[Al Skierkiewicz]

WildStang is a credit class in our school system. Students must register through normal channels to be on the team. The class meets throughout the year, IRI included, and students receive a grade based on participation, homework, and quality of work in sub teams through feedback from adult mentors. Attendance is taken regularly and all student must be present for Monday night meetings or go through normal excused absence channels. The students are told and reminded at regular intervals that travel team, drive team and pit crew are positions that are earned not gifted. Students begin the year knowing that a skeleton crew will attend our away regional, everyone can attend the Midwest Regional and a select group will travel to Champs. The skeleton crew is chosen on the student's capabilities but they must meet minimum for attendance and grades. More than one of our drivers over the years has learned the hard way that maintaining grades is more important than being a good driver. Now with Champs only 5 hours away, students can travel with their parents but cannot receive excused absences from classes for team participation. Grade minimum for travel is no D's or F's and a passing grade in robotics. Minimum for drive team is the same but must have an A in robotics. If there are not enough students that meet travel mins, we just reduce the number we take on the road. Once we have a list of students who meet academic requirements, then the mentors pick who is most valuable, who has fund raised their travel expenses, who deserves the privilege and can perform scouting or other duties (i.e. Chairman's Booth at Champs) and the final determination is how many can fit on the bus. We normally lose students for various reasons throughout the year. This year we started with just over eighty and had about seventy prior to Champs. We traveled 39 with an additional group traveling with parents for Champs. Sixteen went to Milwaukee and some of that decision is based on the male to female ratio when weighed against hotel rooms (based on four students to a room).