Chief Delphi sprockets

[archiver]

Posted by nick237 at 03/08/2001 8:15 PM EST


Engineer on team #237, sie h2o bots, from Watertown high school ct and sieman co.


In Reply to: Re: Hurting, not helping
Posted by Patrick Dingle on 03/08/2001 6:40 PM EST:



Patrick, Wake up and smell the gear oil.
We get nothing for nothing in this world and free parts and discounts from SPI is a total smoke screen.
You seem to forget the $5000.00 entry fee to a regional event for each team.
You forget that what you do buy from SPI has a value equal by weight to GOLD.
Two years ago SPI charged our team $17.00 for 20 feet of string at a regional.
We all pay, and through the nose with SPI. So dont think SPI or FIRST is doing you any favors, they are doing it for $$$$$$$$$
Disney also reeps their share of our event by overcharging for rooms and packaging park tickets to room rates. Also once in thier hotel system you have to pay their prices for any thing you need to buy as the stores and towns are miles away.
It costs $4000.00 per team to enter the Nationals, multiply this by the amount of teams going to Florida and your looking at a large chunk of change.
The fees to the nationals do not include hotels, air fares, food etc etc.
We the adults students and parents pay this, so dont be fooled.............. FREE HAHAHAHAHAHA.
NICK237



: I would not mind if they put sprockets & chain on the additional hardware list, however I do not want to eliminate the SPI sponsorship, since they GIVE each team $200 of free parts, and half off on the rest. This is a HUGE assistance to teams with tight budgets.

: Patrick

: : Well, I agree with you on some levels. But I do not agree that this evens out the spread between te "super teams" and the rest of us. This is how I see it...

: : Last year, if we needed a specific sprocket, or pulley, or gear or whatever, all I had to do was open up a catalog, find it, and buy it. This year, we can't do that. However, teams that have access to these various machines, etc, can legally machine their own parts out of kit legal components. At the same time, since my team has no such access, we have to either compromise with something from SPI, IF it is even available, or just ditch the idea right off. Now, to me, this does not seem to be helping that spread, but hurting it.

: : Just my opinion,

: : Jason