[FTC]: Should FTC be more like FRC or FLL in regards to mentor involvement?

[TRWSHSHLX]

Why does FTC has to be "more like FRC or FLL"?

Without counting the pilot year, this will be FTC's 8th year - the 5th year after major transition of building system from VEX to TETRIX. Shouldn't FTC be what we, as individual teams, define it to be instead of trying to fit it into or change it tot be like a longer existing program?

FLL and FRC are both phenomenal programs to emulate. Yet I believe FTC is what we define it to be. Maybe it will end up in one extreme (FLL mostly student) to another (FRC a lot of mentor involvement), but FTC is what you make out of it.

FTC is for inspiring kids and students; as long as the team doesn't forget that and keep pursuing that goal, however they approach competition matters just a bit less. Yes winning and losing matters, but just because you let students to all the work and let them learn and if they end up losing, are they really losers in the vision of the program (as for the other approach of managing a team - having lots of mentor support and involvement, the mentors are leading by example and introducing them to how the real world technology and methods are utilized so the argument can be used both ways)?

Plus, what if they "beat the odds" and win? What kind of inspiration and message would that send them?

As for the mentor involvement heavy teams, if the teams do win, doesn't that motivate the students even more to learn from the mentors?