Keep FIRST in Michigan (FiM) from killing FIRST Lego League

[Tom Line]

Originally Posted by Ed Law

I think the discussions here boils down to who should have control over decisions. I debated for a while if I should just be quiet and stay out of this. I decided to explain where I come from and share my personal opinion.

I coached youth sports for many years from T-ball to soccer. My kids were involved in many other competitive sports from swimming to tennis to golf. I had to deal with parents as the coach or have experience with how other parents on the team demand from the coaches. My conclusion is it is very difficult to keep all the parents happy if their primary motive is only advocating for their son or daughter. In general parents are not happy with fixed age groups. Some parents want their kids move up to play or practice with older or better kids because they think their kids are more advanced than their peers. Some parents want their kids to stay back so their kids will feel more successful. The only way to keep all parents happy is if the league allow parents to decide which group to sign up their kids. Even then some other parents will not be happy because they don't want their kids playing with other kids who are not at their level. It never ends. Another way to keep parents happy is to let them decide what position/role their kids will play on the team and how much playing time. Obviously this would not be best for the team which is why there are coaches who have to make these decisions.

Now let's talk about the FIRST program. I have had parents who want their 8 year olds to be on FLL teams because they are more mature and more advanced according to them. There are also parents who want their 7th and 8th graders stay on FLL teams instead of FTC teams (in Michigan). There are parents who want their 8th graders on FRC teams and I have parents who want their 9th graders to be able to do both FTC and FRC. They all have their reasons: maturity, convenience, logistics, being with friends etc. To keep all the parents happy in our school district, we will have to make FLL K-8, FTC 5-12 and FRC 6-12, and parents will decide what they want to sign up. It is all about having control. Is that practical? No.

Do I agree with all of FiM's decisions over the years? The honest answer is no. It is because some things were not convenient for me or it didnot benefit me or any other me me me reasons. Do I support FiM's decisions? The answer is 100% yes. I will do everything I can to make sure what FiM decided will have a chance of being successful. It is about trusting they do it for good reasons. It is about those decisions benefiting the most number of teams or the FIRST programs in Michigan in general.

Do I like the FLL, FTC and FRC cutoff in Michigan? No. It makes my life more difficult because it is more work for us (in our district). But I will accept their decision and move on, and I will fully support it.

Very well said, and I'm in the same boat. For reference, as of this year I will have 1 son in high school, one in middle, and one in elementary. Last year, I coached their (non-school affiliated) FLL team which was funded through grants from a number of local Michigan companies. This next year, each will be on a different team. You want to talk about logistical headaches? It's going to be a pain in the posterior.

Yet I understand the long term goals, I see what FiM has done so far in Michigan, and I'm going to support them 100%. In a different thread I saw someone called a 'FIRST apologist' because they stuck behind First decisions. I guess I'm an FiM apologist, at least until I see their long term decisions start hurting the MAJORITY of the teams in the state, rather than helping them.