Game day photos have been published to the Photo section of this website. Some of the photos are featured in a video, shown below.
Showing posts with label game day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label game day. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Good morning #G8KPR
Good morning everyone! Today is the day for which you have prepared. Today is game day for #G8KPR 2013. We all want to do our best on game day, and we all want to win. But that is not the most important thing. I learned this lesson the hard way.
Like many of you, I am fiercely competitive. I never let my kids win at games when they were little. If they won, it is because they won fair and square. No gimmees, no do-overs. They grew up knowing that sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. That is part of life. Like it or not, nobody ever wins every time.
But that doesn't keep us from trying. I learned a lesson about my competitive spirit at a leadership retreat that I attended a number of years ago. This retreat brought together people who were strangers at the outset in an effort to build teamwork and comradery among the group, which would work together for the coming year. On the first day of the retreat we did all those annoying exercises about personality types and learning each others' names and other tortuous devices that teachers use to really build a spirit of teamwork. On the second day we melted together in the 105-degree Tuscaloosa heat as we spent the entire day on the ropes course. By the end of the second day I was mentally and physically exhausted and missed dinner because I went back to the room to take a shower before dinner and fell asleep. I slept until the next morning.
The third day I was refreshed. This was the last day of the retreat and we had been told that it would be spent in the confines of an air conditioned facility. All was well. And to top it off, we were going to play games all morning.
You've got to understand that I love playing games. They are fun, challenging, and best of all, I get the opportunity to WIN! In one game we were split into teams. I forget the exact premise of the game but essentially you had a number of options to play. I quickly deducted (and convinced my teammates to go along) that if we played a certain strategy we could cut our losses and assure that other teams could not earn points. It seems that there was a way in which there was a win-win situation and a win-lose situation.
Well, all the other teams went with the win-win scenario. They got it. That was the goal. As Zig Ziglar frequently said, the best way to be successful is to help others be successful. And the other teams got it. But even after two days of team building exercises my competitive spirit got the best of me and my focus was to win. I convinced my team to go along with my devious plan.
At one point in the game one of the people on an opposing team starting crying. "What is her problem," I thought. "Geez, I'm about to obliterate their team, but hey, it's only a game. Not everyone can win." After all, there's no crying in baseball. (If you don't understand this reference you should ask your parents if you can watch "A League of Their Own"--a great baseball movie with Tom Hanks, Geena Davis and Madonna.)
But what stuck me about this was that the person who was crying expressed that she felt betrayed. We had gotten to know each other, we had trusted each other with our very lives on the ropes course, and now our team was running over the other teams for the sake of winning. Yikes! Am I really that bad. Sadly, yes.
Did that quell my competitive spirit? No. But it did teach me a lesson and help me to understand that winning is great, but it is not the only thing. So why did I share this story with you? So I can win a Pulitzer Prize for my great website post? That'd be cool, but no. I shared it to help you to put winning and losing in perspective as that young lady did for me several years ago.
I want you to do the best that you can do. If that is better than the next team, then that's great. But if another team does better that's great also. I encourage you come to game day today just come asking yourself the following questions:
I am so looking forward to seeing all the great things you will do today and wish each of you the BEST...
Like many of you, I am fiercely competitive. I never let my kids win at games when they were little. If they won, it is because they won fair and square. No gimmees, no do-overs. They grew up knowing that sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. That is part of life. Like it or not, nobody ever wins every time.
But that doesn't keep us from trying. I learned a lesson about my competitive spirit at a leadership retreat that I attended a number of years ago. This retreat brought together people who were strangers at the outset in an effort to build teamwork and comradery among the group, which would work together for the coming year. On the first day of the retreat we did all those annoying exercises about personality types and learning each others' names and other tortuous devices that teachers use to really build a spirit of teamwork. On the second day we melted together in the 105-degree Tuscaloosa heat as we spent the entire day on the ropes course. By the end of the second day I was mentally and physically exhausted and missed dinner because I went back to the room to take a shower before dinner and fell asleep. I slept until the next morning.
The third day I was refreshed. This was the last day of the retreat and we had been told that it would be spent in the confines of an air conditioned facility. All was well. And to top it off, we were going to play games all morning.
You've got to understand that I love playing games. They are fun, challenging, and best of all, I get the opportunity to WIN! In one game we were split into teams. I forget the exact premise of the game but essentially you had a number of options to play. I quickly deducted (and convinced my teammates to go along) that if we played a certain strategy we could cut our losses and assure that other teams could not earn points. It seems that there was a way in which there was a win-win situation and a win-lose situation.
