The Basics

Photo courtesy Segway, LLC FIRST's founder, Dean Kamen, is also known for inventing the Segway scooter.

FIRST is an organization that has been around since 1992, and its initial competition involved just 28 teams in a high school gym. A lot has happened over the last decade; in 2004, nearly 1,000 teams and more than 20,000 students will be competing.

FIRST's founder, Dean Kamen, is best known for inventing the Segway scooter, but is also the inventor of a number of important medical devices.

An enormous robot competition is FIRST's truly big event each year. It is preceded by a series of 26 regional competitions, and it all starts every year with a kick-off meeting in early January. In 2004, the national competition was held in April in Atlanta, Georgia.

Although the focus of attention is around the competitions, the actual goal of FIRST is very different. FIRST helps the students who participate learn about robots, and it also helps them learn about an ethos called "gracious professionalism". In a nutshell, the idea behind gracious professionalism is that teams cooperate with each other rather than trash-talking and bludgeoning each other with a "winner takes all" mentality. The FIRST web site puts it this way:

Gracious folks respect others and let that respect show in their actions. Professionals possess special knowledge and are trusted by society to use that knowledge responsibly. Thus, gracious professionals make a valued contribution in a manner pleasing to others and to themselves. In FIRST, one of the most straightforward interpretations of gracious professionalism is that we learn and compete like crazy, but treat one another with respect and kindness in the process. We try to avoid leaving anyone feeling like they are losers. No chest thumping barbarian tough talk, but no sticky sweet platitudes either. Knowledge, pride and empathy comfortably blended.... In the long run, gracious professionalism is part of pursuing a meaningful life. If one becomes a professional, and uses knowledge in a gracious manner, everyone wins. One can add to society and enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that you have acted with integrity and sensitivity.