What is FIRST about?
 

If you'll look in the one of the team charters presented by first, one of the goals is to "Build a team before building a robot"

No matter where you go, no matter what you do, you'll end up doing just this.

For a successful organization to prosper, which is effectively what each FIRST team is, an organization, there are many factors invovled in keeping a project like this going.

Instead of thinking, why teams fold, perhaps the better question is to appreciate how long a team can persist.

There are an innumerable numbers of factors involved in running a team, and making the year a success. Leadership, Money, Community Support are just a few.

When I think of a FIRST robotics team, I think, wow, that's a group of students and engineers who have worked together to basically form a business. It's the real thing guys, the money isn't just for fun anymore.

My personal opinion, while battlebots seem to be a "good" robotics competition, people forget that FIRST is not simply a robotics competition.

I forget who I heard it from, but I remember someone saying, "Competing in the Robotics competition is only half of FIRST. creating an effective team is the other half"

I'm not saying that teams have not faced trials that have broken or tested them to their limits, in fact this is true for our team two, which has a primarily student leadership.

While we have had our conflicts, and even had people leave the team over them, the fact that we survived through them has only made us stronger.

There is no better emulation for the real-thing than the real-thing.

I appaud every team who participates in FIRST, and my respect goes to those who have persisted for so many years.

No matter how much money your team may have, there is no team without the people.

I hope that some people will resonate with this idea, this is what I've gotten out of FIRST.

There are a number of reasons teams drop out, it can really be anything. My team has what I believe is a very non-typical situation that is making things very difficult to date.

Our problem is not funding, our problem is not lack of interest, or lack of engineers... Our problem is our high school's administration. The town our team is in is so caught up in politics and legalities (and on top of that, extreme lack of organization and communication), it is becoming vitually impossible to accomplish anything. We literally have funding for all non-travel expenses. It is in the opinion of most everyone on the team that students will be responsible for their own travel expenses, however those expenses will be offset by team fundraisers and any corporate sponsorship we receive through March. First, they tried to block travel to Toronto. Then, our main teacher became ill and may not be able to participate this season, so the administration is complaining we will have no one to open the lab and that teachers should not have to put in hours after school. So we went out and found some other teachers in the community who are excited they can help out -- after hours. They still don't get it. Next, they complain that student travel expenses are not covered. Their reasoning is: What if there is a student who cannot afford to go? Well, apparantly, from this view, it is better for no one to go than for most to go. I should also mention that the school district refuses to provide any funding at all. So we come up with another solution. Our team will have a pool of money that can be used to pay for any students who sign up for the team and let us know well ahead of time that they cannot afford the trips. I can't wait to see their dissappointed faces when they find out we overcame another one of their technicalities and to see they throw in our way next. One of the administrators was furious last year when our team appeared on the front page of the paper. One of the parents on the team was yelled at because the administration thought that we were "going to the papers" to gain support for our team. They complain that there aren't enough women/minority on the team, but that's exactly part of the purpose of FIRST and what we're trying to do. They're the one's blocking us.

FIRST is great, but the politics of school systems is rediculous. It's as if they don't care about the student's interests at all, but rather their own personal quests for power in the community.

I think it's these types of things that end up killing teams. They won't succeed in killing my team.

Patrick

Patrick,

Your district reminds me of ours. They seem determined to throw every obstacle in our way, totally ignore us most of the time, and then try to take credit for any successes we have.

We were originally signed up to go to Toronto. That, unfortunately, is no longer a possibility, nor is flying to Florida if we qualify (yay 26-hour bus trips). We also don't get any money, and don't have anywhere in school to work. We have to walk across the street to work in a middle-school woodshop to build our robot, since our Auto Shop is not accessible this year due to construction.

It's annoying, but sometimes you just have to live with it.

from Patrick to Patrick
 

Patrick,

It's great to hear that you have a great resolve for the livelyhood of your team. I have had the same resolve when faced witht he same adversity and resonate with you.

However, regardless of what you do, the school is part of everything you do. You will have to work with the administration whether you like it or not.

We have a different scenario, we have a strong support from our administration. Perhaps it's because our organization is rooted so deeply now with the school?

I don't see any reason why the school would purposely try to get in your way though, there must be some other reason why they would prevent you from doing these things. Perhaps it is time to find out. Maybe they feel as if it was in the school best interest not to let you travel?

In any case, It's heartening to see your resolve, but at the same time remember who your team will have to live with for, pretty much forever :)

I love it when they say FIRST is the only way you will learn the great lesson of life.

Robot building is one part. I will agree to that. being done in 6 week shows you thing can be done quickly. Going out and getting money and getting lots of people involved in robotics is great.

But Battlebot does a little more.

You build a great robot to do a task. if it is a great robot they will make a toy looking like your robot. They will even pay you if you win. You do not have in invest alot of money to compete.

They will even advertise on TV so lots of people get hooked on robotics. You might not see all the working behind battlebots but they are getting more people involved in robotic then FIRST has.

If you have not try to get funding for battlebots you should. It is alot easier than FIRST. Just because more people know about it. I have middle school kids now wanting to get involved because they think its cool and fun. This opens a door for so many more people to get into robotics then ever before.


Mabye FIRST will get the point of getting the TV air time so it will become a house hold name. just like battlebots. Everybody want to be on TV.


To when people put battlebots down look at the new picture.

If you ask must non FIRST people if they ever heard about FIRST robots they would say no. But ask anybody if the have heard Battlebots and they would say yes, even if they don't play with robots.


That is saying alot about who is getting the word out.

It is easy to get a group of kids to get a robot into battlebots than into FIRST.


So that is saying more people will turn to another game. And yes you can learn everything FIRST is trying to teach by going to battlebots. and maybe more.


I do still hold FIRST on a high level this will be are 9th year in it. But sorry to say are last. FIRST has only force are hand and took the even playing field away.

What about teams that leave and come back!?
 

Just out of total curiosity. What would you say about the life span of my team? The Baxter Bomb Squad. We went from 96-00, left for a year then came back. Are we considered a 5+ year team or do we start over as a new team? :) Just a thought, but I also believe that our team can last as long as we are meant to last. We try hard.

Team number 16?
Sounds rookie to me :-)

I would call it 5 years. But thats me

Later

Re: from Patrick to Patrick
 

Oh it's a very deep political reason(s). I agree with patrick the school seems to want to tell us no just because they can.

I'll take your word for it.
 

I don't know what the situation is with the school that you have on the East Coast/ New York, perhaps the circumstances we face are different.

In general, our community/school sees robotics as a way to learn not only how to build a robot but also how to build an organization.

The school/community supports what we do, but it seems to me that they have their hands tied as far as providing more support than they do already. Mostly due to money.

I'll take your words for it, maybe there is something rooted politically in the school, perhaps your school's art program is fighting for space? Or something of the like. In any case, it would be an interesting story to hear from both sides, school and students.

In any case, good luck to you and your team.

Live Long and Prosper :)