Quote:
Originally Posted by Feroz1325
All of these veteran teams from Ontario did not compete in FRC in 2013 but competed in 2012, whether it was due to the teachers strike or other factors I'm not sure.
Teams (total: 16)
188, 843, 919, 1009, 1053, 1219, 1221, 1246, 1404, 1514, 1535, 1605, 1835, 2076, 2198, 3739
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We were very fortunate to be able to give a home to 2 Grade 12 students from a team that didn't compete this year although it wasn't because of teachers' withdrawal of voluntary extra curricular services - there was no strike. That team stopped operating in September. One of those students is the lead designer of our very effective climbing system.
This has been our best season to date and yes, it had a lot to do with that job action. When we weren't able to operate at the school, Sheridan College took us in and gave us free use of their excellent shop. 1241 and 1325 also made use of the facility. We went from 1 small CNC mill and one lathe to at least 30 lathes and mills plus CNC equipment. We also went from 7 to 17 active mentors and no teachers were involved. This was because we worked from 5 to 9 plus Saturdays and people who work could get there. Alumni and parents of alumni also helped out. We even saved money because we didn't have to pay caretaker time as is required if want to work in the school on a weekend. The Oakville Yacht Squadron also gave us free use of their (mostly unheated) facility from January to April so that we could set up a pyramid. 1325 used it as well.
Because of shared difficulties many of the Ontario teams have formed stronger inter-team ties. The team mentor system also works to bring teams closer together. In Ontario for the past three years, rookie teams are assigned a mentor team to assist them in their first year. This usually develops into a very strong lasting relationship. The competition is fierce in Ontario. Come check it out next season at one or more of the 4 regionals.