Quote:
Originally Posted by 2544HCRC
By this logic FIRST should just pitch the rule book and open the taps too everyone. If you can raise 100k for your program great. There also seems to be some contradictory thinking. I'm seeing the same people post that if you can't build a second bot, tough, go do what it takes to build a second bot, and at the same time are saying it isn't really an advantage. If it wasn't an advantage, why do it?
I'm not saying that rookie teams can't be successful or that some teams don't do all of the right things without big budgets or machining or that some teams don't miss the mark with all of the right things. I am saying that from my experience, teams that consistently do well have these three things: ability to quickly produce parts, mentor support, and a substantial budget. If you don't have those things, you are going to have a difficult time of it in FRC.
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But again, the primary goal of FRC isn't to win the competition. The competition is used as a motivation to build a robot and learn about engineering, math, science, and technology. Sure, the glory comes on the field, but the actual successes of a team happen in the workshop and in the pits.
My team (3167) started in 2010. We had a very small workshop, no metalworking tools, and only one engineering mentor. For that year, we didn't build a second bot for 2 reasons: 1) we didn't know we could, and 2) we couldn't afford it. So in the offseason, our primary goal was to get new sponsors to support our efforts. We asked any company that was willing to listen and as you can see, we are now supported by ETC (a local company started by an alumnus of my high school), Comcast, Crown Holdings, Airline Hydraulics, JCPenny, Boeing, and MAC Tools.
Like I said earlier, all teams start somewhere. If you really want to make winning a #1 priority (though that's not really in the spirit of FIRST), then work to get the three things that you perceive to be the keys to winning.