[Koko Ed]

I think if teams don't have strong support from the school district and their sponsors it make things tough for them but if you don't have strong mentor support the team will not last very long no matter how dedicated the students are. Once they graduate who will bear the torch then? You need good mentors to keep the firs burning.
Our team has been very fortunate to last from the inaugural year of FIRST. We've been blessed with strong support from Xerox, from Wilson Magnet High School and mostly from long term mentors who have been on the team for well over 18 years. Without them the team would not survive.