[EricH]

I don't want to be a killjoy here, but if you're a college freshman, I wouldn't necessarily recommend mentoring a team, let alone starting one. It's a tremendous drain on time that in later years (say, sophomore and junior) you won't have as much of.

Instead, see what competition teams your school has and get involved in one of those--or start one, if they don't have one. I personally find that SAE Aero Design takes up enough time that I wouldn't be able to mentor FRC--my FIRST involvement these days is limited to CD and maybe a regional over spring break.

Or, get involved with a regional committee or other support organization. If you do start a team, you'll want to at least talk with that group anyway (great third step, or maybe second).