Lost 1/6th of build season... [Archive]

nighterfighter

12-01-2011, 15:10

Weather sucks!

Down here in Georgia, we have recently been having huge snowstorms/ice storms. Unlike up north, Georgia is completely unprepared for winter weather. Because of this, all school (and after school activities) have been closed since Sunday...

Lame.

How do other teams work around this? Just work extra hard? =/

Tom Line

12-01-2011, 15:14

Speaking from an up-north standpoint, we have at least a couple days a season where the weather is too treachorous to come in. However, we do not work at the school and everyone on the team knows that rain or shine, snow or ice, unless they get a call for a mentor we're building robots - even when school is cancelled.

Early in the season though, it shouldn't be all that difficult to do some phone conferencing and brainstorm concepts that way. We have to do it on a regular basis where I work since a lot of our suppliers are out of the country (China, Italy, India, South Africa).

Jon Stratis

12-01-2011, 15:18

Fortunately, this happened early! Spend the time brain storming, talking with people on the phone or online, and figuring out how your going to play the game. You can come up with detailed drawings of what you want to build, detailed lists of all the parts you'll need (Tip: Just because school is closed doesn't mean FedEx is too... get parts orders in as soon as you know what you'll need!) and in general just spend all this time focusing on the fundamentals of your design. If you come in with a strong design and game plan when the school opens, you'll find that things move a lot faster!

Rosiebotboss

12-01-2011, 15:19

Windchill.

Students can be working on designs, writing Woodie Flowers award entries, Chairmans, business plans or planning a Ziti dinner through the marvelous document management tool PTC provides, Windchill.

I am at work today, and there is no school due to, as of the last text message I got from my daughter at home, the 22 inches of snow in the back yard that has fallen since midnight. I know there are a bunch of Rosie kids doing their CAD work and writing...:D

And it helps to know some of the Town Dept of Public Works snow plow drivers to cut a path into the High School tech ed wing.

Dustin Shadbolt

12-01-2011, 15:21

Coming from Northern Indiana, bad weather is something we plan on having. Even if school is canceled, we still meet and build. They only time we don't meet is if one of the mentors calls us. Much like Tom, we still work no matter what.

earlybird

12-01-2011, 15:23

Last season my team lost 3 weeks, 2 due to snow and 1 due to our principal not letting us work during midterms week. We wound up putting in a lot of late nights sometimes not leaving the school until 2 am or later Friday and Saturday Nights. We spent all day Thursday at our first competition finishing up our robot.

Tim Delles

12-01-2011, 15:23

The first few days shouldn't really be used for building anything except the field, which obviously you can't do if you meet at the school. The keyword there is BUILDING! You still have plenty to do that you don't need a shop for.

1.) Read all of the Rules
2.) Read all of the Rules again
3.) Begin deciding your strategy
4.) Re-Read all of the rules and get rid of any strategy ideas that violate the rules
5.) Research other teams robots from previous years (try looking at 2007).
6.) Re-read the rules to make sure the robots that you 'like' fit in the rules of this year.
7.) What about the minibot??? Figure this out.

And all of this can be done via phone call, skype, video chat, etc. with all of the other team members.

Good luck. (BTW We have lost today for work because of the weather... and I'm in New England) :)

JesseK

12-01-2011, 15:27

In all honesty, I'd rather have a blizzard in week 1 than 1/4" of snow in week 5 or 6. They close schools around here in Northern Virginia for a single flake it seems sometimes.

We met as mentors last night since the students weren't allowed to (even outside the school since it's an 'after school activity' ... wierd). Doing that allowed all of the mentors to have a couple of hours to get on the same page in terms of project management. We put our team values and pre-planning into the context of the game, and determined what the next steps would be. We also did some discussions on CAD sketches our students made, and picked 2 overall team prototypes to go forward with.

The really cool thing was, from Day 1 the students and mentors were mostly in agreement about the whats and hows for this game. Last night was all about finding the common design and iterating it to accomodate the multiple prototypes that will come in the next couple of weeks. This Week 1 snow day was a blessing in disguise.

nighterfighter

12-01-2011, 15:30

Thanks guys.

