Re: Commitment
 

We always struggle with a similar problem because we never seem to have enough members. Our solution is to make it so that the team meets every night for two hours. Not everyone has to show up every night. Some only make one every other week. Instead of using excess hours in the shop, we are always thinking about it. I was the rules person and carried the manual with me everywhere. I couldn't even sleep for a few days after kickoff because I had numbers, rules, and designs running through my head. When we do see someone in the halls, who hasn't been to the meetings, we find out where they have been and ask what ideas they have for the robot. Sometimes, they will get the grunt work because they do not have the time to choose, but they keep coming back.

Re: Commitment
 

269 has generally been every week night for the first two or three weeks from 5pm and most people stay until at least 9. Some nights it goes to 10:30 or 11.

Once you the second half of the build season starts, we start meeting on Saturdays and Sundays. If I remember correctly it was about 9am till the late afternoon.

Every team is different, and every student on every team is different. You are going to see a solid group of a couple kids who get really into it and are there every hour they can, and then there will be the kids who are there 2 or 3 nights a week and tend to make less of a commitment.

If this is your first year, it could be tough and you may lose some attraction between now and January but you just need to hang in there. Rookie years can be bad, but going into next year, if you can get a group of a students who are coming back and can serve as veterans on the team, you should be ok.

Robotics will draw attention to new students. I have no doubt that your first meeting probably had a significant turnout. The key is to keep interest.

Re: Commitment
 

For this season, 1618 will be meeting three days during the week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday) after school, and Saturdays. To qualify to travel to Chesapeake, our sole regional this year, students have to make a percentage of both sets of meetings (the exact figures escape me; I think it's around 60%), and chip in $100 towards the trip (which, we hope, will be offset at least partially by fundraising events).

We're going great lengths to make the kids and their parents aware of the requirements this year, as a little less awareness last season left us with seven kids that traveled to Palmetto. The addition of a travel money requirement also necessitates more awareness, since the team hasn't needed it before (compare our 2007 travel to our 2008 travel).

Re: Commitment
 

Team 1675 worked every day after school except Thursdays until 8, 'til 9 on Fridays.

Saturdays we work 8 to 4. Any off school days where teachers are still expected to show up we also work from approximately 8 to 4.

Near the end of the season the schedule sometimes differs.

Re: Commitment
 

It is a big commitment. But it's worth it. Hopefully as the build progresses, the rest of the team will see that and want to come more often. Perhaps you could start with something like having 1/2 the team meet on Mon & Wed, and the other 1/2 on Tue & Thu, and everyone on Sat. That's only three times per week, which is not much more than the twice per week that people wanted, but allows for people who want to put in more time to easily start showing up more often.

There's been times I've put in an average of over 40 hours per week. Other years I've done less.

As "leadership" try to figure out early on how much time you will actually have people putting in (not what they say they'll put in, but what they'll actually do). Make sure you plan your design accordingly. Say you have 10 people meeting twice a week for 4 hours per session over 6 weeks. That's 480 man-hours of work. Say you have 10 people meeting for 40 hours per week over 6 weeks; that's 2400 man-hours of work. 480 man-hours spent on a simple design which requires only 450 man-hours to complete is going to perform much better than 2400 man-hours spent on a design which requires 3000 man-hours to complete.

Re: Commitment
 

Off season in the fall we meet on Thurdays for 2 hours, but the lego team meets Wednesday and Saturday. During build season we meet Tuesday, Wedesday, Thursday for two hours and on Satureday for 6 to 7 hours. All students don't show up every meeting but every meeting we have enough students and mentors to effectivly build. Me and My wife never stop with FIRST, we go from FLL to FTC to FRC to helping with Kettering fall event, Kettering Game Kick off, FTC event, help form Mid Michigan Robotics Alliance, team comunity events, Lego work shops, and much much more. If your mind is always working you will never stop. Oh and the FRC students showed me how to work the web sit so that never ends too.

Re: Commitment
 

At 395, we meet 6 days a week. Sundays are off so that team members can rest up/do work. However, since our shops are so far from the school/student's homes, on weekdays we start at 4, and run until 8:30-9. Sometimes those of us who live closer to the shop will stay until 10 or 11. On weekends, we work from 10 in the morning until 6 in the afternoon, and occasionally until 8.
However, nobody can be expected to commit to such a rigorous schedule, so I'd say your students should be required to attend at least 3 days per work week.