The Sad truth

[GaryVoshol]

As I recall, there was a price increase for the kit, regionals and/or Championships a while back. There has not been an increase this year. If team costs are going up, it's because teams are voluntarily increasing their costs - going to an extra regional or a regional that has higher travel costs, or buying that latest greatest piece of hardware for the robot. Teams aren't going bust because costs are going up.

The problem many teams have is on the support and funding side. Mentors burn out and have to cut back, and there's no one to keep the program going at the same level. Sponsors are lost, maybe they have to cut back or maybe they've even gone bankrupt themselves. The school district can't fund the team in the same way it did before because cuts have to be made across the board - it's a choice between funding robotics or buying textbooks. Teams may have been set up depending on grant money, and now the grant source has either dried up or the team is no longer eligible for a renewal.

The only way teams have to combat this is to work it out for themselves. They can't blame FIRST. The students have to go out and beat the bushes to find more sponsors, new mentors, better parent support, convince other government officials that the program is important to fund. The students must make it apparent that the program is important to them, and show that by their efforts. It won't guarantee success, some teams will still fold, but it is the only way for teams to continue.