Just a notice to all of you out there. FIRST is set to make a decision about pulling the plug on the LVR. A recommendation to terminate our regional from FRC Regional Operations staff is going to be made to the Board on Wednesday, due to difficulty retaining teams and some sponsorship shortfalls the last few years. This has resulted in FIRST having to lend some financial support to help us balance our budget. We are fighting hard to convince the board that with our economic recovery locally we should be able to balance the books on our own now but right now things look bleak without new and additional sponsorship support assured.
The result of this regional’s termination will be devastating to our local FRC programs and greatly impact FTC growth efforts. I expect no more than 3-4 local teams will have the financial resources to attend out of state regionals and the rest of the teams will not return. To all of you outside teams that joined us over the years, thank you for your support…and to all of my fellow local teams that won’t survive FIRST pulling the rug out from under us…I am sorry if FIRST decides we just aren’t worth supporting any more.
This is unfortunate. Team 4276 has enjoyed attending the LVR for the last two years. We were planning on attending again in 2015!
The CA districts are probably a couple of years away, and I understand there is a distance factor for going to LV for most teams (overwhelmingly out-of-state team attended), but that would mean Nevada has NO regional, and one of the best teams (tip o’ the hat to 987).
Who’s pushing to not have districts? So far I’ve only heard supportive comments about the new district system. Either way we’ll be on districts by 2016 at the latest.
Actually, CA is planning to go district in 2016. For 2015, there will be seven regionals in the state, including a new one in Santa Barbara. I think the new regional might have been added to make room for some Las Vegas teams to come over, but I can’t really say. It’s unfortunate to have to lose your home regional, but I’m sure that some California teams would be more than happy to help accommodate some Nevada teams for the 2015 regional season.
Joe,
after speaking a lot with Stephen at CMP, I didnt really think that FIRST would really pull the plug.:ahh:
I’m sure everyone was hopeful that it would continue, creative avenues would be explored, and the LVR would be sure to continue.
The fact that this is happening at an event where many veteran and well known teams compete year after year, sends a strong message to everyone about sustainability issues of FRC/FTC programs due to the enormous costs to field teams and host an event.
Hawaii has to cough up a whole lot more just to put on our event. If and when our sponsorship runs out, you can pretty much shut the door on Hawaii ever having the same no. of FRC/FTC teams.
For us personally, I can see us shutting our program down once we are unable to compete in as many events as district teams are getting at a fraction of the cost.
Teams in specific regions are getting more play opportunities per $. If we are unable to play at the same level as these heavy FRC regions, I would rather fold.
This is a serious issue that will only get worse.
I am all for districts! The cost disparity between district and non-district reg fees need to be at a level playing field. This will only help to sustain teams, promote growth, and allow regional planning committees to focus more of their efforts in raising the necessary funds to keep regionals going. Its not like LVR was a regional that nobody wanted to attend.
This is an incredibly troubling statement to read. Would you elaborate on why you feel it would be necessary to shutter a Hall of Fame program that impacted so many students over not getting as good a value as other teams?
Fair question.
Our program has grown leaps and bounds ever since we went to a 7-12 program vs. just a high school one.
We impact up to 250 kids in a 620+ enrollment small little rural school (7-12 high and intermediate).
Why do FIRST if we are only able to do 1 event? FIRST isnt the only STEM program around.
I want the best bang for our buck which impacts the most kids in helping them be as successful as the program can help with.
Our STEM Learning Center produced a student who earned a full ride 4 year scholarship to a film school in NYC last year, a Miss Hawaii USA pageant winner in 2012, 3 Bill Gates Scholarship winners since 2007, and 7 valedictorians in a row, most of which didnt build robots.
If you look at our FRC History, we started doing multiple events in 2007 going as far as the East Coast on several occasions. There is a direct correlation between our most recent successes and participating in many more Robotics events, including seeing folks like you and Dave at the 2008 VCU regional.
Every year, we have several students who have never been on a plane, go on their first ever trip to an FRC event. Priceless…
The news you shared today is very disappointing to hear. While I wish you all the best, these decisions that are being made have a wide ripple out effect for FRC as a whole as outlined in Glenn’s reply. I personally hope that things can be worked out to maintain the regionals but more importantly for your local teams, state and region. If there is anything we can do to help at this point, please let me know.
