[mathking]

Matthew, first off I would like to say we have always found your team to be pleasant to work with. When 4165 were rookies they even came up to our school for some programming help mid season. So I don't think the team is coming off as giving anyone the cold shoulder.

I think YAK'ker probably diagnosed the issue for at least some of your team. People (not just kids) often use studied lack of enthusiasm in order to insulate themselves from the disappointment of failure. And Ed certainly makes a good point that some people are just not comfortable being really demonstrative. As a coach I have encountered this a lot. There have been years when team 1014 was really quiet and it was hard to get the kids out of their seats to cheer.

What I have found helps the most is getting a couple of kids to lead. When a few teammates are up and enthusiastic, and willing to "put themselves out there" when their teammates are just sitting around it tends to drag a few others along. We also talk to the team before every competition and remind them that being quiet and reserved tends to make it harder to notice your team and thus less likely you will make it into the elimination rounds. I have also found that involving everyone who is not in the pits in scouting or other important activities helps students invest more in the competition. Now we always have some students who are designated to lead scouting and lead cheering, so that the kids in the stands are more engaged.