[Brandon Holley]

Joe-

It would certainly make the decision easy if you had money at the ready, but many many rookie teams start the year with nothing. Many teams even register without the promise of a school fronting the cost for the first year. Now, whether that is a good practice is dependent on your team. Fundraising is no easy task, it takes hardcore dedication, and sometimes it doesn't pay off like you hope.

That being said, being a FIRST team has its perks. We have access to things like the LED bulb fundraiser (which is great by the way), Hexbugs and more recently some name recognition to the general public. As another cool perk, you happen to reside in the Greater Boston area (like us). There's a hotbed of innovation here, and technical companies that "get" what FIRST is trying to do. Forming a corporate sponsorship is a very likely possibility for your team.

If I were in your shoes, I would hold off on paying until the last possible day (Dec. 2nd I believe), but I would commit to being a rookie this year. Once you set yourselves as "doing it", you can really push hard to raise funds.

If the NUTRONs can be of any assistance in your efforts, please let me know.

-Brando