[Beth Sweet]

Alright, I was gonna PM these to you, but why not put them out here for everyone to see.

As you pointed out, there are a good number of things that the teams who are a bit more well off monetarily are able to do. Things like starting FLL teams, and external creations (aka, making things that have nothing to do with FRC competition) are always good, but take a good chunk of cash.

So, what's a team to do that doesn't have extensive resources? Well, here's a few hints:

-Are you from a team that works with a particular school(s)? Host a Saturday afternoon science workshop. Have team members bring in odds and ends that they find around their houses, scrap metal or wood that you can find laying around somewhere, and pool it all together. Invite a local boyscout/girlscout troop or an elementry class (aka, Ms Ilovefirst's 3rd grade class) to come in. Depending on how much you have in the way of supplies, divide the kids into a few different groups (2-3 would probably be good). Have a challenge ready for them (ex. Create something that will take a marble from this mark to that before the other team's something does, etc, be creative!). Once they've been assigned this challenge, have team members work with each group, giving ideas and discussing things like making a design and what they all think would and wouldn't work. This idea is good for a team with a lot of scraps lying around that is looking to boost interest in science in their community.

-Talk to your local mall. See if there is a day that you can invade one of the sitting areas. Bring your robot and team and run it around. Let mall passerby's drive it around and talk about the program. Hand out any leftover buttons you may have from the last season.

-Work with a local boyscout/girlscout troop. Have each of your team members (students) take on a scout. Have an event in the preseason where you teach them about tools and the engineering occupation and they can earn a patch for it. If available, allow them to practice some of the more basic skills.

-Which TV news programs do you watch at night? Every news station has a viewer call-in number where a viewer can suggest a potential story. Ask them if they would like to do a story on your team that they can run on any day when they have a slow news day for filler (and trust me, stations are always looking for these). Entice them by reminding them that this is a feel good story about high school students doing something good.

-If nothing else, be sure to always answer cries for help. If you don't have the resources, be able to direct a team to another team that does. If you lack in the field of finances, maybe you excel in engineering knowledge. If nothing else, exchange emails and screen names and offer guidance.

-Be sure to play on your resources. List out your team's strengths and weaknesses. Play on those strengths. Do you have a fantastic animation team? PR great? Hold workshops for other teams in the area to attend. Don't live in an area densely populated with other teams? Post "Tricks of the Trade" on your website in the form of downloadable documents, pdf's etc.

Last but not least, remember, don't just do it for Chairmans. Do it because you love what you're doing, because you want to tell others all about it, because you're proud. When it all comes down to it, it's not gonna be the medal around your neck that makes the difference, but the memories that you think about when you look back on how you got there that makes the difference.