Thoughts from an Outsider

[Liz Smith]

Originally Posted by Tstone

As a spectator, I have to pay for EVERY other high school sporting event I attend. Would anyone really object to a small entry fee for spectators accompanied by a free program? I pay like $6.00 for football games and something similar for wrestling matches. Heck, I was paying $6.00 for parking at the Denver Regional. Frankly I was surprised when they DIDN'T charge me an entry fee. The fee could be used to enhance the spectator experience including programs and funding of the additional displays, signage, etc.

I think one of issues with attempting to charge an entrance fee at a FIRST even is where to draw the line at who is part of the "team" and who is a spectator. With the high school basketball team it's obvious who gets to be there for free... the players, the coaches, etc. With a FIRST team its more of a collective effort. There are the students as part of the team, but there are also the sponsors, parents, teachers, and adult mentors who contribute greatly to the building of the robot and the building of the team. There isn't really a clear cut line as to who the spectators are as opposed to team members. Besides, one of the goals is to get more of the public interested, I think the lack of an entry free is only helping that.