Phrase "Rookie Year" causing confusion

[ay2b]

Perhaps you can turn it into a selling point: "A few students who had done FRC in the past, but had no team go together with some new students to form a new team. Because FIRST saw a few veterans on the team, we are not eligible for the special awards and extra assistance usually offered to rookie teams, yet we still have all the challenges that all rookie teams must face. Here's how you can help us, and what we can do for you..."

[dtengineering]

This is your team's first year of competition in FIRST. Just say that. It is 100% true... even if it isn't true for your individual members, it is true for the TEAM, and it is the team that won the awards.

If anyone even thinks to check on the FRC website, AND happens to notice a different "rookie year" designation, by that point they will probably be interested enough in what you are doing to at least ask about the discrepancy before writing you off.

FIRST will agree that even though your team doesn't qualify for rookie awards, that this is the TEAM's first year of competition. Well, at least I think they will.

Jason

Edit: Note... I should add that I am assuming that the majority of the team is also new to FRC?

[Trying to Help]

We're sort of a mixed group at this point in time. The five+ people was the sticking point on the rookie designation, and I'm OK with that.

I think we'll have just have to think like fundraisers and turn lemons into lemonade. "Team 1729's first competition year..." and such.

Thanks for all the ideas! They'll definitely help.

[Fyzix Guy]

In our 3rd year, the success of our original team (1596) caused us to grow to the point where we had to split (to form the spinoff 1535 - my team), and FRC accidentally listed us as a rookie team, with a 2000 series number. We actually asked to be given a 1500 number and delist our rookie status. Why? Because we found that local sponsors were much more responsive to supporting an established team. Now in our fifth year (3rd as the spinoff team), local sponsors are actually looking us up to support a team that is growing and prospering and looks like it will be around for awhile. I'm not sure we would have had the same response as a rookie team. Sure, we missed out on the Rookie contests for that year, but this would not have been right anyway and we gained more than we would have lost.