[Lavapicker]

Here is where the mainland teams don't get it....to fly from Hawaii to the nearest regional on the west coast cost almost $600 (when I find a bargain). That's an expense that is non-negotiable...we cannot take a bus, train, rental car if we don't like it. I was upset at our regional last year when a team from a few states over was touted as miracle participant because it had to raise $10,000 to get there. What, they couldn't find a bus?? That wouldn't even cover my airfare! Add in hotel, rental car, shipping (wow, FedEx won't even ship from my Island for free) my students would have to come up with almost $1400 per student to participate. With over half classified as living in poverty I can't ask them to pay much or I lose them or select the elite few who have money. We've been very fortunate the last few years because of major sponsors but even at that we were walking a fine line. After a major sponsor pulled last year after verbally committing to us we found ourselves, me, in debt for $4000. Looking at $6000 more by December just to enter was too big of a mountain. It just saddens me because we have a great system going..committed teachers, students willing to learn and work hard, great engineer and community support but we can't sustain the $20,000 per year costs so our students miss out. I won't say lose out because we are still doing other less expensive competitions but I wish our students could see the "superbowl" of engineering that FIRST is, I know I could turn more of them on to engineering and technology.
Oh well, as someone once told me..stop complaining..even if things look bleak and we never get to go back to FIRST, look where we live! Hawaii no ka oi.
Aloha,