Question of the Week!!! (5/24/04)

[EddieMcD]

First off: we have our original host of the Question of the Week back. Yay!

::waves to Andy::

Now, on topic:

Originally Posted by Andy Grady

Well, it has been quite a while since I have posted a Question of the Week (about 3 or 4 years now), and due to the summer months with all the activity dropping on the boards, it is time to bring some conversation back. Thank you to Ken, M Krass, and the others who helped it survive as long as it did, now it is time for me to come out of retirement and get the ball rolling once again!


Question of the Week (5/24/04):

What was the most difficult aspect of this years challenge, technical, personal or professional, for you or your team to overcome?

Personally: being able to get to the competitions this year. Of course, I have a grade-A posse, so that was solved rather quickly. So my most difficult challenge this year was queing at Blitz. I mean, I knew what the job was, but had never done it. You try to get your crew to get teams in the waiting area before they go on deck. Problem is a lot of teams like to drag their feet. So I'm hounding my pit crew from the field, they're hounding the teams, teams wait until the last possible minute, and it gets very messy. But it was still fun. And I witnessed Dez hitting the Big Red Button.

[Kathleen Joyal]

The toughest thing for our team was that we lost our sponsors, and all financial backing. This is tough to get used to because we have always had money "handed" to us.
As a Mentor it was very tough (and still is) to get the students to participate in fundraisers! I have great fundraisers lined up for this summer where we can raise over $4,000.00 in two days, but I still can't get the kids to comit! It gets very frustrating for myself and my husband (who is the teacher) when we give up so much of our time to line up these fundraisers and work them (even our kids ages 5 and 8 work them with us) and we have kids who feel they are to busy to help with the team except when it comes to building the robot and going to the competition. I'm sorry that this sounds like complaining, my husband and I love the FIRST program and have been involved for over 10 years. We stay involved because if we were ever to take a year off there would be no team. There is no one else from the school willing to help out. What do other mentors do to motivate your students when it comes to fundraising?
All you students out there if you haven't done this already you should take a minute to thank your teacher for all that they do for you! With our team the kids always thank the engineers (which they deserve) but always forget about the teacher. It would make their day!
Again sorry for the complaining!

[MrToast]

I'd have to say that it was watching alliance partners get in our way instead of helping us and watching them drive stupidly.

No offense to anyone.....

MrToast