[YMTC]: Who should go to the championship?

[dlavery]

We have a very simple philosophy on our team: everyone goes, or no one goes.*

First and foremost, Jim and Sam are members of a team. The team needs to act together and support the activities of the entire team - not just a subset of the members. Everyone on the team will share in the success of the performance on the robot. Everyone on the team will be responsible for the problems that will be encountered, and the development of solutions. Likewise, the entire team - not just the drive sub-team - should be able to reap the benefits of going to the additional competition.

The only acceptable answer is that the team needs to do additional fund raising and get enough resources for all the participants on the team to go to the event. Then they all go, Sam and Jim included. Otherwise, the team takes a pass on the additional competition.

There will be several who will say this is an unreasonable and you can't get the funds to send the entire team. I disagree. This year we happened to win the RCA at the New York City regional and thereby qualify for the Championships. We were not originally planning to go to Atlanta, but didn't want to pass up on this opportunity. Unfortunately, because we never planned to go to Atlanta, we didn't have the budget for it. And since we qualified during the last weekend of the regional competition season, we only had five days to raise about $20,000 for the registration and travel expenses for the entire team. With an enormous amount of effort and an all-out mad rush to fund-raise, we were able to pull it off and offer the opportunity to go to Atlanta to everyone on the team. It can be done.

-dave


* assuming all the students meet whatever minimum performance standards the team/school has set to permit them to go on team trips (minimum grades, meeting attendance, participation level, etc.)
.

[Joe Matt]

I agree with Dave but in a different respect: the team decides who they are. Nobody can decide for them what to do, if they enact what I call the "unit rule", where the team represents itself as a whole, or if they want to bring Sam, hurray, or Jim, hurray.

Now, personally if the team had to choose between those two, I'd chose Jim.

[chessking132]

Jim he put in allot of hard work and he deserves it. it will also keep him motivated for the next three years.

After my first trip to Atlanta as a freshmen i was hocked on FIRST and will probably be for the rest of my life. Atlanta is just such a great experience.

Matthew Simpson
Team 75 Driver

[Wayne C.]

Throw this wrench into the mix-

the most students a hotel room will allow in any of the Steele Meeting hotels is 4 per room. The fifth person presents a problem. You also assume all the students are the same sex.

So it seems to me that the money for the 5 to travel be split up for at least 8 students and that they should pay for the rest of the cost of their trip.

As for Jim and Sam- Jim deserves to go. That much is clear. Our team involves the kids earning a spot for each year, just like earning a spot on a football squad. Sam had 3 years to step up and work. Did he?

It would be great if everybody would work equally hard and we would have oodles of funds for all to travel. If all worked to the utmost we would have that support. They ALL can go to our local event where the travel costs are lower. But logistically to take 60+ kids to Atlanta and keep them out of trouble, fed, transported and amused is a major undertaking that some insist on abusing. And if they aren't working for the team we really need to ask are they really a part of that team?

I am reminded of a CD quote from years ago- "sometimes it is not what the kid can do for the team but rather what the team can do for the kid" - source ?-sorry!
So we try to allow the best and the hardest working to go. All have a fair chance to prove their worthiness and we push a few along besides with the hopes we can spark them to blossoming.


WC

[Chris Fultz]

i have always been a big proponent of "everyone goes", and only gave in a little when some of the team does not travel for Thursday to limit the days away from school.

in this case, I would say find a way for everyone to go, or at least be offered the opportunity to go, or decline the offer.

the only other alternative would be if the entire team voted and agreed to send a skeleton crew. If that was true, then the decision would be 'who is best for the competition' - who can repair the robot, drive it, program it, or talk to judges. Make those decisins then select the group that best represents the team, regardless of what class they are in.