It’s one of everyone’s favorite reoccurring topics: complaining about people throwing paper airplanes from the stands while waiting for the Einstein matches to start. A quick search shows at least three such threads from last year alone.
The regularity of these threads indicates that people voicing their concerns after the fact, then waiting a year and hoping things will change is not working. I’m hoping that by having this discussion before Championship the community can do something to address these concerns, rather than just continuing to beat a dead horse.
My personal take:
I recognize that throwing paper airplanes can be an enjoyable way to pass the time between when you have to claim a seat around the Einstein fields and when the matches actually start. I recognize that some people consider this a tradition that is part of the Championship experience. (I can remember sitting in the stands in 2003 and watching a few stray paper airplanes make their way down from the upper levels, so it has been done to some extent for as long as Championship has been in a dome.)
I did not attend Championship last year, but based on my experience in 2014 I think that it has gotten out of hand. At the very least, I think that people who feel compelled to throw paper airplanes should take some responsibility for cleaning them up. Ultimately, I would not miss this practice if it went away entirely.
If my team will let me stay behind I don’t mind helping. If i’m going to throw paper airplanes might as well help pick them up.
I know it is an opposing viewpoint, but I like the challenge of getting the airplane to the curtain. In fact my plan was to buy a small buzzer motor that goes in a phone, 3d print a small propeller, attach a small dime battery, throw it, and be done. I agree that it is a problem when people are throwing during Einstien Prep and matches, in fact I was appalled that they threw their planes during that time. Trash at an event like this will happen no matter what anyone does and the staff are prepared for it.
At this point I’m going to be quiet, because the more I try to add the worst it will get. If you want to say your team to not throwing paper airplanes fine, in fact we may do that in the end. I just wanted to say that I liked the challenge of trying to hit the curtain, and that I wouldn’t mind helping to insure that others have the same fun when the teams are board sitting in the stands.
One of the issues is that the majority of the airplanes end of littering the dome floor, which is at the end of the competition rightfully reserved for celebration of the winning team.
There just isn’t the option of allowing other people down on the dome to help clean up.
Respectfully, your sentiment of “If I’m going to throw paper airplanes, I might as well help pick them up.” just isn’t an option. If you truly believe you should help clean up your own messes, then don’t make the mess in the first place.
Like anything else, it’s a fun activity that is spoiled by people who clearly don’t think before doing. 90% of the people play by the rules and it’s fine, the other 10% spoil it for everyone.
Ostensibly the challenge is to create a plane or two or five, and fly it to see how far you can make it go. It’s like a little engineering challenge.
The people who spoil the fun for everyone:
People who toss airplanes at the wrong time, such as during matches.
People who toss non-airplanes just for the sake of tossing them, such as crumped balls of paper or other litter. (Why?)
People who go overboard, tossing buckets of scrap paper down without even bothering to make a plane.
I do agree that if you make 'em, you should participate in cleaning up afterward.
Our team views it as extremely disrespectful. If people were throwing garbage onto the field of any sporting event they would be escorted out. I’ve witnessed countless eyes wander from very impactful guest speakers just to watch a paper airplane that nearly lands on the field. How any team can justify that this is professional behavior is beyond me. If teams truly view it as an engineering challenge, set up an area in a hallway and supply a bunch of paper. Create a competition out of it and spread the word. Once you build your plane and fly it down the hallway record your distance, and then recycle it. (I doubt all the paper on the field mixed with trash is recycled).
You will not see anyone on 2052 throwing airplanes.
I’ll be sure to add this topic to our team itinerary.
Namely, “Littering via throwing paper airplanes in the Dome does not align with Team 1678’s public image. Please focus your energy and enthusiasm towards the competition and your roles on the the travel team.”
Also, the paper airplanes can be disruptive to matches. A ref needed to remove this airplane from the field before Einstein Finals Match 2.
Although not every team will, I’m sure many teams could be proactive in addressing this behavior.
Now, it doesn’t help when a CMP speaker tells your kids to throw them
The only way the plane/trash throwing is going to stop is if FIRST does something about it. Just asking people to stop is not working. Add a rule in the Admin manual with a Team Update, send an email to mentors, and instruct volunteers/security to enforce the rule. Teams throwing trash (paper planes included) onto the unsuspecting people below should be removed from the dome. This is not just a GP issue, it is a safety issue.
No one on our team threw any airplanes last year until this happened. After that, well, I lost my motivation to explain to students why I thought throwing airplanes was poor behavior.
We did pick up airplanes on our way out to throw them away, but the garbages were already overflowing, so all we really accomplished was a spreading of this silly mess from the stands into the hallway.
It was difficult to tell our 6 year old son he wasn’t allowed to throw airplanes when he was surrounded by high school students and adults doing the same.
FIRST Championships: Setting Back Good Parenting Since 2003
I may have not been paying attention but has FIRST ever even asked the crowd to not throw paper airplanes. It seems by just making it clear at the start of opening ceremonies would decrease airplane throws dramatically. Instead all I’ve hear is occasional encouragement to throw the airplanes.
Do it all at once, as an organized event. When the speaker asks, do it then, and not again. Have fun with it during that set downtime, and get it out of the system.
I don’t think you’ll find many mentors who want to see this continue. It’s students that are causing this and it’s troubling that their mentors are absent/don’t care/aren’t respected enough to be listened to. At this point, it may take a official FIRST message to make them stop.
I’m not sure I’ve seen this mentioned but as someone who has been hit in the head repeatably by paper airplanes that were inexpertly made and thrown, I’m not a big fan.
It bears looking for the root cause here; people are bored, paper airplanes are fun and the dome offers a pretty awesome place to fly them.
I’d propose a formal (either FIRST or team organized) paper airplane contest. Each team gets the same paper/whatever, launches from the same place and graded on whatever criteria seems appropriate. Let people get it out of their system in a positive and easier to control manner.
