ChiefDelphi In 2012 - Some Thoughts

FIRST General Forum
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There are many of us who have learned to appreciate the value of ChiefDelphi over the years. There are many of us who are discovering the usefulness of the many threads in ChiefDelphi. All of us are experiencing the community of ChiefDelphi and the opportunities that the community provides and is capable of.

For many years,following the announcements of the Woodie Flowers Award Finalists, there were threads created to congratulate them and celebrate that very special time of recognition with them. The same was true for the Regional Chairman’s Award winners. When each moved on to the Nationals and later, the Championship event, the Woodie Flowers Award winner and the team who garnered the Chairman’s Award at Championship level - were celebrated with wonderful photos of the moment and happy threads recognizing their success and achievements.

I’m very sad to see so little celebration of our WFFAs and our CAs in 2012 here in ChiefDelphi. One reason that I’m very sad is because our Dean’s List finalists and winners in recent years have been able to feel very little of the ChiefDelphi spotlight that was filled with warmth and community. This year there is none. If we, as the community, don’t do something to regain our focus regarding celebrating the students, mentors, volunteers, and teams who help to keep FRC strong and help FIRST grow - then we will slowly weaken and ChiefDelphi will become a shell of its former self. Many that I’ve spoken with already feel that has happened. The reasons that I’ve been given have been the impact of the other social networking opportunities such as Facebook and Twitter. My response to that is that those don’t build community - they build cliques. In ChiefDelphi, people from all parts of the globe can become members and can contribute to the community, bringing their enthusiasm, their experiences, and their wisdom and humor to the forums. In ChiefDelphi, team development can be encouraged and celebrated. This can help strengthen and build community in schools, areas, and regions. In ChiefDelphi, a lot of problem-solving can occur through a diverse group of thinkers who share a common passion. In ChiefDelphi, recognition of the teams that build the robots can be balanced with the inspiration of the robots that help build the teams.This FRC game in 2012 offers a lot of opportunity to think about bridges.

In thinking about bridges, one can address topics of stability, balancing, recklessness, timing, and limits regarding robots. One can also think about topics of stability, balancing, selfishness, holes, bridging the gap, and prioritizing regarding team building. In CD right now, I’m reading lots of threads that focus on the first group of topics - and those threads go further: blocking a bridge, holding a bridge down, penalties for touching a bridge. Now… where is the balance? Where are the other threads that focus on the other group of topics that relate to teams? They are not here. Where are the threads that are celebrating by thanking and congratulating the teams, mentors, students, and volunteers? I’m not interested in what happens in the other social media posts. I’m interested in what happens in the posts in Chief Delphi. I was told that ChiefDelphi has lived a long and successful life and that it is unusual for it to have done so. In this world of instant demand and fickleness, I can see how it is amazing that CD has survived the swift changes that occur in our technical world and that it continues to draw in members. What are these new members seeing? Are they seeing celebrations and recognitions of achievements? Are they seeing teams rally to help and support each other? Or, are they seeing only one side of the FRC picture - the focus on the robot - strategies, design problems, technical issues, criticisms about how calls were made by the refs or how a team played? Those are discussions that are a part of CD and are, for the most part, welcomed in CD - but… where is the balance? Where is the celebration and the grace that accompanies it?

I’ve been encouraged to start this thread with the hope of shifting our ChiefDelphi culture. We see the robots shift back and forth on the bridges at our competitions. Some of the shifting is handled very carefully, deftly maneuvering into place and/or helping other robots to find their place in the moment of balance. That careful grace and agile thinking and focus needs to be applied here in ChiefDelphi, helping to infuse the community with a sense of unity, trust, commitment to roll with the changes while maintaining a sense of humor and celebration. Veteran posters, we are load bearers - we have the ability to help find the balance and to invite the newer members to join us in shifting the culture to the center and to stabilize/ maintain that balance in the process.

I would like to thank everyone who contributed insight and clarity to this discussion that I was only having in my head until all of you helped me put it into words. Thank you.

Jane

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They say, no one is an island. Sometimes, however, teams exist as small islands, separated by time and distance. We gather together during brief periods of time, hopefully to exhibit grace and gracious professionalism, but then depart - often with no options of seeing each other until the next season. As Jane said, our actions are analogous to bridges. Chief Delphi is our bridge. This forum is how we stay connected and balanced. We cannot let the heat of competition tear down these bridges and put up walls in their place. I encourage everyone to be builders of bridges. Gracious Professionalism is what we should demand of ourselves and give to others, not what we demand for what may just be our agenda in these threads.

I nominate Jane for the bridge builder award of the week! Thank you for caring enough to bring this issue to light.

I would hope this thread would be a place to discuss positive ways to build bridges in the FIRST community.

Steve

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Nicely stated Jane – I’ve been away awhile (retired from robotics now), but - I do peak in the window every once in a while. Keeping an eye on the old website, is like watching your kids from afar.

I am so happy that someone participating in the community of ChiefDelphi, still “gets it”, and is eloquent enough to be able to share those thoughts with everyone that post on this old site. I am grateful that this old site seems to have served the community pretty well over a long period of time – thanks to the continued dedication and support of so many in the community of FIRST.

The endeavor of finding the balance that you write about, so reminds me of one of my favorite songs (and quotations) of all time.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, a time to reap that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance

For you see, nothing exists without it.
People need to understand that it is important to find that balance, in everything they do. Teams need to find that balance. Alliances need to find that balance.

The FIRST experience can be so much more than “just building a robot”. When you embrace all the rest, you will begin to learn alot more about living, than just how this stuff applies to math and science.

It is simply put, just as important to celebrate success OFF the field, as it is ON the field.

I strongly encourage everyone to take the time to celebrate something (or someone) that you would never have been able to, if it weren’t for having had the opportunity to participate in the FIRST experience.

Thanks for reminding the community of ChiefDelphi, that balance is important.

Mike A