At the risk of attracting bad thoughts, this one keeps creeping into my head. 
*Originally posted by skrussel *
**At the risk of attracting bad thoughts, this one keeps creeping into my head.**
If war happens there is a good chance of alot of teams not showing(either due to their own, the parents or the school districts choices) or the competition being placed on the back burner or even outright cancelled.
FIRST has already posted on their site no matter what happens with the whole war situation, nationals is still going to be held.
we havenāt qualified for nats yet, but if war does happen, my school district says we cant fly! so we would have to drive from columbus, ohio to Houston texasā¦ekkā¦and another team from my school district is going to natsā¦
*Originally posted by 157#1Driver *
**FIRST has already posted on their site no matter what happens with the whole war situation, nationals is still going to be held. **
Well If there is a travel issue (like the days after 9/11, all civilian planes where grounded cept one Suadi Jet) what do you think they will do? They will kinda need to cancel itā¦ noone will be there.
well i dont think they will stop the nats enlse they feel threaten but if we are at war there will be tighter security
I agree, if we are @ Warā¦ I dont think they will cancel it. But if there is like a threat of a āterror attackā they just might change their plans. I guess we will find out tomarrow night if we will infact being launching a full attack on Iraq.
Iāve been told that if we are at war, we will not be allowed to go. However, if I give the airline tickets to the kidsā¦it is up to their parents if they want to send themā¦just wouldnāt be a āschool-sponsoredā event. I will go no matter whatā¦so if the parents wish to send those kids on the trip, that is up to the parents. I think that the kids would have two unexcused days at school, though.
Itās a way around it! 
*Originally posted by MattK *
**Well If there is a travel issue (like the days after 9/11, all civilian planes where grounded cept one Suadi Jet) what do you think they will do? They will kinda need to cancel itā¦ noone will be there. **
Umā¦they wont have to cancel itā¦there is this thing called a bus that works just as wellā¦plus you get quality bonding time with your team
Well, most of our team canāt go anyway (anyone who can pay, runs up to about 1000 and chances are our robot wonāt even be competing, weād just be volunteering, not that thats bad), and I donāt know what our school districts (2) would do about it.
Even so, the price might be higher since we didnāt qualify for nationals yet, so we would have to put in a last minute flight plan (talking 4 days) if we qualify at So. Cal regional.
A bus isnāt actually a bad ideaā¦
I for one will be at nationals in chance of war or a likely terrorist attack, Iāve worked to hard to be scared off by a billion to one chance of harm.
*Originally posted by Meli W. *
**Umā¦they wont have to cancel itā¦there is this thing called a bus that works just as wellā¦plus you get quality bonding time with your team **
Its a long bus ride from Manchester NH to Texas.
although I enjoyed the last road trip I took, that was down the east coast. I should head out west in a car or somethingā¦ it would be fun
our team is taking a bus (from north carolina) anyway cause we dont have the money to fly, butā¦
yeah - i am actually really worried about what our school district is gonna say - because if they cancel out of state field trips, our team cant go. theres pretty much no doubt about that. And our team has worked INSANELY hard to get the money to go, and im sure many other teams have done the same thing.
im not saying that FIRST should cancel or postpone nationals, they should just think of what the teams (since they are school based) are going to be doing about the situation, and then take appropriate action.
as pointed up above if we are at war some schools wont sponsor the event. and the trip is expensive i mean i live in fr lauderdale and there is no way i am making a bus ride there its like a U but i know if we go to war and my school deonst sponsor i will still fly there cause i didnt work 6 weeks on a robot to lose out to sadam
My team isnāt really sponsored by a certain school so we shouldnāt have that problem. Weāll be taking a van to Houston (if we qualify, crossed fingers). We live in AR so it wonāt be too bad. The drive to St.Louis was pretty long but overall fairly pleasant (except for the whole re-learning how to walk after your legs have been in the same position for 6 & a half hours).
well if you didnt see the presidents speech he sayed that sadam and his cabinet has 48 hours to leave or htere will be military consquences
He said military action at the time of our choosing, not necesarily (but most likely) right away
Many school districts cancled everything for months after 9/11 and some will probobly do so again. The reason is if something happens there responsible and worried parents will sue them. Personaly and most like statistics would agree its safer to fly now than ever before and safer than traveling any other way. The only change I forsee is no more carrying tools in your carryon like you used to be. FIRST already posted there viewpoint. If your school board does make a decision just go to the meeting in mass with as many members, parents, and any media(school boards hate negative media) and argue why you should be allowed to go.
Hopefully, our district wonāt take any rash actions like they did last year. Fortunately, we were able to convince them to let us fly to Florida. With luck, if we have problems, weāll be able to do so again. We can be very convincingā¦
I just found it hilarious that people would go by car instead of by plane (itās safer by plane). People get needlessly worried about these things.