our team gets a lot of support from our school, even if we do have a slightly geeky reputation.
we aren't a club, with officers and dues - we're a
team, with captains, the ability to letter, and any other privileges any sports team in our school receives. even though our board of education can't afford to support us budget-wise, it still recognizes us as an asset to the school.
students are a bit different. i know my friends have no problem with me being on the robotics team - they know it's what i love to do, and they don't consider it uncool or anything of the sort. some people think you have to be smart to be on the team, and all you have to do is work on the robot, but that's untrue.
when we recruit members in october every year, we try to attract artists, writers, builders, video game players, the works. there's something on our team for everyone, and we try to attract a diverse crowd. even if we have some certified geeks on our team (haha, love you guys
), we aren't labelled as a nerd group.
i don't think, however, that a popular person joining a team would make the team more popular. maybe that person just wants to be on the team - his decision wouldn't really make others truly want to join as well. they might have a higher opinion of the team, but it wouldn't change what FIRST and robotics stands for.