FAHA: 2012 Championship Scheduling Conflict

[Bharat Nain]

Every team has tough decisions to make. Some of them relate to sponsorship and that makes the decisions especially important. What advice can you offer?

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A few weeks ago, the dates for the 2012 USA Science & Engineering Festival were quietly announced via the festival's home page. Right now, it falls on the same dates at the FIRST Championships, and 1 week after the VEX Championships. It will be held in Washington, DC on the National Mall. After 2-1/2 weeks of emailing the 3 random G-mail accounts found on the site, I've received nothing in reply. In all fairness, I only emailed them twice and I'm sure the festival isn't the only thing they deal with. Yet the lack of response leads me to believe that the dates are immovable. The closer we get to the dates of the Festival, the harder they will be to move (scheduling an event on the National Mall isn't exactly easy).

Our team's mentors were forced into an executive decision: support one of our many sponsors if called upon, or go to the Championship event if we get a bid. Actually, neither situation may come to fruition so it may not even be an issue. Yet we made the decision to forgo the championships in favor of supporting the one sponsor, regardless of how well we perform during the competition season (even if we win Chairman's Award or Engineering Inspiration again).

• What guidance would drive the decisions your team's leadership would make in this scenario?
• With respect to team sustainability, is a single sponsor equally important or more than a team's continued competition success within its local community?
• What points would help us explain to our other FRC sponsors that we simply chose not to go to the Championships when one of our mantras for success has been going to the Championships every year via at least 1 of the FIRST programs?

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[Jared Russell]

I anticipate that this scheduling conflict will be a dilemma for several teams, in addition to the FIRST and VEX organizations and volunteers.

* What guidance would drive the decisions your team's leadership would make in this scenario?

I don't think there's a sponsor in the world that wouldn't understand that participating in the World Championship for your competition (the one that they are sponsoring you for!) is a higher priority for your team.

* With respect to team sustainability, is a single sponsor equally important or more than a team's continued competition success within its local community?

This is a complicated question. It is unlikely that it is as cut and dried as "if we don't sacrifice Championships, we sacrifice a sponsor". I'm sure there will be other opportunities during the year to show your gracious appreciation and support for your sponsor. (If the sponsor you are alluding to is who I think it is, then I know that this is the case for a fact. Moreover, there are plenty of other sponsored teams that can't attend the festival for plenty of valid reasons.)

* What points would help us explain to our other FRC sponsors that we simply chose not to go to the Championships when one of our mantras for success has been going to the Championships every year via at least 1 of the FIRST programs?

Not sure I can help with this one. Other than to suggest that you avoid this outcome

[Alan Anderson]

Why must it be an either/or decision? It ought to be possible to send people to each event.

[OZ_341]

Deciding between inspiring others in the community or inspiring your own student team by attending the championship is a tough call. Only your team members can decide this. So it depends on what the students think is more important.
But I do think that any good sponsor is there for the students. They would understand that for most teams, the inspiration of the student team comes first.
However you may want to consider splitting your team to cover both events, if possible. You may be surprised to find that some students and mentors may be willing to skip the Championship for the opportunity to present on the National Mall.

[gblake]

I was smack in the middle of carrying out part of a big sponsor's S&EF contributions (exhibits, not $) at last October's festival. When I saw the date for the next festival I too was disappointed.

My suggestion to an FRC team that wants to attend both the World Championship and do something in the S&EF festival (out of gratitude or because the S&EF is important) is too remember that a team is perfectly able to send members to each of two places at the same time.

No single person, or the entire team, can be in two places at the same time; but that is true any and everywhere the team does something. Individual people can't scout, work in the pits, drive the robot, give presentations, watch matches, get lunch, etc. all at the same time even when everyone is at a single event.

So, if the team is already familiar with giving individual members separate duties within one venue, it's a small step (part of growing and maturing) to give people separate duties in two venues.

Little kids who play soccer huddle around the one ball. Older players learn to spread out and play various positions. An FRC team can go through the same change in thinking.

Having a robot, trained students and adults, and support equipment in two places can entail some challenges; but the solutions are all pretty obvious. Borrow from and collaborate with other teams. Buy what you have to or want to buy. Train whoever needs training.

Then feel good about becoming able to claim you and you team are able to juggle two activities at once.

Blake
PS: If it turns out that no one is willing to volunteer to forgo the WC for the Festival, then maybe that important sponsor isn't really all that important??? Sometimes hard choices have to be made.