[Steve Howland]

I see FVC as that solution. In this competition huge funds do not make a major difference, and having more team members is not necessarily an advantage. It is not the same as the full FRC, with less prestige and excitement, but rather than teams entering the big competition as rookies and getting demolished, I think that Vex is an excellent alternative. It can be an introduction to FIRST. If a high school has a vex team for a year or two, goes to some off-season competitions with borrowed bots as a pre-rookie, then decides to join the full FRC, the team would not be at such a disadvantage.

As for fully leveling FIRST, government funding for rookies and struggling teams would have a huge impact IMO. A few thousand dollars to a team or a government incentive for companies to sponsor FIRST teams would allow newer teams to get some of the resources that the veterans have. This goes back to Dean's homework - make sure your representatives know about FIRST and receive invitations to events in your area.

At the same time veterans should reach out as much as possible to both local and distant teams. Check the little box on TIMS that you are willing to mentor a team, and then if a request comes in, see how much you can do. Maybe you can just be an e-mail or phone buddy for a rookie coach, or you could help set up a basic powerpoint presentation for them to get more sponsors.

-Steve