We've been (trying) to do that. (Some of our new members seem to not read emails/Facebook messages. :P)

What we were really hoping to get done this week, was have our new members build a kitbot and install the new light sensors. Alas, our KOP sits lonely. :rolleyes:

SteveGPage

12-01-2011, 15:35

Last year, due to "Snowmeggedon" (back to back blizzards), we lost 15 days during our build season - most of weeks 3 and 4, with a couple of other days thrown in as well. We worked via email, phone, etc... as much as was possible. We had 7 marathon days at the end before the ship date, and still only shipped a robot that was about 60% assembled. We had some amazing help at the Chesapeake Regional (a real big shout out to FRC 365 MOE, the Mircle Workerz! Your mobile team was a life saver!), as well as had the opportunity to also help a lot of teams. We were all in the same boat, so spent that time working with other teams to do the best we could. If the weather continues to be an issue, contact other teams in your area and see if there are some things that you all can do together. Contact your regional working committee and see if you and other teams can get additional support during your competition. Because of this, National Instruments sent several labview experts to assist teams, as well.

lil'est lavery

12-01-2011, 15:41

We know how you feel. Last season we also lost 2 weeks of build. Knowing that a storm was coming, we got as much as we could from the school but it was still very hard. We met at houses and worked as much as we could. We ended up finishing a lot of our robot at the competition. The snow also slowed our parts orders which was not helpful. I would just recommend meeting as much as you can, but keep the road conditions in mind and keep people safe. Like people said before, online discussions can be very helpful. Encourage students to design on their own and keep coming up with build plans. Good luck with your season.

Brandon Holley

12-01-2011, 15:58

We feel for you, its tough dealing with weather because its such an unknown. Just make the best of it. Plenty of good suggestions already in this thread so theres stuff that can get done. I'm assuming most of your team has access to the team website/email/forum whatever it may be. See if you can start organizing some ideas without being in the same room!

We're right around the 20" mark here in Boston and it is still coming down strong!

-Brando

Grim Tuesday

12-01-2011, 16:03

Here in Ithaca, they canceled after school activities for snow. Six inches of snow. For whatever reason, we are classified in the list of activities canceled, and even after begging the administration, we are still out a day.

Time to go study for that math test :D

In all reality, il be using the extra time to work on a cad representation of a part im working on.

alectronic

12-01-2011, 16:06

49/50 states had snow yesterday. Darn Florida. Granted some not as bad as others, but hey, that's quite a record!

ATannahill

12-01-2011, 16:07

49/50 states had snow yesterday. Darn Florida. Granted some not as bad as others, but hey, that's quite a record!
Why do you think we have the best teams?

/I wish.

Tim Delles

12-01-2011, 16:08

49/50 states had snow yesterday. Darn Florida. Granted some not as bad as others, but hey, that's quite a record!

Hawaii?

Lledargo

12-01-2011, 16:10

We have had a surprisingly light winter here this year (I can almost hear Murphy coming along with his snow clouds because I said that). There is really not much a school based team can do when school has been called off, except make sure team members have something they can do at their house to contribute to the team, without needing to have a meeting.

Good luck to all the teams having trouble meeting because of the weather. (and everyone else of course)

JesseK

12-01-2011, 16:27

Hawaii?

Tall mountainous terrain maybe?

artdutra04

12-01-2011, 16:45

Hawaii?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauna_Kea

Chris is me

12-01-2011, 16:48

49/50 states had snow yesterday. Darn Florida. Granted some not as bad as others, but hey, that's quite a record!

Hawaii had snow???

Hallry

12-01-2011, 16:53

Hawaii had snow???

Yep, Mauna Kea is the highest mountain on Earth, if measured from the bottom of the ocean ;).

9658 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/26/Mauna_Kea_Summit_in_Winter.jpg

Tetraman

12-01-2011, 17:17

There is a reason we named our team "The Arctic Warriors". We LIVE in blizzard conditions all Robotics season long.

in 2006, on the second to last day of build season our school's power cells were demonished by 81 mph winds. We worked in a school without heat on ship day and were working on it as we took it to the dock to be shipped. So cold.

