What do you feel about the growth of FIRST?

[Joe Matt]

The team in VA have been experiencing this for the past 3 years. We have had a growth of FIRST teams. Godwin, Tucker, Deep Run, and others are all within a short driving distance of each other. We are strapped for resources. It's EXTREMELY difficult to get new sponsors here since either a company already is sponsoring a team or they can't afford to do it. FIRST has out-stripped all of our resources here.

I think Dean needs to re-think the FIRST message. With more and more people agreeing that the students, not the sponsors, should be the focus, prices and possibly other things should be lowered. Everything FIRST has done promotes sponsors over schools. We need a Renaissance in FIRST, a switch from corporate focus to student focus.