New Zealand Regional

[BT987]

Originally Posted by Hachiban VIII

I'll bet some $100 bills that 233 goes

pretty sure they are

[Jetweb]

Originally Posted by Hachiban VIII

I'll bet some $100 bills that 233 goes

I know my team (or at least me) is going to be fundraising like crazy if we are allowed to enter. Now we can go half way around the world to loose to 233 (if they go)

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by Caseavong

Ed, that would be the regional i would go to and the whole team would want to go to.... its because we'll have some friends there

We're gonna have to raise ALOT of money to go so you guys best get crackin.!

[waialua359]

Originally Posted by Doug G

Our students were very excited about the notion of competing in New Zealand (or Isreal, Brazil for that matter) until I checked on airfare... $1500 is a ballpark figure, maybe a bit less if purchased enough in advance. So at a cost of almost $2000 per person and add in that shipping cost - YIKES!!

Welcome to team 359's costs of attending regionals on the East Coast (2 this year) and CMP (another 1800) per student. We took 25 on the first trip and 22 on the CMP one.
For ONCE, it would be cheaper for a Hawaii team to attend than a mainland team.

[waialua359]

Originally Posted by Jetweb

I know my team (or at least me) is going to be fundraising like crazy if we are allowed to enter. Now we can go half way around the world to loose to 233 (if they go)

I dont believe you. More like alliance first pick, team 179!

[Brad Voracek]

We're seriously considering it. We had a lot of fun with some of the NZ'ers shadowing us and I'm really glad we decided to do so.

Costs are obviously phenomenal, but it really will depend on how the week's end up scheduling out. If spring break falls on NZ... well then, that would allow us much greater flexibility. However if we did go we decided we probably would not go for chairmans there, although I'm hoping it's going to attract some tough competition there... among the non NZ teams, we're more than likely going to stick with LA.

Good luck to all teams raising money. You have around 10 months.

[CyberWolf_22]

I started looking in to this when I heard about it. I am planning to study abroad in Australia next spring but I might try to move to the University of Auckland if I can help out a new FIRST team while I am there.

This is the article that I read today.

[falconmaster]

We had two New Zealanders with us at the Championship and they were a blast. We would love to go, but.... we have many team members that might have issues with their immigration status. We will not split the team to make the trip. We decided long ago we all go or none of go when deciding competitions. Now when the DREAM act passes.... You can bet your life we will raise the funds to go! We also learned that there is no obstacle that we cannot overcome. DREAM act will be one and then New Zealand! Raising the money is just a formality, all be it a big one.

[Ashley Weed]

When I had first heard of the NZ Regional, I was all ready to go. However, after looking up the cost of a mid-March flight to NZ from Philadelphia, the cost was nearly $2,500 for each of us.

I am having a huge internal debate between a $5000+ trip once in the next 5-10 years or a $1500 trip every other year.

[Cynette]

Originally Posted by Joe Matt

Or I misheard. Point is that they are interested in existing teams from the western hemisphere coming.

I think we will all have to wait and see. I know that when I was talking to two of the representatives, I specifically asked if they were saving spots for teams frorn the US to go to the regional. The response I got was, no, they were expecting to fill it with only New Zealand Teams. So that sounds like the gentlemen I talked to were not interested in existing teams from the western hemisphere coming.

[dlavery]

Originally Posted by Ashley Weed

When I had first heard of the NZ Regional, I was all ready to go. However, after looking up the cost of a mid-March flight to NZ from Philadelphia, the cost was nearly $2,500 for each of us.

I am having a huge internal debate between a $5000+ trip once in the next 5-10 years or a $1500 trip every other year.

An interesting ethical dilemma - for approximately the same amount of funds, one could send three students from one team on a perhaps once-in-a-lifetime trip halfway across the planet to participate in an additional competition event, or one could provide support for an entire additional FRC team to allow them to participate in the program when they might not otherwise be able to do so.

As much fun and as exciting as a team trip to New Zealand would be, at some point a serious discussion about purpose, priorities, and propriety needs to take place.

-dave


.

[dtengineering]

As I read this thread and notice the concerns regarding immigration status and the cost of travel, it hopefully serves to remind us of the many challenges in being involved in international competition.

While immigration issues are an issue for Canadian teams (two of our students, for instance, were not allowed in to the USA) and travel and transportation costs are slightly higher (passports are required to fly across the border, brokerage fees are added to shipments and orders), we have nothing... nothing... like the travel expenses and immigration issues faced by non North American teams seeking to compete in the USA.

So when considering the challenges that teams will face in getting to New Zealand, just remember that the exact same challenges (and sometimes more!) are faced and conquered by many, many teams around the world. It makes their achievements all the more impressive.

Jason

[Billfred]

Originally Posted by dlavery

An interesting ethical dilemma - for approximately the same amount of funds, one could send three students from one team on a perhaps once-in-a-lifetime trip halfway across the planet to participate in an additional competition event, or one could provide support for an entire additional FRC team to allow them to participate in the program when they might not otherwise be able to do so.

As much fun and as exciting as a team trip to New Zealand would be, at some point a serious discussion about purpose, priorities, and propriety needs to take place.

-dave


.

Dave has it nailed--if a team were to fly in on Thursday and leave late Saturday from such a regional, I'd be inclined to wonder about (but not necessarily condemn) the use of funds. While it might be hard to get all of the value back from the added cost of going halfway around the world, I've seen firsthand the effect of expanding a trip by even a half-day on students who haven't experienced such trips before. TIMS probably ought to make teams ask themselves about how much value they could realize from the trip before they click the Register button for New Zealand.

[OZ_341]

If you are doing this solely for excitement, then no, you should not go. There are less expensive ways to have simple fun.

When we went to Singapore, we had a full cultural and technological exchange involving classroom visits, presentations and home visitations. There certainly was plenty of excitement, but it was mixed with hard work and meaningful exchange.

When you put that much effort into something, you are shooting for a life changing experience.

[Kaushal.K]

There is also the question of being too jet-lagged to be able to compete (if you arrive anything less then a week in advance)... although I must say I would be delighted to go but too bad I live in Canada and not in NZ