Team falling apart-- any advice would be helpful

[snoman]

This didn't work for you?
http://www.usfirst.org/sites/default...es%20Final.pdf
You guys should try to track down your regional rep. From first if you haven't yet.

This is all very sad

[scaredutensil2]

That link doesn't work..

And secondly, according to them, this is a "special accommodation from first" of which they are giving us 0 evidence, and i do not understand how this is all transpiring.

If anyone has any idea what we could possibly do, I would love to know. I feel as if I am being threatened into accomodating this team and providing them resources which have been paid for and earned by our team members.

[scaredutensil]

Wow I was not expecting so much helpful advice. I honestly forgot to check this with everything that has been going on. Thanks to everyone who responded and sorry for not getting back to you guys.

[Mark Sheridan]

Originally Posted by scaredutensil

Wow I was not expecting so much helpful advice. I honestly forgot to check this with everything that has been going on. Thanks to everyone who responded and sorry for not getting back to you guys.

Follow Paul Copioli's advice. This is the best course of action.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by scaredutensil2

That link doesn't work..

And secondly, according to them, this is a "special accommodation from first" of which they are giving us 0 evidence, and i do not understand how this is all transpiring.

If anyone has any idea what we could possibly do, I would love to know. I feel as if I am being threatened into accomodating this team and providing them resources which have been paid for and earned by our team members.

This link should. http://www.usfirst.org/regional-contacts Start going through the page. You should find a couple of contacts pretty quickly.

I doubt it's a special accommodation. Contacting the Regional Director and Senior Mentor (see link) would clear that up.

That being said, if talking to the school administration and the Regional Director doesn't solve the problem, I might suggest the "parents" route--AKA, have parents put pressure on the school (and the RD) to fix the situation. And if that doesn't work, maybe some well-placed media tips (though I'd strongly hesitate to use that route--there's only one thing more devastating to the team and that's the "nuclear option" of the entire team quitting at the same time).

[scaredutensil2]

We have contacted our regional mentors and we have not gotten a proper response or explanation. We are going to contact first HQ and see what happens.

[Mark Sheridan]

Originally Posted by scaredutensil2

We have contacted our regional mentors and we have not gotten a proper response or explanation. We are going to contact first HQ and see what happens.

Likely this will take time to investigate. Are mentors and parents involved with reaching out?

[scaredutensil]

Just a quick update,
Our current coach just said that she would punish us if she heard us complaining about the team situation. I will admit that this subject has dominated almost all of our conversations at meetings and among students. However I see the situation constantly getting worse in different ways and it's not like we are constantly reiterating a single point. It is just one more thing to deal with.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by scaredutensil

Just a quick update,
Our current coach just said that she would punish us if she heard us complaining about the team situation. I will admit that this subject has dominated almost all of our conversations at meetings and among students.

It may be worth researching the whistleblower laws for your state. Retaliation against a whistleblower can be a very serious matter.

[scaredutensil2]

She has done it because she was under pressure from the other coaches, who hold a lot of political strength at our school.

[scaredutensil]

Originally Posted by scaredutensil2

She has done it because she was under pressure from the other coaches, who hold a lot of political strength at our school.

That is true, our school is a political nightmare.

[Mark Sheridan]

Originally Posted by scaredutensil

Just a quick update,
Our current coach just said that she would punish us if she heard us complaining about the team situation. I will admit that this subject has dominated almost all of our conversations at meetings and among students. However I see the situation constantly getting worse in different ways and it's not like we are constantly reiterating a single point. It is just one more thing to deal with.

This changes things a lot. I can speculate a lot about what is going on but seems like the way your envisioning the team is different from others. Perhaps their full intention is to have this duality of teams.

Perhaps a more important conversation is with your parents. Is this team giving you a positive experience? Are you learning?

[scaredutensil]

Originally Posted by Mark Sheridan

This changes things a lot. I can speculate a lot about what is going on but seems like the way your envisioning the team is different from others. Perhaps their full intention is to have this duality of teams.

Perhaps a more important conversation is with your parents. Is this team giving you a positive experience? Are you learning?

I might see the team working out differently than the 7 different coaches that have cycled through this season, but I share the same opinion as the rest of the students who feel betrayed and ill-prepared to handle the challenges that we will face. We are not learning, we are not having fun, we have the lowest percent participation in the off-season out of any of the 4 years that I have been on the team. Their vision may be two perfect teams but they are about to leave us with 0 functional teams.

[Mark Sheridan]

Originally Posted by scaredutensil

I might see the team working out differently than the 7 different coaches that have cycled through this season, but I share the same opinion as the rest of the students who feel betrayed and ill-prepared to handle the challenges that we will face. We are not learning, we are not having fun, we have the lowest percent participation in the off-season out of any of the 4 years that I have been on the team. Their vision may be two perfect teams but they are about to leave us with 0 functional teams.

Then you know what to tell your parents. Getting adults in the situation it will add weight.

I think your current coach needs to talk to the senior mentor in your area.

Hopefully this will push things in the right direction but I would be preparing a plan B extracurricular.

PM me if you got more specific questions.

[mrnoble]

Originally Posted by scaredutensil

I might see the team working out differently than the 7 different coaches that have cycled through this season, but I share the same opinion as the rest of the students who feel betrayed and ill-prepared to handle the challenges that we will face. We are not learning, we are not having fun, we have the lowest percent participation in the off-season out of any of the 4 years that I have been on the team. Their vision may be two perfect teams but they are about to leave us with 0 functional teams.

It might not be FIRST orthodoxy to say this, but FRC is not the only thing worth doing. There are lots of other organized activities that can be fun and educational, and you can accomplish lots without the formality of organizations like FIRST, too. If there are other groups you could join instead of FRC, like TSA for instance, I'd recommend leaving and going there. If there aren't things like that available, I'd say look at doing projects on your own, or with a couple of friends, maybe with the support of a teacher or a parent. If what you are reporting is accurate, this team (these teams) are not going to survive, and you don't want to be around for the implosion.

Just 2c