Matt - I agree completely, and you said it quite well. Thank you.
The focus has changed, and it’s no longer what we signed up for. I realize that in the greater scheme, it may not be a big deal for FIRST to lose one team here and there. For us though, and for our kids, it’s quite disappointing.
I have to tell you based on first hand experience, this championship has been epic. The issues with the pit fields can be fixed, more bleacher space, some noise control measures and most issues are fixed.
From my perspective, it’s been pretty exciting have part of the competition right there where the teams are. It’s exciting to be able to go back and forth between the teams and games with no effort. The fields bring a lot of energy and excitement into the pits. I think you get some real good synergy with all three environments, pit field, pit, dome field.
The concert last night was also pretty epic. The BEP put on a good concert and when this airs Aug 14th on ABC, there are going to be a lot of people who get their first taste of FIRST, they are going to see students honored for the Dean’s List, they are going to see students honored for Chairman’s, they are going to see some sweet looking robots on stage with the BEP.
It’s like a twilight zone episode where two universes briefly intersect and one world gets a glimpse into another world where science and technology are real and accessible.
I think the 2011 FIRST World Championship will be one of those years we look back to where a change was made to move this organization up a level and open a new frontier for growth of one of the great inventions of the 21st century.
from those who weren’t there: Thanks for the info on this. I agree that this might be a really big boost for FIRST.
I got my first taste of FIRST from a story on one of TechTV’s shows, while that channel was briefly available in Israel. It got me hooked on first and paved the way for a B.Sc and an M.Sc in Mechanical Engineering.
Don’t underestimate the power of the media to achieve FIRST’s goals, and don’t underestimate FIRST HQ’s drive to achieve those goals.
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