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Unread 12-12-2007, 20:15
KathieK's Avatar Unsung FIRST Hero
KathieK KathieK is offline
Sometimes FIRST makes my head hurt!
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Re: **FIRST EMAIL**/FRC Pilot Rookie Competition

The top concern of all FIRST teams (from all programs) that come to NEMO meetings is NOT funding (that's #2). The top concern is recruiting and retaining mentors. I think we need to focus on sustaining teams and assisting rookies by creating supportive mentoring programs in conjunction with looking at lowering costs.

There are hidden costs to every event (meaning, things you wouldn't even dream of...). Some of the ones I've experienced: per-table and per-chair rental fees (think about that the next time you sit down to eat lunch at a venue!), per-tablecloth fees. Electrician on call. Safety personnel staffing. Building Manager on call. Facilities staff to set up pits, etc. and break them down. Food and beverages for volunteers, t-shirts. Medallions and trophies (huge costs).Custodian fees, even if they cannot empty the garbage cans in your playing field arena because they don't belong to the union that THOSE custodians belong to so you end up emptying the garbage anyway, plus pay for two of them to be there all day... , AV equipment cost is huge, DJ services, floor covering, microphone battery replacement (yes, I did incur that fee), printing costs for signage, banners, name badges, etc., judges' shirts, UHaul Rental to move field etc, US flag purchase (it didn't come with the venue), two-way radios for volunteers, playing fields, controllers, field elements, pipe and drape, area roping, etc., the list goes on and on.
IF you don't end up with sponsors then the costs are paid for by the team registration. I'd LOVE to get $500 per team for my FTC event so that I could add some cool lighting or better AV services, but FTC limits our registration fees to $300 at most to make it affordable.
My FTC event is a mere three weeks before the local FRC regional - we will be drawing on the same geographic pool of volunteers to staff both events. As FTC grows (28% growth this year in registered, paid teams per my calculations), so will the establishment of FTC qualifiers before the Championship Tournaments - and there are only so many sponsors, so many volunteers, so many venues and so many days in the calendar.
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