Today was a mere dusting of 6 inches of snow.

ghostmachine360

12-01-2011, 17:32

I mean, we're in the same situation here in Marietta, GA. Since Week 1 for us is all strategy, brainstorming, and design, on-line collaboration has really worked out well for us, and we're ready to go finish design come Friday afternoon.

Enigma's puzzle

12-01-2011, 17:43

How about Houghton, Michigan, we are already have seen 100 inches of snow, and we just started January, 41 inches this month. I dont see the big problem?
http://www.mtukrc.org/weather.htm

waialua359

12-01-2011, 17:50

49/50 states had snow yesterday. Darn Florida. Granted some not as bad as others, but hey, that's quite a record!

I still dont get how they figured this.
It IS SNOWING on some parts of the Big Island, HI....particularly Mauna Kea.:)

Prontopwnage

12-01-2011, 17:58

We in Seattle have had similar issues in years past( not much of one tho). We all just got here. Simple as that. Walk, car, Bus, Train, Spaceship, you name it. We just made it, and that made the fact that everybody had worked so much harder to get their that we all were much more about our work. :D So yeah my advise is just to get their, do it, it will feel so much more rewarding at the end of the day. :)

Andrew Y.

12-01-2011, 18:00

keep one thing in mind, if school is canceled and a extra curricular activity continues to meet, could result in people getting fired and teams being shut down...just a thought

but yall up north are MUCH more prepared...our 6 snow plows in GA cant keep up!

nighterfighter

12-01-2011, 19:15

but yall up north are MUCH more prepared...our 6 snow plows in GA cant keep up!

This is true.

The closest I have seen to a plow in my area, is a pickup truck with a piece of curved plastic on the front. :rolleyes:

angelawence11

12-01-2011, 19:19

haha were having the same problem.... huge storms. and yeah just try to work by emailing or phone... you know, try to get as much done individually as you can!!! And good luck!!!!!
soo.... whos getting jealous of the hawaii teams?

demosthenes2k8

12-01-2011, 19:22

Don't you mean the Florida teams?

TPNigl

12-01-2011, 19:24

We lost a build day today as well. Been trying to work on some code right now. Wish we had the meeting today anyway xD

ttakashima

12-01-2011, 19:35

Hawaii had snow???

http://www.longislandpress.com/2011/01/12/snow-in-49-states-snow-in-49-out-of-50-states/

It was not snowing anywhere near where i live :(

It is however raining.... Hopefully the thunderstorms wont flood our shop >.<.

Whateveryousay

12-01-2011, 19:40

Hi Team 1771,

I am the captain of Team 1683, We are in JohnsCreek, Fulton County, GA. We have been missing works day as well, i really hope we will have school on friday so we can get started.

ericzundel

12-01-2011, 20:03

We've basically lost a build week. Unfortunately, team 1795 didn't setup reliable electronic communication ahead of time..

GaryVoshol

12-01-2011, 21:48

This is day 5, and you've already lost 7.5 days? (45 day build season / 6)

It's much better that you lose time now, at the beginning of the season, when it can be made up.

Mr_I

12-01-2011, 22:34

Team 811 loses 1/6 of Build Season every year: Semester finals are during the second or third week, and school rules forbid the students from doing anything extracurricular.

A little snow doesn't bother us.

Andrew Y.

13-01-2011, 00:37

expected delays is one thing but when we dont know its coming...its hard to communicated with a team when its unforeseen. plus...more if this is expected. I guess we are going to have to get stuck at school before the storm hits:D

nighterfighter

13-01-2011, 00:38

dtengineering

13-01-2011, 00:51

Glad I'm up here in warm, sunny Canada! (What? No smiley with toque on it?)

Actually we had snow here in Vancouver today, too, but it is melting now.

As for how to keep yourself busy when the school is closed, I don't think we ever built anything other than some field elements and crude mock ups in our first week.

If you spend the time researching how teams built tube grabbers for Rack'n'Roll and then model up a couple ideas in inventor (which you now have ALL DAY to work on) you might actually come out ahead.

