Quote:
Originally Posted by DMike
I am sure we all know or have one HS student. Trying to keep the bulk of them involved in a year round program is very difficult. The majority of these kids are super stretched for time and another long term commitment isn't realistic. I am sure many teams don't have the luxury of well developed off season programs. learning in the offseason does work, this is what provided us with the tools and knowledge necessary for the Mecanum drive. We didn't start at zero on week 1. However the relatively small offseason group widens the gap with the in season group creating an inefficient learning environment. Resulting in the smaller group shouldering much of the build season load. Extending the build season will not change the competitive dynamic of the game as much as the opportunity for less experienced team members to learn.
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You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. If you're having difficulty keeping them interested year round, then keeping them interested for a quarter-year build season doesn't sound any easier. Also, 12 weeks of build would mean that your smaller group shouldering more build season load over a longer time. Keeping a majority of the people interested and doing something, anything productive, is always going to be a struggle. You'll quickly figure out what students are genuinely interested in learning more and what students are simply there for the "fun". One of the best ways to increase the participation in off season is to make the learning fun. Off season doesn't necessarily have to be as intense as build season, and even meeting once or twice a week would be sufficient. Have the students learn by doing miniature build projects or even virtual "build" projects (Read: CAD).