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Unread 17-10-2004, 14:30
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Re: How big will FIRST ever get?

Quote:
Originally Posted by KelliV
FIRST can eventually be in every high school. Some others here have mentioned that it could eventually be like football and in the schools, others have mentioned that the cost would be a large problem, which it would but take a moment to think about this.

The average football team has about 25 kids on it. The personalized football helmets cost (with padding and upkeep) $75.00 a piece, pads run around $75.00 also, then you have shoes $50.00, practice gear (jersey, pants) $30.00. Right now it's $230.00 a kid. Multiply that by 25 and get $5750.00 a team. Our school (Rolling Meadows High School in Illinois) has five teams (Frosh A, Frosh B, Soph, JV, Varsity) That is $28750.00 for the football program in a high school, and that does not even include the field upkeep, announcing equipment, or bus fees for away games.

Yes some of these pieces of equiptment can be used for multiple years but so can some of the parts FIRSTers use to build robots.

With $28,750 spent on football programs I am sure a school can afford to start a FIRST team.

FIRST will eventually become big in this country. I see it doing great things for people and making the US a world leader in science and technology.
You missed one big thing that football teams have an advantage over any other groups or sports: sales.

Time and time again football teams have walked over all other teams by getting equipment that isn't needed, or things that are just wasteful. Why? They bring in the money for the school through concession sales, ticket sales, and other sales. It's as simple as that. While it could be argued that robotics teams could charge admission, the problem falls back onto the founding principals of FIRST and it's mission.

If you do a search on the forums you will find many examples of what I have described, where leaky roofs and other things go the way-side as football teams get that nice new bus, or other things.

*end rant*

This wasn't meant to be aimed at you as an attack, so sorry if you feel that way, but I'm getting more than a little tired over the football teams. Of course, Sparky has won more awards the past 6 years than our football team has the past 12.
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