Well, all the other teams went with the win-win scenario. They got it. That was the goal. As Zig Ziglar frequently said, the best way to be successful is to help others be successful. And the other teams got it. But even after two days of team building exercises my competitive spirit got the best of me and my focus was to win. I convinced my team to go along with my devious plan.
At one point in the game one of the people on an opposing team starting crying. "What is her problem," I thought. "Geez, I'm about to obliterate their team, but hey, it's only a game. Not everyone can win." After all, there's no crying in baseball. (If you don't understand this reference you should ask your parents if you can watch "A League of Their Own"--a great baseball movie with Tom Hanks, Geena Davis and Madonna.)
But what stuck me about this was that the person who was crying expressed that she felt betrayed. We had gotten to know each other, we had trusted each other with our very lives on the ropes course, and now our team was running over the other teams for the sake of winning. Yikes! Am I really that bad. Sadly, yes.
Did that quell my competitive spirit? No. But it did teach me a lesson and help me to understand that winning is great, but it is not the only thing. So why did I share this story with you? So I can win a Pulitzer Prize for my great website post? That'd be cool, but no. I shared it to help you to put winning and losing in perspective as that young lady did for me several years ago.
I want you to do the best that you can do. If that is better than the next team, then that's great. But if another team does better that's great also. I encourage you come to game day today just come asking yourself the following questions:
- Am I better (smarter, more skilled, more awesome) today than I was 42 days ago? If so, people who care about you probably helped you to develop and grow. Thank them for that. Your teachers and mentors really care.
- Did I learn something? My guess is that you did. And, if so, you are a winner. No trophy is necessary to affirm that.
- Was I a help (blessing, friend, encouragement) to anyone today? If not, what are you waiting for?
I am so looking forward to seeing all the great things you will do today and wish each of you the BEST...
Mike Kennamer
Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics
Hub Co-Director
Friday, November 1, 2013
Saturday's #G8KPR Schedule
Remember that rainy (understatement) day that we referred to as Kick Off 2013? You had 42 days--6 whole weeks--before game day. It seemed like plenty of time. You planned, you worked. Some of you were at your school working until 2 am the morning of Practice Day. But tomorrow is the day. Time is up. All the cards are on the table. It's time to roll.
Okay, that's just an overly dramatic way of saying that tomorrow is... GAME DAY! And here's the bare bones schedule. The entire annotated schedule is available under Team Resources on this site.
Okay, that's just an overly dramatic way of saying that tomorrow is... GAME DAY! And here's the bare bones schedule. The entire annotated schedule is available under Team Resources on this site.
- 7:30 am - Doors Open
- 7:30 am - 8:30 am - Team Registration
- 8:00 am - 9:00 am - Compliance Check in and Pit Set Up
- 9:00 am - Drivers' Meeting
- 9:30 am - Seeding Rounds Begin and Exhibits Open
- 11:30 am - Lunch Break (on your own) (Exhibits are closed until 1:30 pm)
- 11:45 am - Arena Must be Cleared
- 12:30 - 12:45 pm - Compliance Open (for teams who removed their robot during lunch. Not recommended unless major repairs are necessary)
- 12:50 pm - Line up for Opening Ceremony
- 1:00 pm - Opening Ceremony
- 1:30 pm - Robot Competition Rounds and Exhibits Open
- 4:00 pm - Exhibit Breakdown may begin
- 5:00 pm (TENTATIVE) - Awards Ceremony
- First and foremost, good sportsmanship;
- Because you may win other awards and we don't want that awkward moment of people whispering "I think they left"; and finally,
- Because you are cool and we want to hang out with you as much as possible.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Game Week Schedule Posted
The schedule for the 2013 Game Week has been posted on the Team Resources section of this site. This includes vital information regarding:
- Sales and Marketing Presentations on October 30
- Exhibit Booth Set Up and Driving Practice on November 1
- Game Day on November 2
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Jubilee BEST Hosts First Game Day of 2013
2013 Gatekeeper game creators, Jubilee BEST, hosted the first game day of 2013 last Saturday. As game creators, the Mobile, Alabama-area hub tested all the systems before other hubs start their game days in the coming weeks. The excitement of the first game day of the year has given your Northeast Alabama BEST staff game day fever. We are excited to see what you will do with this year's challenge!
Monday, April 22, 2013
2013 BEST Robotics Dates Set
After adjusting for BEST Robotics, Inc. criteria and venue availability, we are ready to lock in and announce the 2013 Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics dates and locations:
- Kick Off Day - Saturday, September 21, 2013 at NACC's Tom Bevill Lyceum
- Practice Day - Thursday, October 24, 2013 at Northeast Alabama Agri-Business Center (co-located with Made in DeKalb Expo)
- Game Day - Saturday, November 2, 2013 at Northeast Alabama Agri-Business Center
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