[JaneYoung]

One thing that I think has been surfacing for some time and is now coming into full view as evidenced in some of our posts - is retention of some of our veteran teams and our teams with a couple of years under their belt. We are seeing that this needs to be addressed. If a team is struggling to stay afloat and just can't manage it due to a drop in sponsorship or a change in mentorship or school support, there are ways to help the team. Maybe some of these ways have been defined/clarified. Maybe many ways have yet to be developed/explored. It is inevitable that FIRST will continue to develop over time and mentors/teachers will retire. Students will become mentors - Businesses will develop from within and without. While the program is still relatively young, it is good that we are questioning as we struggle with these issues. As we question, we can strive to develop and implement ideas in areas that will make the program stronger, using the ever expanding experiences/resources within the teams to help strengthen it - not weaken. My thinking is that the President's Circle is a great start with exploring some of this. And don't forget, with each passing incredible year, we continue to add the wisdom and knowledge of our growing circle of Woodie Flowers Award winners and our Hall of Fame teams to this effort. They are invaluable to us.