman's solely for the sake of winning Chairman's, you're missing the point.

[IKE]

I am having a corny morning
So consider this fair warning:


It is uninspiring to catch,
A bar without a stretch.

Only Dreamers dare to go,
To levels they don't know.

So if the bar is still in sight,
Then height is set just right.

Great job to the Hall of Famers
Who found their moments to shine.

You will never find yours
If your wanting "To get mine."

Each year it gets more difficult
And thus more prestigous to win.

Most of us need to be ok
With stretching as "Our End".

********
I forget who posted this in another Chairman's thread, but this is a great question to ask yourself and worth repeating often throughout the year. "If they no longer gave out the award, would you still be doing what you are doing?" They were not referring to the documentation (although that is important too), but the actions that your team is doing. It is OK to say "no". I probably wouldn't have tried certain things, but after doing so, I am glad that we did them. I think that is why they give the award. As an incentive for us to try (and document) new things, and for the bar to exist that we are stretching to reach.