[dbs12693x]

I see a bit of promise in the new structuring. I think that there's definately reason to test the idea.

However, if our goal is to be able to sustain a FIRST Robotics Competition which reaches and inspires more students...then just restructuring the competitions will not do. Having competitions be close to home will definately help...some amount. Teams won't magically rise and flourish just because it's easier for them to do so, though. There are a few reasons why teams might not be able to start-up. One of the problems is the revenue source--the funding--and not just the costs. The costs will always be high, but the funding might not be.

What about the perspective of new teams?

Say a school doesn't have a team. To get one, it will have to 1) have someone learn about FIRST, and 2) get start-up funding, 3)interested students, and 4) mentors. To flourish and continue, it will need more funding and students, mainly. So how will this restructuring help? It'll make step 2) easier to achieve, and that's about it, and maybe more people will hear about FIRST if it's spread-out, but not necessarily. So, it may help to reorg, but that won't solve a whole lot of problems. Who knows if a state-championship will compare in size and hype with a GLR? Will they get the news coverage of those more extablished regionals? I guess they'll be in the news, since they'll be "new."

In any case, I think that scholorships are the way to go...though not having to pay FedEx to ship the thing is also an attractive "plus." Scholorships are versatile and can help get teams through no limit of tough situations, wether or not staying at a hotel or travelling far is one of them. There's no way we can REALLY help the lower-key teams succeed unless we get government, big corporations, etc., more involved. Sure, NASA helps out rookie teams, but that only lasts for a year, and big companies support successful teams, but there lies the problem: the successful teams don't have to try as hard to get sponsorship, because of their success records, while newer ones might not get any at all. There is the beauty of gov't. help.

Anyway, more government support means more speaches on FIRST--that, in turn, means that there will be more coverage and wide-spread recognition of the competition, and maybe even legislation aimed at helping FIRST teams; I can imagine FRC stimulus checks already (which, on a side note, would really help out the economy by making more teams which buy materials and so forth... )

On a side note, one thing I'll miss will be the I feel that big competitions, such as GLR, St. Louis, and even IRI, are what get FIRST into the news. People are excited, cheering, and generally having an amazing time. I know, for one, when I advertize FIRST, that the liveliness of the competition is something I don't forget to mention. I also know, though this doesn't apply to Michigan for me, that going out to new states and different competitions is one of the highlights of FRC, and it's a luxury that I really enjoy (though, as Alex Golec does mention, is not the main goal of FIRST).

Anyway, it's worth a shot. Who knows; maybe we will get more teams, and it'll make up for all the down-sides? In any case, this pilot will have to go on for at least two or three years for us to fully appreciate the long-term effects of such structuring, and, well, I don't know how much fun that will be. This restructuring is an alright idea in principle, and is, I think, an inevitable one, but getting increased government involvement should be a priority before restructuring the FIRST Robotics Competition in its entirety.

-Daniel Smolkin