Team Forum

[Ken Leung]

As said on the FIRST site:

"Registration
Please note that each team is allowed to register two (2) adult representatives for one (1) forum. You may not register for multiple forums. The deadline for registration is May 29, 2003. To register, use the Team Information Management System."

2 adult representatives for one forum.

Team forum is lots of fun. In the past, we were able to make a lot of good changes to the FIRST competition because the teams are willing to take their time to go to these forums, and talk to FIRST about their concerns, and suggestions.

Keep in mind that FIRST are aware of, and understand a lot of the problems in this season. So, when you go to the forum, don't spend too much time telling them what the problems are, instead, provide constructive criticism and suggestions for how to improve the situation, then move on to another topic.

There are many issues in FIRST that should be talked about, and I see the team forums are between 5:00 PM and 8:30 PM. With only 3 and a half hours, I would suggest that teams do the following things before they go:

Get together with other teams around your area a before hand, and talk about the different issues you want to address. Make sure everyone is on the same page on the different topics, so when talking to FIRST, your voice is a unified one showing that most of you agree on the topic and want something done about it. This is much better than 20 different teams voicing different opinions about the same topic, and nothing will ever get done.

Come up with a list of things before hand, and make copies for all the teams, and use it as a "strategy sheet" at the forum. That way, you will have a way more organized forum, and a productive one.


Other than that, have fun, and take advantage of this 3 hours to really talk to the FIRST staff about your concerns. Trust me, they listen to what you have to say. Be smart and concise in when you talk to them, and you will get what you want.