[GeeTwo]

Originally Posted by Celia

I turn 18 in March, right in the middle of districts I hadn't thought of just mentoring unregistered, it's something I'll think about.

Originally Posted by GeeTwo

This might be an issue depending on your role and how scrupulously your team follows the bill of materials rules. I haven't read the rules for a specific year with this situation in mind, but IIRC the general rule is that student team member and mentor labor are "free", but labor from other sources must be charged on the BoM, even if volunteered/donated.

Originally Posted by Chris is me

This is an absurd interpretation of the rule, and anyone attempting to enforce this would be laughed out of the inspection station. Neither the letter nor the spirit of the rule suggests that you're supposed to charge for labor in this circumstance.

I intentionally cited aggressive rules interpretation within Celia's team, not by inspectors. After all, unless the team presents a work log of everyone who touched the robot, how could an inspector challenge the BoM based on labor provided by a non-student, non-mentor, especially if provided within the team's build space? This is a clinical example of an unenforceable rule. We do actually have this sort of converation on our team from time to time. There have been cases where we decided to internally enforce an unenforceable rule, and cases where we have decided that we were OK within the spirit, if not the letter, of the rules. I wasn't trying to say it was wrong, just that a pernickety, prudish, or offended mentor or member of the team could challenge it.

On the other hand, we do use the most severe interpretation of this same rule to induce our student members and mentors to sign up before start build day in STIMS or TIMS, as appropriate.

Originally Posted by Michael Hill

Or if anyone asks, be a "sponsor" who wishes to remain anonymous.

Not enough if you read the rules carefully enough (emphasis mine):

Originally Posted by 2015 R11

The BOM cost of each non-KOP item must be calculated based on the unit fair market value for the material and/or labor, except for labor provided by Team members (including sponsor employees who are members of the team), members of other Teams, event provided Machine Shops and shipping.

Originally Posted by Taylor

I am mentored by individuals younger than 18 all the time.

I won't say mentored, because that implies an ongoing, directional relationship, but I have absolutely learned many specific things from or through my children, the students I mentor, and other children, including a six-year old whom I saw for less than two minutes twenty years ago; in one word he gave me the best sermon of my life (PM if you want details). It was a few years before that that I learned what I eventually came to internally call "The Socratic Truth": the best way to gain deep knowledge about anything is to do it, then teach it to someone else.