Quote:
Originally Posted by tindleroot
Sounds like you may be beating your own dead horse here - I think it's pretty clear what form of success the thread is discussing.
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I don't necessarily agree. I think the OP may be referencing on-field success, but all Blake is pointing out is that success can be defined in many different ways and that focusing on on-field success isn't always the best option for every team.
I'd also argue that all of the teams the OP listed are perennially successful both on and off the field, and that both are noble goals.
Back to the OP's question though, there are incredibly successful teams that satisfy a ton of the conditions listed in your poll.
973 has less than 20 students if I recall, while 20 has over 100. Both teams can be said to have had great, incredibly successful seasons the past 4 years.
There are successful teams with a ton of resources and successful teams with significantly less resources. 5254 had an incredibly successful season this past year, and all we have is a chopsaw and the ability to buy VexPro parts, something any team should be able to do.
The ingredients for repeated success is less about the number of students and the amount of resources, but more about the dedication and drive than anything else.
One of the things about 5254 that has made us successful in 2015 is our head mentor, Roy Westwater. He pushes the team like a sports coach. He cares if we win or lose, and he wants every student on the team to feel like that too. He's established a certain culture in the past two seasons that not only generates success from within, but it also attracts others who have the same kind of drive.
Once a certain culture on a team is established, it's difficult to change- whether that be for the better or for the worse.
When I joined Team 20 my freshman year of high school in 2011, we were in the midst of a culture change brought about by a long-time mentor leaving the team. Between 2011 and 2013 the team changed dramatically, and you could see the results on the field. In 2011 we were the last overall selection at the BAE Granite State Regional. In 2013 we seeded 1st and 2nd at our regionals, winning one and losing in the finals at the other. That's the type of culture change that's difficult to bring about. Our head mentor on Team 20, Rose Barra, was a major catalyst for that change, along with others on 20 that really stepped up and helped put our priorities in line.
This ended up being a fairly long post.
In summary: success can be defined multiple ways, passion and drive do more than anything else to drive success, and culture is hard to change once it's established.
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