How do you unwind after the build season is over?

[Jon Stratis]

I'm sitting here in lovely Lake Tahoe, having just killed myself on the slopes at Heavenly. I take a trip with some friends from college every year, and it always seems to come right after the build season is over, and before our first competition.

Some details of my first real day (remember, us mentors still have to go to work after the robot ships!) of post-build relaxation:
18 miles downhill, 11 miles on lifts
29.7 mph max speed
12.7k ft ski vertical
10021 ft max altitude
7485 min altitude

[pfreivald]

I'm sitting here in lovely Lake Tahoe, having just killed myself on the slopes at Heavenly.

Very nice! When the competition season starts to wind down I start back up with writing and beekeeping -- my generally preferred form of relaxation is "other types of work".

[Team 4057]

two words "HOT TUB"

[Andrew Lawrence]

Two words: Practice Bot. :p

Realistically, I like to stay with my family, do a little less, maybe go out with the guys every once in a while, etc. If it's near the end of school, I get so slowed down and relaxed my teachers think I'm ill (this doesn't affect my grades).

[liam.larkin]

I apologize to my wife and spend the offseason begging her to let me do it agian. Jk (she is quite supportive and would never think of not letting me be part of such an awesome organization.)

When the season ends baseball season is in full swing....Nothing like sitting outside on my deck with an adult beverage or two listening to a good game on the radio.

[Hallry]

You can't unwind after build season knowing that competition season is just around the corner! ;)

[stundt1]

You can't unwind after build season knowing that competition season is just around the corner! ;)

AGREED :]

[Gray Adams]

Does preparing for competition count?

[Grim Tuesday]

I find Portal 2 exceedingly relaxing.

[Andrew Lawrence]

You can't unwind after build season knowing that competition season is just around the corner! ;)

QFT. Seriously, (no offense to anyone), if you're thinking now is the time to fully unwind, I can tell you haven't been in FIRST too long.

After Bag and tag, though it may be relaxing, those teams serious about winning will keep working, either with practice bots, training the human players, preparing for their competition, etc.

I know this year, in the coming weeks, 256 will be working on our first ever practice bot, human player training (118, your human player will be no match for ours), and even practicing setting up a pit area (speed trials) so we can get to work ASAP

[Savvy578]

Catching up on homework and preparing for competition. Thinking of putting together a pit priority sheet:)

[MagiChau]

We're in Michigan and are busy on our three work sessions (including 6 hrs on the robot) before competition, and then we have 5 hours of pits on Thursday. We have not really wound down at all. We have also been drilling our drivers & human player about the game.

[Damiaen_Florian]

Take a 1 day break, get right back to building the practice bot!

And once that is done we normally find imperfections with it and try and see what works so when competition comes around we can alter our competition bot

Let's be honest, build season doesn't "end" until the FIRST season ends, it just gets less intense and less time constrained

[n1ckd2012]

practice bot is relaxing!

[PayneTrain]

Take a day off, then proceed to not sleep because you can't wait to compete. Done competing? can't sleep because you're excited for invitationals and parades and pool parties and... well... it's the world's coolest vicious cycle of sleeplessness.

[plnyyanks]

Let's be honest, build season doesn't "end" until the FIRST season ends, it just gets less intense and less time constrained

QFT. We'll still meet every day until CTR, but we may cancel here and here, and members will show up on more of an "as needed" basis. But it definitely doesn't end....

[BJT]

I usually take a trip to Portland OR to see my sister and her kids. I have been able to catch the portland regional in the past, but this year it was the same week as the lake superior regional, oh well.

[Captaindan]

build a robot cart and pit then go fishing

[MrForbes]

last two days I goofed off and overhauled a transmission for my 57 chevy truck, today I installed it.

http://www.selectric.org/57oneton/trans11.jpg


I might drive it to the San Diego regional...that's about 500 miles each way....with the robot in the back.

[Andrew Lawrence]

last two days I goofed off and overhauled a transmission for my 57 chevy truck, today I installed it.


I might drive it to the San Diego regional...that's about 500 miles each way....with the robot in the back.

Oh my god that looks gorgeous! As the guy in charge of everything drivetrains on 256, a humongous, truck-style transmission is just awesome compared to the silly little things our robots use.

Speaking of transmissions, I'm "relaxing" after bag and tag by designing new gearboxes. :)

[MichaelBick]

watch reveals, practice bot, withholding allowance

[Gigakaiser]

I relax by reading through the entire "next year's game" thread every night.

[delsaner]

How I wind down [after build season]:
Scout
Chief Delphi
Talk strategy
Plan regional/district visits
Get a good night sleep
Play a couple video games
Catch up/Study for school
Spend time with my family and friends

Surely we all get ready for competition season, but you should spend from a couple of hours to a day to relax. You need the rest from the intensities of build season.

How I wind down [after competition season]:
Conclude the successes of the team
Question what was done well / what could have been done better
Off-season events (parades, competitions, etc.)
More gaming
Academics/School
Family/friend time
Party as a result of a successful build season (whether we won or lost)
Play some drums

I keep telling myself I want to mess around with Swerve Drive, but I can never get around to doing that. ;P

[tim-tim]

I like to get a few rounds of golf in. My swing declined pretty drastically over the 6 weeks.

I also look back and look at how I handled situations during the build season. By doing this, I feel that I can become a better leader and communicator. Sometimes I handled things very well, and often handle things in not the best way. But it's a learning experience for everyone.

[MattC9]

I know this sounds weird, but work. I get back to my job and swim untill next kick off.

[470-RBTX]

I know jocks aren't normal around first, but the only thing that changes for me after the bag and tag is the addition of lacrosse conditioning, and I go from getting 5 hours of sleep a night to 6. :D

[Savvy578]

Track starts in week 2 of the competition season. Do the only difference is getting yelled at for skipping practices because of homework and robotics:/

[45Auto]

last two days I goofed off and overhauled a transmission for my 57 chevy truck, today I installed it.

It gives me great joy to see someone else with a workbench ALMOST as messy and disorganized as mine ...... :)

[Dancin103]

As much as I'd like to say I wind down, I only windup! We start packing everything for competitions, start scouting, and I personally fast forward on my homework (seeing that I'm in my last year of college), and get ahead as much as possible, because doing homework the night of competitions and scouting with the kids is exhausting!

Build season is 6 weeks, robotics season is more like 15. I will relax at the end of the 15 weeks. Lol

Good luck to everyone competing this week as well! :)

[Dancin103]

last two days I goofed off and overhauled a transmission for my 57 chevy truck, today I installed it.

I might drive it to the San Diego regional...that's about 500 miles each way....with the robot in the back.

This is just awesome! I'd love to see the whole truck. One of the cars on my dream list is a classic red and white 57 Chevy Bel Air. :)

[jwfoss]

doesn't the 2012 build season end just before kickoff of the 2013 season?

[AlexH]

I go into robot withdraw and end up building battlebots in the off season...

I have a 30lb flipper bot that needs a rebuild after its last event.

[MrForbes]

It gives me great joy to see someone else with a workbench ALMOST as messy and disorganized as mine ...... :)

heh...you realize I spent an hour cleaning the workbench to get it clean enough so I could work on that transmission?

[BigJ]

I wind down by having quality time with our withholding allowance :p

[Peter Matteson]

doesn't the 2012 build season end just before kickoff of the 2013 season?

No, it ends after the confetti comes down on Einstein.

Offseason doensn't count toward the current season that's just prep for next year.