Good Morning Teams,
FRC is very aware of team funding concerns, especially in light of the recent economic slowdown. Woodie and I had a long conversation recently about the cost of the FRC program and the challenges teams face when raising money. We are aware veteran teams sometimes accumulate a surplus of items from the kit of parts. There will always be a debate about veteran teams having the ability to maintain a second robot and driver station. We can appreciate the importance of having an additional “demo/show” robot and realize there will always be a debate about a second “practice” robot giving some teams a competitive advantage.
We are constantly looking for ways to control costs and still provide an extremely high level learning experience for all FRC teams. I believe as FRC continues to grow, we will need to do things a little differently to enable that expansion. Asking Veteran teams to reuse items in the Kit of Parts is a step in that direction. We may not always get it right, but in the spirit of innovation and continuous improvement we will continue to test concepts intended to enable us to sustain significant growth without losing quality.
You can find information on the 2010 Veteran and Rookie Kits of Parts on our website. We have included information on where to obtain additional quantities of these items on your own. For more information on typical robot parts please refer to the 2009 Kit of Parts Checklist until the 2010 Kit of Parts Checklist is revealed at Kickoff. The 2010 Kit of Parts will contain a new driver station for all FRC teams. We believe Teams will be interested in the capability of the Classmate PC laptop Drivers Station.
Keep an eye on this Blog. I hope to be back later today with a list of Regional events where teams will bring their own robot this year. I’m waiting on last minute details from some of the facilities (who have to agree) the drayage company (this affects them too) and reports from onsite visitors. I know the clock is ticking.
102 days until the 2010 Kickoff
See you there!
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4 comments:
Bill,
A quick look at the cost of replacing the parts omitted from the Veteran Kits (demonstrated here: http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showpost.php?p=876003&postcount=12) shows that, even with 2010's lowered registration fees, costs to teams will increase if they wish to maintain the consistent operation of older robots.
In short, for the same experience they received in 2009, costs to FIRST teams have actually increased.
Can you, perhaps, use this blog to explain more about FIRST's vision for community involvement by teams and for encouraging others to participate?
If teams better understand FIRST's expectations for the future -- specifically related to growth, sustainability, and outreach -- they can determine how to make the best use of their resources, time and energy.
If this is an attempt to save teams money in the tough economic climate, why is it that we will now have to pay more money than last year to get the same components?
I don't mean for this to sound confrontational, but this does not appear to be any better for "veteran teams in this economic downturn". The teams that build a second robot have to pay a larger "fee" or price for the same amount of components. Teams that have many members "require" a second robot in order to keep everyone involved (i.e. programmers, etc.). This "decrease" in price is only helping the percentage of people that build 1 robot and do not have a demo/practice robot. Is there something that I am missing that makes the extra components a lesser price than what they are now to help with the money issues? The idea of lowering costs seems good in theory, and I am sure that you and FIRST are working hard to make this possible.
Thanks.
Our team (3021) lost our router and battery charger sometime over the summer. The Rookie/Veteran team variation list says that veteran teams will not receive either of these. However, it mentions that 2010 Radio Configuration is TBD. Is there any chance that this might mean we get another? If not, what are the rules for substitute routers?
Also, while it says that the battery charger is commonly sold and therefore no special outlet has been provided, I can't find anywhere which battery charger (specifications) we were given (I'm a freshman so I don't have previous memory of last year's).
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