Limits on Team Hours

[Astrokid248]

Honestly, if your team members can't keep up their grades during season, they just shouldn't be on the team. Limiting the number of hours the team spends building the robot is not the solution to the problem. I know that my team generally spends about 400 hours working on the robot during the first six weeks and another 400 leading up to Championships. As one of those "integral team members" who have to stay longer, I know that it can get difficult. But it is humanly possible to get good grades, even straight A's in AP and college courses, while still putting in upwards of 800 hours of work over the semester. With regular grade checks over the build season and strict adherence to UIL rules (you fail a class, you're not on the team), your team should be able to excel in school and still build an amazing robot without limited work hours.

As a final note, you may want to let your administrators know that getting B's and C's while participating in FIRST robotics allows you to learn more and better prepares you for the future than getting straight A's and not participating in any sort of robotics (or other extracurricular activities).