Thread: Free Ride
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Unread 04-03-2007, 21:12
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Alexa Stott Alexa Stott is offline
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AKA: elixir
FRC #0025 (Raider Robotix)
Team Role: College Student
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Rookie Year: 2006
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Re: Free Ride

Quote:
Originally Posted by vivek16 View Post
yeah the 6000 dollar entry fee seems a little too much. was there an entry fee for regionals?

i agree that there should not be an entry fee if they are good enough to make it to nationals.
There is an entry fee for every FIRST Event you attend.

Your first regional costs $6,000 and any other regional you attend costs $4,000. The Championship Event costs $5,000, if I recall correctly.

These fees are to help pay for the arena and anything else FIRST has to pay for running the event. I'm sure renting out the Georgia Dome for 3-4 days is expensive, so I doubt that it would be feasible for FIRST to pay for a team's registration. The most I could see would be a discount or something, though that doesn't seem very possible, either.

True, if a team wins and makes it to the championship, they should be able to go; money shouldn't be a problem. But that is just another challenge that FIRST offers. Not only do you have to build a robot, but you also have to find companies to support you. This has a dual purpose--it allows your team to receive money from the community, as well as spreads the word of FIRST to many different areas of society.

There are hundreds of fundraisers your team could do to raise money for Championships if needed. You could have car washes, bake sales, set up something with a local restaurant, or organize something in your school (something like how clubs sell roses for Valentine's Day).

FIRST isn't just about the robot. Sure, you can go an build a good robot and win a few events, but there is so much more to it than that. Your team needs to be able to function as a cohesive whole. You have to gain support from your school and community. As someone stated above, let people know about your success. Do tons and tons of outreach--it's a great way to meet local companies who may be potential sponsors. Ask around your team to see if there parents have connections anywhere; most of the money for our Brunswick Eruption shirts came from companies that team parents owned/worked for.

Basically, what I'm saying is, there are better ways to pay for your trip to Championships that getting FIRST to do it for you.

In response to Scott's post above (which he posted while I was still typing this one...): If your community feels that athletics is above FIRST, then make them feel otherwise. Our team has participated in numerous community events--fairs, festivals, running a Lego camp, volunteering at senior citizen functions, etc. Get the word out there about your team. Fans and support will follow from local residents, who probably work for some company who would LOVE to get involved with your team.
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[University of Maryland Computer Science, Psychology]
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Last edited by Alexa Stott : 04-03-2007 at 21:15.
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