Sorry for the time it took to reply, I honestly just saw more people had posted. Made me so happy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KathieK
...
|
Thank you very much. I have read most of the info on the FIRST website already; learned quite a bit from them... Didn't even think about the rest though... I will definitely be sending an email to the Regional Director ASAP.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phoenix Spud
...
On a more personal note, let me warn you, you are about to set out and do what will probably be the hardest thing you have ever done. On those days where you just want to give up, remember all the other students who may not be on a FIRST team if it weren't for you. Think about how much you are going to change their lives. And just keep "doing hard things, one step at a time." If you have any more questions, feel free to PM me!
Good luck, I hope to meet you at a competition some day!
|
Thank you very much! I heard about you starting the team in Australia. I have to say, I am VERY impressed... I hope to see a regional there in the upcoming years!
Sadly I'm not sure there I could get a robot to demo... I have a feeling my old team wont be lending me theirs any time soon... I will definitely be showing them game footage of the Robowranglers, Poofs, Simobotics, ect.. Maybe even my old team... If I can find a video were the robot was running...
I will definitely be pulling every contact I have. Sadly my father works out of the house though, and that's not nearly big enough for a robot team.
But he does know plenty of company's that I can contact.
I will probably send you a PM one of these days. And I definitely already knows what it feels like to want to quit... But those people you feel were made for FIRST... I'm one of them.
Thank you very much for everything. Hope to run into at worlds in 2011.
Quote:
Originally Posted by afowl
...
If you have any questions or need any help, feel free to PM me. And sorry if anything I wrote doesn't make sense, I didn't get to proof read it and I've got to get to our Iron Man 2 demo. Good luck with starting your team!
|
Thank you very much! I can't wait to put all this information into good use!
Location will be the biggest problem... I live an hour out of the city.. and everyone else lives in the city... And I'm to only student so far. I would rather inconvenience myself than the mentors though.
I'll have to try out that movie demo one of these days...
Quote:
Originally Posted by StevenB
Rion, I'm going to make several educated assumptions based on the little bit I know about you and your former team. If they're incorrect, let me know.
Fundraising
I haven't heard for sure, but I would guess the Oklahoma Department of Education will be giving out grants again this year for rookie teams. NASA also has grants for rookie teams. Between those two, you may have enough to get started.
In regard to how you dress up and what you present to potential sponsors - it depends on your audience. Some companies may just want to see the robot or some competition footage, others may be more interested in a well polished presentation. Think carefully and adapt to each situation. In addition to our team shirts (which are bright blue tie-dye), 1519 has navy blue embroidered polo shirts. These are great for talking to sponsors and going to other more dressy events.
Location
I'm going to guess that you're homeschooled or otherwise unaffiliated with a public school that doesn't have a team. Despite this, working with a public school is a really good option. They likely have some space, a machine shop or wood shop, teachers who would be interested, and they certainly have a huge supply of potential recruits. Will you find all this right away? No, not everything (2359 has space and teachers, but no access to the woodshop, for example), but you'll find something.
Also, a school is a recognized entity for contact and sponsorship. For at least two years, used a local school as the donation contact so that we could receive tax-free donations. We now have our own non-profit organization: MAYHEM, inc.
On top of all this, there is a limited number of non-public-school teams an area can support. We have three unaffiliated teams within about twenty minutes of each other here in NH, and unfortunately we are competing for students. I fear that ultimately not all of the teams will have the student resources to continue long term. It sounds like you're not full of warm and fuzzy feelings for your former team, but avoid making enemies by stealing all of their recruits.
Team Communication
Like most other teams, 1519 and 2359 have email lists for the team managed by the coach(es). Traffic is relatively low; it contains primarily meeting announcements, to-do lists, and other important information.
I enthusiastically to second Brendan's comment about a wiki. Our wiki lets us store all kinds of information, including team contact information and shirt sizes, motor characteristic tables, lists of suppliers, awards and competition history, lists of things to pack, and the list goes on. It's simple, flexible, and accessible nearly anywhere. 1519's wiki is hosted on a server at one coach's house, which gives us complete control over it. As others have said, there are also numerous hosting options, some of which are free.
Recruiting:
You mentioned the aid of a couple of college students - I'm going to guess that at least one of them is majoring in mechanical engineering. As a college student in engineering, I want to caution you to not lean on them too heavily. I have been blessed to have had a lot of time during the beginning of the spring semesters to help 2359, but in general, being an engineering student is a lot of work, especially after freshman year. As a college student, I have too much on my plate to put the kind of time and energy into FIRST that I did as a (homeschooled) high school student.
|
I am indeed home schooled, but I also go to Francis Tuttle Pre-Engineering Academy.(1561) Long story why I don't join them.
I will definitely be applying for every grant available to me. The more money we get to start this team, the better off we will be. I'm wanting this team to stay around for awhile, and I don't expect that do be handed to me on a silver platter. (Though if anybody feels like doing that, feel free.
)
Great... a limit cap... Just what I needed... We are considering working with a public school, but we are very cautions about it... Red tape and all. And regulations can really hurt. Though approaching them just for students wouldn't be too bad. I thought the RoboLobos had access to OC's machine shop? haha.
You are correct... Being kicked off a team during your first year as team captain tens to do that... And I don't plan on making enemies with them, I asked one student if he would be willing to join me. Past that, no one else.
I'm beginning to learn how little they will be willing to help me.. One of them (the most helpful one, also the previous team captain) is taking summer classes.. yay...
Thank you very much for your help. I really appreciate it.
--------
Thank you very much for everything guys. I have a feeling that all of this information will help me out a whole lot. I know this wont be an easy task, but it is one I am willing to do. FIRST is about inspiring is it not?
Thank you again everyone. I hope to put everything to good use
-Rion
(Sorry for any typos. I was in a hurry)