Very True. If I remember correctly team 45 hosts an off season workshop every year which covers practically all aspects of FIRST including the robot, 3-d design, animation, and traveling.

U know, i think we are on to something here. There are lots of rookie teams popping up, and a workshop would be absolutely vital. This should be something that is organized, because face it, its a lot easier to learn when u have time and no pressure. This should be something that FIRST should endorse.

Andrew W.K.

off season events
 

Let me tell you about off season events...from the perspective of someone that just finished putting one on. IT IS SOOOOO MUCH WORK! And though we had BAX Global ship everything for free for us, we are still hoping to just break even! We had 48 teams, only one field, a chairman's, animation competition. You don't realize how much money it takes to put this on. The little things add up and before you know it, it's all spent! (We also fed almost 1000 people as well.)

You would have to have someone that doesn't have a team put on these competitions because there is so much to do to organize an event. It would be so hard to both run a team and host an event at the same time. Though we all had a great time making the IRI happen, it's been a week and I'm still tired!

If FIRST is going to run these events, entry fees would still be high, if not higher, to cover salaries as well. It would be a great financial responsibility for a company to pick up. I would personally be scared that instead of a company sponsoring my team, they would want to pick up the event for the bigger publicity. (And my team stuggles for every little penny we get.)

Just a few thoughts while it's still fresh in my head and my eyelids are drooping! :)

Re: Off-season popularity... Could this be a new trend for FIRST?
 

This is exactly what many teams in Michigan, specifically Oakland county are doing.

Each fall there is a competition called OCCRA -Oakland County Competitive Robotics Association. There are 20 plus high school competing in local gyms on nights of the week as would your basketball team.

Each team has a kit of parts building a robot about the size of FIRST robots using the same controls. One major difference is that the robots are 100% student designed and built.

We are starting our 4th successful year.

Cost $ w/entry fee less than $800.00 per team including the robot build.

One of the goals is ti make robotics a school sport, played in the fall like a fall sport. We keep our robots all season and re-use the parts for the next season.

Leaders for this competition are teams #1, #33, #47, #65, #201. There are many other FIRST teams participating and doing the background work. All teams must take an active role in the organization, planning, running the events and so forth.

Several other areas of the country are looking at our format and are working on their own off-season - season of robotics.

yaaaay robotics kidlets

I've been neglecting CD, so now Im going back and reading elyse's posts, heh

thanks for working all that logic out for me babe ;) saves me some thinking time later for other things.

And yes we will be

until there are more off season events (a texas one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
i dont care.... and frankly its the same for many other teams because us southerners dont have much of a choice........