Registration 2011

[Bob Steele]

Originally Posted by JaneYoung

It's sounding less and less like FRC and more like customized Michigan FRC - whatever that is evolving into. Are there going to be any guidelines and expectations in place for this? As you can see, it's the first I've heard of it and naturally, I began to wonder how any 1 team could mentor 2 rookies teams and have all 3 teams healthy & hardy by the end of the competition season.

But then, I'm not one to see common sense practicality implemented in the FIRST ways of doing things much.

Jane

Jane,
I hear you and many of us that have been around FIRST for awhile hear you...
I won't comment on the idea that Michigan has its own little thing going.... I have posted about that before and I have been trying very hard to be positive and not negative on CD.

We have 25 new rookie teams here in Washington... last year we had a similar amount... and the year before we had 15-20.... The veteran teams here have been trying very hard to help the rookie teams out... Our team has done a special Rookie Workshop for the last three years....(with the help of other teams ....) Washington is also doing 4 separate workshops for all teams...

The teams and FirstWA leadership is trying very hard...

On the other hand... we got a huge pot of money from the State this year... but it is intended to start teams.... not to support the program in general... so few veteran teams received much money this year... in fact a number of them didn't get anything...those that did got less than $1000.

I see a huge push for numbers... and if this is the intent of FIRST they are succeeding...
I am much more conservative by nature... I see that veteran teams working with rookie teams are the best way to grow FIRST and make it self-sustaining. Without support these veteran teams simply don't have the resources to do that..

On our team this year we will spend $2000 - $3000 in helping other teams... in one way or another...
We do have a strong parent group and we work very hard on fundraising for the whole year.
This is part of our committment to FIRST and to growing FIRST.

We learned how to fundraise our very first year when we did not receive a NASA grant...
(You may remember that.... you helped us...:0).)

The fact remains that we were the 16th team in the State of Washington..
We are going into our 5th year...
This means that the state has added over 60 teams in the past 3 years...

This is tough to sustain... and when dollars are spent by the State... they MUST include real $$ support for the teams that they have created...

I actually like the model that Michigan is providing in this regard... Give money to teams to help Rookie teams... at least in this regard they are supporting these other created teams.

I do think that we need to see more support from FIRST in the arena of Fundraising.
i remember that last year it was a big deal at Kickoff... to date... Where are these programs?
I haven't seen anything of substance yet... I had thought we would have some kind of
"Green" fundraising activities fleshed out by FIRST and presented by now...

FIRST needs to find ways to help veteran teams raise money... Rookie teams seem to find a way of coming up with the necessary funds and so many of the grant programs are earmarked for these new teams...

I hope to see some real ideas from FIRST on how to SUSTAIN teams and not just how to
CREATE teams...

It is fine to create teams but what is the audience for what FIRST does?
It IS a numbers game.... the NUMBER of students involved.... but not just for a year or two..
A mature FIRST student (3 or more years in the program) has a much greater experience and will want to go into STEM related fields...

If FIRST is talking about fielding 2200 teams this year it doesn't take genius to look at the team numbers and know that we have 1500- 2000 teams that are not active any more... One could look at that and say that this is not a very successful program... or one that schools are not willing to support.
Now I know there are as many reasons for a team to stop participating as there are teams... but I think that this is an issue that we tend to bury ..
Oh... its ok to lose 10% of the teams each year... is it really OK for those teams.. for those kids too?

We need to train teams from the very beginning to become self-sustaining...
so we can offer a full experience to FIRST students...