[Ken Leung]

People assume a lot of great mentors are born to know how to run a robotics team. Not many understand that they too had to go through the learning stage before years of experience put together great robotics education programs. And how did they gain those experiences? Well, one way is to solve little problems like the following letter from a fellow rookie FIRST-a-holic. The more scenarios you have to face through out your FIRST career, the better you are at dealing with up coming problems and situations.

So please be generous in your advice and help this rookie improve their program so things like the following situation doesn't happen again. Take a look:

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I have a dilemma with one of our team mates who was ineligible for the six-week building period, and after he was eligible again he didn't show up for the building of the second robot. We are a rookie team and I am looking from guidence. This person now wants all of the accolades that the ten of us that spent every night working till midnight when he didn't do anything. He told our sponser that he should be allowed to go because he has been there before and most of the scouting goes on during Thursday. Could you tell me if his claim is true and if you we should allow him to come.(whe ten of us on the build team are staying at a motel while the rest of the team comes back and forth.)His excuse sounded to me like he was trying to use his experience as an excuse to get all the glory without doing any of the work. Please help us in our dilimma. Thank you