[Alex Golec]

So, let's play the numbers game with this, starting with team growth:

How has Michigan's growth rate changed, relative to prior years and other parts of the US/Canada? (I don't mean to exclude the rest of the world, but the data is too small there) Are more rookie teams forming? Are more veteran teams being retained?

There is also a question of costs:

Can teams use smaller budgets because of cost savings? How much money that used to go to regional fundraising is now going to teams? Was the $1000 reduction in registration a factor in the formation of some rookie teams?

Now a question of publicity:

Is the travel divide between Michigan and non-Michigan teams significantly impacting the quality of given events? (Do recall that the Michigan boundary was established out of convenience of geography) Is the increase in local events helping teams get more press coverage? Is the glamor-reduction at events causing negative media coverage? On the topic of travel: what is the likelihood that a team will leave FIRST because of local competitions versus what is the likelihood that a team will start because of a local competition?

Now, to answer the questions:

Growth rates can be calculated by dumping data out of FIRST and meticulously sorting it, and then analyzed given economic conditions of the US/Canada. It can be done eventually.

Costs are tougher to determine - most teams don't publish their budgets. Event costs may be made available through FiM - as I understand, 7 districts are operating for the cost of one regional. In addition to cost, one must eventually consider the concept of "value" - how much bang did teams get for their dollar? Two local events for $5000 versus one event for $6000 seems seems huge.

Publicity will be much harder to quantify - counting news articles might not be feasible or even relative. Surveys might not yield enough data unless all teams respond (truthfully). Value of data might also become a question - are rookie team's inputs more important than veterans? How much do we care about what non-Michigan teams have to say?

What makes matters worse, is that these aren't even all of my questions. But its a start.