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Posted by Dodd Stacy.

Engineer on team #95, Lebanon Robotics Team, from Lebanon High School and CRREL/CREARE.

Posted on 10/15/99 3:10 PM MST


In Reply to: TV is the key... posted by Joe Johnson on 10/11/99 3:03 PM MST:



Joe,

Presuming that coverage on Big TV is the key to FIRST Making It, what about a major sponsor - Disney - providing some of that sponsorship by screening FIRST on the Disney Channel? Waiting for the sportscasters to slip us in as a 5 minute curiosity clip during some 'real' network sports coverage could involve a lot of breath holding. Kids watch the Disney Channel. It's on most of the day every day. What am I missing here?

With all the video talent and energy of the FIRST youngsters, Disney could send out story boards and the teams could create many hours worth of great action and interest segments for them to edit and screen.

Other big sponsors, NASA, J&J, Kodak, Xerox, etc, etc could run ads promoting the engineering work their companies do and talking about the REAL NEED for young people to prepare to carry us into the future.

I also wonder about FIRST Making It, what exactly that means and how it happens. The goal is to encourage bright young people to pursue higher education and careers in engineering, science, and technology fields. The initial vehicle to achieve that goal is through the excitement of participating in the competitions. That vehicle is beginning to look like a fraternity Volkswagen stuffing contest, and we've spent endless hours talking about how FIRST will manage exponential growth of that vehicle. I see the system as stressed, to put it mildly. So, what is wrong with young people getting turned on to the goal by watching the games on the tube? Some, as many as possible and the more the merrier, can play and MANY can watch. (Sort of like 'real' sports?)

Dodd