Quote:
Originally Posted by Swan217
Teams that come to Florida are unique - how many Regionals can boast teams from Australia, Dominican Rep, Puerto Rico, Brazil, & Mexico? Not to mention we're a huge draw for snowbots  . |
Plus the United Kingdom and Germany. I believe the Turkish Team was also registered for 2014 Orlando, but they dropped out. I'd have to look back in my records, but we might have also had a Team from Israel one year.
Lack of sustainability due to funding and/or loss of strong mentors are the two biggest factors.
As Daniel stated, the J.C. Penney Grants had a huge impact on our young FL Teams.
Additionally, the loss of critical mentoring assets due to work contracts ending (people seeking work outside the area/in another state) and sometimes entire companies closing their doors also has a huge impact. Did anyone notice that USA is no longer one of the Sponsors for the Orlando Regional and Team 801 or that Lyman (2757 BAD) and Space Coast Jr./Sr. (1875 Purple Haze) no longer have their FRC Teams?