What can FIRST do to increase FRC team sustainability?

[rsisk]

Asking what FIRST can do is probably the wrong approach if you are asking what help can from the group in New Hampshire. Right away you would run into a problem of scalability. The things I do see them as being able to do is:

1. Drive down the cost of participating in FIRST. Reduce the cost of competitions. Increase the number of matches played. Work with vendors to improve supplies of COTS parts.

2. Provide resources that can be used by schools to increase the value of the FIRST program to the schools. Curriculum schools can use would help a lot.

There's probably more, but mainly I see FIRST providing strategic big picture changes that improve the value of the program, making teams more valuable to the organizations that support them, like schools and sponsors.

The FIRST community itself can help the most when it comes to team sustainability. The Gracious Profesionalism, Coopertition, and focus of the Chairman's Award already drive many teams to help other teams to survive. Workshops, training, mentoring all help the young teams survive.

Years 1-3 are particularly tough for FRC teams. This is the period when the entrepreneurs that had the dream and vision to get the team started are replaced by the team members who can organize and build a sustainable team (generalizing of course). The type of people needed to startup a team are not always the type of people that can build a strong, sustainable team. It's during this transition that teams are most vulnerable to failure and need the most support from nearby mentoring teams.