Chris,
We all seem to agree that it's getting very late in the pre-season to start getting a team (and funding) together. As an alternative, FIRST has introduced a new competition called VEX, which we consider to be a mini-FIRST robot competition. The VEX kit is sold throught Radio Shack, costs about $400 bucks (including some additional, much needed accessories) and can be assembled using hand tools and the supplied hardware. We were able to have a robot assembled in running within 2 hours of openning the box.
The local competition for you is in Newark DE, and is being hosted January 21st. I believe this is a great way to get introduced to FIRST, without having to shell out the thousands of dollars and hours of build time. This kit, and the competition, will surely get you and your school admins hooked, and next year you will have an easier time raising money.
Here are some links for the VEX competition, the VEX kit, and our white paper on the advantages of using VEX.
FIRST VEX Competition
VEX Kit from Radio Shack
VEX White Paper
Best of luck, feel free to ask more questions!
Bengineer
Team 228