Advice for a potential rookie team?

[Joe G.]

Secondly, so far I only know of 1 other person willing to work on the bot. We have other friends that would be interested, but I doubt we're going to get the 15 or so people it seems like you'd need for this kind of thing to work

Remember, the biggest selling point of the FIRST program is Inspiration! The idea is to attract people who wouldn't normally be interested in robotics, and show them how exciting it is. Focus on recruiting, and remember that there's a lot required for a FRC team beyond the construction of a robot as well.

And to echo the comments of others, to be successful, work hard, and ask for and accept every bit of help you can get. Other local teams are a fantastic resources.

[ichaelm]

Thanks for all the help guys! I know a lot of people at LMHS, so I'm sure I'll be able to contact and meet with their team for help. Looks like contacting places like NASA and JC Penny would be good for sponsorship, and I've found our region's website, so I can contact them. Of course, I'm waiting on a reply from that tech teacher to see if he's willing to help us start a team, or can tell us who would. Until then I don't think it's a good idea to contact people like the regional director. Thanks though!

[avanboekel]

Originally Posted by ichaelm

Thanks for all the help guys! I know a lot of people at LMHS, so I'm sure I'll be able to contact and meet with their team for help. Looks like contacting places like NASA and JC Penny would be good for sponsorship, and I've found our region's website, so I can contact them. Of course, I'm waiting on a reply from that tech teacher to see if he's willing to help us start a team, or can tell us who would. Until then I don't think it's a good idea to contact people like the regional director. Thanks though!

Also, don't be afraid to ask questions. CD is a great place to get your answers. We were all rookie teams at some point.
Take a look at USFIRST.org as well for more info on how to start a team.