Jason

jamie_1930

13-01-2011, 01:11

Bryan Herbst

13-01-2011, 01:21

49/50 states had snow yesterday. Darn Florida. Granted some not as bad as others, but hey, that's quite a record!

I would've thought Hawaii would be the one that didn't get snow. EDIT: Bah, just read page 2. Mountains don't count, that's cheating and has (almost) nothing to do with the weather.

As others have said, this is an excellent time to lose meetings (if you must lose meetings). You can read the rules and if you get creative you could even begin picking strategies and designing the bot.

In other news, we enjoy an unprecedented level of snow-preparedness here in Minnesota. Over my 14 years of schooling, I have had one snow day and one severe weather day (there were trees and powerlines blocking 9/10ths of the streets). I have seen the state get nearly a foot of snow overnight and have all the suburban roads cleared by 5am.

The danger of us losing a day of build is minimal. The danger of losing more than one day is nonexistent. If you'd like, I could lend you some shovels ;)

tim-tim

13-01-2011, 06:25

Last year we had a very similar scenario occur in Maryland. We found communicating a lot through e-mail and several phone calls worked for us. After the season was over, we decided to build our own team forum in case something like this was to happen again. Losing two weeks last year was bad at the time, but I feel it made the team stronger.

My advice to you: It is still early in the season. Do not hang your head in disappointment. Take this time to have a really good understanding of the game and how you think it is going to be played. Develop sketches and mock-ups of proposed robot designs. E-mail or talk with other team members about your ideas and see what they think. There is plenty of time to build a robot!

Good luck, and hope it warms up

BACONDUDE1902

13-01-2011, 08:34

just to let you all know its cold down here in florida to. LOL
(btw it 33 downhere today):yikes:

demosthenes2k8

13-01-2011, 08:45

Oh, BRRRR! 33 Degrees? HOW do you EVER manage?
(Really doesn't enjoy shoveling instead of going to FIRST)

Dancin103

13-01-2011, 08:45

We have lost 1.5 days thus far. We got 3 inches of snow on the day of kick off, forcing us to leave our school early on kick off day. We had yesterday off due to 8 inches of snow. We are expected to get snow Saturday and Tuesday now as well. Due to liability issues with the school, students are NOT permitted to come into the school and work. Thus, students work on projects and brainstorming from home.

I know personally for me and our PR/Marketing group, one big thing is the award writing. I can say this, we utilize Google docs to its fullest capability. :)

Snow days are awesome, but during build season, they can put a damper on a lot of things and delay schedules. I remember one build season in which we had at least 10 snow days and FIRST actually delayed ship day for all teams. That was a rare circumstance.

In any regard, good luck to all teams dealing with the winter weather and have a happy and safe build season. If anyone needs help with anything please let me know. :)

Cassie

384drtysteve101

13-01-2011, 10:08

Our team 384 ran into problems like this before, so ussually we meet at someones house during these snowy events, not much work gets done, but its good to have communication with the team, and this way we can be ready for the next build day. Also we have a great bond with our school principle who loves the robotics program, and will allow us to come into school even if it is closed as long as 12 month employees are aloud to come in.

dag0620

13-01-2011, 10:53

The weather we have up here in CT, at we're still only going one day (due to school requirments, but some of us still got together at another location)

Chris is me

13-01-2011, 11:41

We haven't lost 1/6th of build season, but we're meeting for a grand total of under 75 hours this season, so we're at a rocky start.

We lost Wednesday and we're going to lose next Monday (MLK) so right there we're down to about 60 hours.

The key to this I think is to use meeting time wisely and do concept development and CAD over the Internet - we have gotten very productive results doing just that. We're about a week and a half ahead of where we were last year.

Bryan Herbst

13-01-2011, 14:34

just to let you all know its cold down here in florida to. LOL
(btw it 33 downhere today):yikes:

My car hasn't been giving me anything above 5 degrees for a few weeks.

Minnesota is also home to Embarrass, which has reported temperatures as low as -57 (http://www.startribune.com/local/113427884.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUi D3aPc:_Yyc:aUeDyic:E7PNDh_oaE3miUsZ).