[ChrisH]

Dave,

Thanks for saying what I've been thinking for a couple of years. Even if I had said it, nobody would have listened anyway, from somebody of your stature in the FIRST community maybe they will.

The Academy of Model Aeronautics has used a similar structure for many years. AMA Contests are run by Contest Directors who have to demonstrate competence and familiarity with the rules of the contest they are running. All the rest of the organizing is done at the local level by local clubs. The Contest Directors get one minor consideration in return for their efforts, they get half off on next year's AMA dues (currently $56). They are vastly underpaid.

So how well does this work? Here in the greater LA area there are currently 6 major fields that can support a model soaring competition. Entry fees are modest, around $10. Yet expenses are even lower and there is a soaring contest at one field or another just about every weekend. That is just the "sanctioned" events with official CDs. Just about all the local clubs also have unsanctioned events they don't even bother to publish outside the club newsletter. I use model soaring because that is the community I am personally familiar with, but there are all kinds of other disciplines within model aviation that have a similar structure.

There are also other sports like cycling that do much the same thing. USCF (United States Cycling Federation) clubs MUST sponsor at least one race a year or loose their status with the national organization. Here in Southern California there is at least one race every weekend from May to October.

Rarely does anyone from either national organization attend one of these local events.

By reducing the cost and de-emphasizing official FIRST participation, by going to more of an "off-season" type structure, we can dramatically increase the number of teams that participate and therefore our chances of achieving our real goal ... transforming the culture.

Personally, I'd rather have a five or six competition season (maybe with an "everyone drives rule" a la AYSO) for nearly the same cost of one competition now. If most teams were willing to host a small competition in their local area this could easily be done in places where there is a fairly large concentration of teams.

Finally, I don't know about you, but after seven years on a team, I am rather fundraised-out. I'd rather just write a check for the cost of my son's participation. But I realize that for many deserving youth this just isn't possible. This is especially true in the communities where FIRST is most needed. I have also been involved in trying to recruit new rookie teams. The current cost is a major obstacle. Just the numbers are enough to scare many science and math teachers away. If I wasn't personally convinced of the worth of the program I wouldn't bother myself.