[waialua359]

Originally Posted by Rman1923

Really unfortunate. 1717 is a team that inspires me every year and a great FIRST team. Reading through this thread made me love this team even more. I hope that the school district realizes that by retiring this team, they aren't only uninspiring the kids on the team, but many in the FIRST community. Really going to miss this team and really hope that they come back as mentors or another team to keep inspiring the people of FIRST.

As a mentor who has worked in a school system for many years, I'm not sure its the school district that is necessarily retiring the team vs. the mentors (director) deciding not to participate in FIRST anymore.
Every great program starts with "volunteering" a whole lot more than what they get back in terms of compensation. The rewards are usually to help inspire students. If I saw a team who decided to finally give up FRC because they want to move in a different direction or possibly not be able to give up their precious time anymore, I'd respect that.
While it may be disappointing to many in the FIRST community, it seems as their alternative is a great capstone course for their learning center. I wish them nothing but the best and hope that the FRC program in Santa Barbara can continue in some alternative form.
On a personal note, if part of the decision is to protect the legacy of 1717 because of new leadership, I would totally understand and respect that as well.