"Robotics" Team or Club

[Lil' Lavery]

We are listed as a club, and get about that much respect from the school itself. We are allowed to use the drama room for our meetings, and have a small space that is OUR shop (nobody elses, not even drama's, even though it is connected to the drama room. Drama's set building shop is down the hall from the auditorium). We dont get any $$ from the school. We get excused absences for field trips (competitions), but not if were tired from an all-nighter late in the build season.

[Justin1636]

Even though FIRST at our school is a class that we get credit for we are considered a team and get funding from the principal

[allabout42]

Originally Posted by Justin1636

Even though FIRST at our school is a class that we get credit for we are considered a team

Same for team 481

[BandChick]

I guess technically 1089 is still a "club." By all means, we are seen as a TEAM rather than just a club. We do more work, require more dedication and get more funding.

Our student council gives out a $5000 grant every year, and the robotics team has been sucking it up every year. Our school board is very impressed with us and is doing everything they can to help us. We have 1 coach "on salary," but then, there are other club advisors that also get paid (I can't think of any off the top of my head, though).

We might not have a class offered at our school, and we might not get varsity letters, but we get recognized a lot.

We still get excused for trips and have our own "metal shop," we do school board presentations, curriculum expos and we're right up there with everyone else on "club night" (where all sports AND clubs set up tables to recruit 8th graders).

I know 1089 would LOVE to be considered a real club and get the same appreciation our sports get, but we're getting there. As part of our community/school outreach our team did an ad campaign, and, as one of my friends so subtlely put it, "Tetra is taking over my life!"

She has no idea...

[dubious elise]

We are listed on school brochures as a club, but everywhere else, we are regarded as a team. "Club" connotates a loose collection of mentors and students, "team" alludes to a strong bond between the mentors and students.

[pickle]

We're still considered a club, however, after much begging, next year our principal said he'd pay our entry fee !

But we'll never be considered a team I bet, we do have a robotics class at our school now, which gets a little bit of money I think, but as far as our FIRST program, we get almost nothing from our school

[527point]

team 527 is a club but we get a lot of money from the school (for almost every year they have been our sole sponsor)

however we do have to fight to be included in the budget

next year it looks like we could get internship credit for participating as well

[Bill Moore]

Originally Posted by OZ_341

Our school officially lists us as a "Club", but we get treated like a "Team".

We won the items below by acting as a team when others try to categorize us as a club.

Team 341 has:

1) The Gym for Ramp Riot (our off-season comp.)
2) We get excused from school for Robotics
3) School letter after 2 years of service
4) Full bus service year-round
5) $6K budget
6) 1 Coach and 2 assistant coach co-curricular salaries
7) Use of shop area (we bought the equipment)
8) Invitations to present to board at least twice a year
9) Time off to visit elementary classrooms
10) Robotics listed on kids transcripts
11) Robotics Course offered every other year

Al, does your team also receive "Letters" like the athletic teams do? I know that thread has gone around on here in previous years, and very few schools recognize their robotic teams with this symbol of excellence. (To the disappointment of many.)

[OZ_341]

Originally Posted by Bill Moore

Al, does your team also receive "Letters" like the athletic teams do? I know that thread has gone around on here in previous years, and very few schools recognize their robotic teams with this symbol of excellence. (To the disappointment of many.)

Yes we get school letters and a certificate from the Athletic Activities Director.

[Justin1636]

ohh yeah I forgot we letter also we are thinking R2-D2 for our pins for our letter jackets

[BRAVESaj25bd8]

Team 250 isn't really a club or a team from the school's viewpoint. They let us use the school but we're not affiliated with the school at all. But I guess that would kind of make us a club because I guess I'm seeing that clubs are not funded while teams are. Oh well, makes all the fundraising mean that much more . Colonie High School rocks for letting us use their tools and equipment. They also give us a place for storage. I'm trying to get our team affiliated with the school so that even if we don't get any funding, we can still get recognized or something on the morning announcements. That way, it would be a lot easier to bring kids into the program.

[Tytus Gerrish]

it's a club if you have a bunch of people who Hang out and do nothing

It's a team if all you all work together and cooperate to win

[Bcahn836]

We are referred as the Robotics Team. but some of the "other" kids call it robot club.

[Billfred]

As far as I know, each school within District Five considers robotics a club. I don't consider it a knock, since Irmo's science team (state champs this year--woot) and quiz team (back-to-back national champs a few years ago--double woot) are also clubs.

We've got workspace (the engineering classroom at Irmo, plus a storage closet that's just ours, except for one small network switch high up on the wall), and competitions are field trips (and are thus excused). The district also helps with money, but I'd rather not dive off that cliff at 8:13 AM.

[omutton]

Team 1006 is known as a team. For next year, FIRST Robotics will be a course but we will continue to be a team.