[patrickrd]

Alaina,

Your situition is a familiar one to me. When I worked to start a team during my freshman year in college, the hardest struggle for me was getting others (teachers and students) excited about the competition. I know very well what it is like to have most of the team sitting around computers playing networked shoot-em video games while a very small number are interested in actually doing work.

In my limited experience, this happens because the students do not know how they can help or do not feel they have anything to offer. The best thing you can do is to try and peel one or two of them away from the computer, and work with them on a problem. Have them help to try and figure out how far two gears have to be spaced apart, for example. Once they understand something simple, and understand how it is useful, they are much more likely to ask more questions and be interested in trying other things. I remember being given a very simple task when I was in my high school FIRST team, and once I realized I could solve a little piece of the puzzle, I immediately became hooked. It is very difficult to see big change quickly. If you can get just a couple of people interested this year, in the long run it can make a huge difference. I've seen disinterested students turn into great leaders. Sometimes the teachers don't see what FIRST does for students right away, and it takes a year or two. But once they do see the positive effects on students, they can become huge proponents of FIRST and your team.

Your thoughtful question and ability to listen to what everyone has suggested suggests maturity, I'm sure you'll develop into a great leader for your team and wherever you choose to go in life.