[Ian W.]

I'm from Long Island, formerly of Team 810, The Mechanical Bulls. I've been to SBPLI for the past three years, I'll be there again for a fourth year, on Team 190 this year. To be honest with you, I don't know what you're talking about by saying there's a lack of a community on Long Island.

For example, 810 worked with 358 throughout the year last year, and on and off for the past few years, whenever we need parts or help, we ask them, they're 15 minutes down the road from 810, and whenever we needed help, they were more than willing to help. In fact, they helped us at at all of our competitions this year, as they went to the same ones as 810.

In the pits, I was always able to walk around and find help from anyone, there was never a problem about getting help when needed. I remember several mentors from 311 coming and helping 810 last year when our drivetrain gave out.

Point is, there's plenty of community on Long Island. You have to talk to the other teams, attend some of their meetings perhaps, or just try and talk to them before the season starts. Long Island is a very densely populated area for FIRST teams, I'm sure that no matter where you look, there will be teams willing to work with you. While a forum may be a nice place for everyone to put ideas down, it's not going to come even close to replacing a phone call, or a visit by a few team representitives. Having another team to provide support during the build season is a huge asset to any team.