Dilema...

[Yov]

Hello, my school has been given the opportunity to participate in the 2005 FIRST competitions, including funding and stuff.
Our robotics class (including me) was givin the choice between FIRST, or staying with the projects we already started (we have a few groups with a few different projects, my group for example is building an autmatic sentry).

The problem is, this would be the first time any of us would be attempting to do this (2005 is the first year that Israel is included in the FIRST program), and I'm not sure how it'll be.

We'll be voting soon, and I would like to get a better idea of what FIRST is really about before I vote/pursuade others to vote.
I'm worried that as a first-time team we won't be able to overcome technical or even basic difficulties (I've seen some pictures of robots here, I've never cut aluminum in my life, let alone build a gearbox with 2 speeds and multi-motors).
On the upside, our team does know pneumatics, and electronics to a degree.

My question is what do you think our chances are of pulling it off in 6 weeks, keeping in mind that we have around 25-45 team members, half of which know pneumatics and electronics, including a handfull of programmers that know pascal (don't laugh ) and 1-2 that also know C (the other programmers will obviously learn C)- NO previous supplies, I know how older teams have "leftovers" from previous years.

If anyone here who's participated in FIRST robotics wants to give their input- please do, and please be objective (I realize this is a wonderfull project, but I don't want to get into something we can't finish).

Thanks in advance- me, and my future team


edit:
There's another question on the second page- thanks a lot!