[Katie Reynolds]

First:

It is not, by any means OK for someone to say a volunteer for their team gave them nothing. You should be grateful that there are people out there who are willing to give their time to your team, and to stick with the team through the entire season. I know many people who would have just given up and left the team halfway through the build. M. Krass stuck with the team the entire way through. Staying up late, trying to think of ways to make the team better ... thinking of ways to make things work. Ian was right. 810 had a great rookie year.

Second:

Usually when a team has a great year, they expect that the following year will go just as smoothly. Nine times out of ten, this is not the case. It's disappointing, but it is something that a lot of teams deal with - mine included.

Third:

By bashing a volunteer on your team, you are practicing the reciprocal of Gracious Professionalism. Think about that word for a second. "Volunteer". A person who is willingly giving up their personal time. Time that could be spent doing something for themselves. Any adult who is willing to give their time to an organization dedicated to inspiring students about science and technology... that, is awesome. Any of the volunteers for FIRST - whether they be professionals, teachers, parents, college students, or just adults willing to help out - deserve nothing but the utmost respect from the students on their team. It doesn't matter if they show up or help out once or one-hundred times. They are there to help you and to better your FIRST experience.

Because of the actions of certain people on a team, the team has lost on of their key mentors. That sucks for both sides.

- Katie

[edit]Sorry, this was being written while people were still posting some things. If anyone would like to discuss this with me further, feel free to PM or IM me. Thanks. [/edit]