[Paradox1350]

As far as DEKA not sponsoring a team, I think DEKA would understand all too well what FIRST is about and help too much. We had too few tools and too little adult support. The only thing we had was the money, and even that, we had enough not to have to worry about it, but not enough to, say, make a second bot. Part of the point of FIRST is to work your [booty] off. You need to struggle for sponsarship, struggle to get engineers to help you, struggle to find a good mentor, struggle to get team members that are actual help, struggle to learn what all the kit parts can do, struggle to learn what non-kit parts and tools can do, struggle to learn this years game, struggle to design something that should work, struggle to make the thing you designed, struggle to debug said creation, and struggle to fight such things as the time limit, plummeting grades at school, and failing relationships with non-FIRST friends and relatives.

FIRST is about struggleing with everything, and refusing to backdown. It's about fighting every step of the way, and succeeding. Without this struggle, what would be the point? Without this struggle, I wouldn't be NEARLY as proud of myself, and my team, as I am right now.

FIRST is a struggle because it's supposed to be the greatest thing you will do in high school. For me, it was exactly that. It's the first thing I've actually worked hard at in my entire life.

That's why DEKA doesn't sponsor a team. They could remove almost all struggle. Then what would that high school team get out of FIRST? Not too much, in my opinion.