I really love the extra playing time given to teams in districts, but don’t you guys think it’s important to help out the teams that are located where there aren’t a million district events nearby? In my opinion, FIRST should be about providing awesome and powerful inspiration to every team that’s in FIRST rather than exploiting more crowded district regions to get tons and tons of new teams started. FRC doesn’t really feel like the “varsity” program it used to sell itself as in moments like these. Slowly, we’re removing different pieces of the FIRST experience like team travel (once we have districts, how often will 254 be leaving california?), large exciting venues, and instead focusing on expansion. These growing pains really are inevitable, especially for a unique organization like FIRST, but shouldn’t we worry about getting our current teams and events all set before we go expanding and district crazy? Nobody will want to join a program that can’t support its own teams.
Sorry for the rant, sometimes I just feel like the focus is too much on expansion.
Adam,
The best thing other teams can do to help us keep our regional is to send us some of your sponsors $$:D
Hey, if 2500 teams each sent $20 to Nevada FIRST we would be all set…kidding…sorta.
Seriously, our committee is working hard to get this possibly bad news out to our community and see if we can’t shake some more financial support out of them. We haven’t given up the fight yet…FIRST has been patient but reached a point where the loss of our regional and it’s helpful role in offering additional capacity to CA and AZ teams (you would be amazed at the total number of teams left on the wait lists at so many of the area regionals including 10 left on ours). This is apparently no longer a mitigating concern to them since we have been told that there will be new regionals next year in CA (Ventura) and AZ (Phoenix).
The thing is though, those are just a few pieces of the overall FIRST experience and, arguably, ones that many teams do not see as-is in the regional system. I’m sure someone can get actual numbers and facts on this, but most teams do not ‘travel’ extensively (extensively being defined as 254 going to Waterloo; not a NYC team traveling to Philadelphia). Also, some districts are in venues just as large as some regionals, even sometimes bigger (I for one hate ‘convention center bleacher’-style events).
In the end, ‘going district crazy’ is not happening in areas it doesn’t need to happen, and the ‘pieces of FIRST’ that it’s influencing are things that, in many people’s eyes, are bigger issues than the ones you stated, ie. more play for less pay/cheaper events overall.
This is sad news. LVR is my favorite regional. I personally would pay up to a extra $1000 to attend LVR. I think its that good. As for California teams, there was such a shortage to regional spots, there is no way for Ventura to make up for the california’s need for an extra regional and the loss of LVR. Even if Ventura holds 60 teams, California looses 20 ish spots from LVR leaving only 40 new spots for California next year. To me that does not seem like a lot of space for FRC growth in california. I can think of 15 teams alone in So Cal that would like to attend a extra regional next year.
Thanks for the supportive response, Mark. We agree we have something special here and that’s why the fight to survive is on. Maybe if teams like yours, and Adam’s and many others directly affected were to convey directly to Frank such well made arguments like yours here we might have a fighting chance.
What really makes me uncomfortable is how this could be a slippery slope of just closing up shop for areas not living up to the satisfaction of HQ and leaving kids out in the cold. On top of that, the shuttering of a regional, especially one like Vegas, can negatively affect FRC across an entire multi-state region by stunting growth of its neighbors. I imagine what would happen if Regional Ops were to close a regional on the already cramped ast Coast because of sponsorship woes and the idea of threatening the existence of dozens of teams and potential of many more is not something that should be done without exhausting every available option. I’ve never been to Nevada but surely there are some options?
Best of luck Joe. I’m very surprised that there isn’t more sponsorship interest given the proximity of the event to all the hospitality companies, surely MGM or Caesar’s could cough up what probably amounts to 10 minutes worth of earnings without much harm on the bottom line.
As for those questions about the CA districts, there’s currently a lot of worry in the number of key volunteers that need to be trained in a short amount of time. The number of events that will need to go on every weekend is likely to burn out many volunteers, not to mention the amount of time off of work for everyone involved. In addition, while the Ventura regional will provide some relief to the already maxed out Los Angeles regional, it isn’t enough for the quantity of teams in California that attempt multiple regionals, hence why Vegas tends to get a fairly large CA contingent.
So, what you’re saying is that some regionals are too big to fail?
It’s not “not living up to the satisfaction” it’s “Not affordable”. Huge distinction. One implies an arbitrary judgement, the other is a simple mathematical fact.
Not saying that LVR should end. Merely stating that pouring money into a project that shows no signs of becoming self sustaining is bad for building a sustainable business.*
yes, FIRST needs to be a business. If Money Out > Money In we’re all going to be in trouble soon.
To all of you outside teams that joined us over the years, thank you for your support…and to all of my fellow local teams that won’t survive FIRST pulling the rug out from under us…I am sorry if FIRST decides we just aren’t worth supporting any more.