[FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Hello everyone!
We are excited to announce our third annual, Premiere Night! This years event will take place on Monday February 23rd at 8:00pm Eastern. You can catch the action live on our website at www.FRCTop25.com/watch. Premiere Night is a chance to show the FIRST community, for the first time, your entire robot for the 2015 game, Recycle Rush! We have listened to your feedback and suggestions from last year and are happy to announce a few changes to the rules for this year’s Premiere Night.

After your feedback, we are asking to teams to make a well produced, 90 second video highlighting the robot you will be competing with this season. We simply ask that you try, when you can, to limit the exposure of your robot prior to release night. Don’t feel like you have to hold back or ask us for permission ETC. Teams should focus on making high quality release videos. Like THIS one!

Rules:
- All videos must be no longer than 90 seconds. However, if your team was in the final 2014 Top 25 rankings, your video may be as long as you like. Please see http://www.frctop25.com/rankings2014/ to see if your team qualifies.

- Your video must be submitted using the form on our website no later than Sunday February 22nd at 12:00pm EST. Videos must be hosted on YouTube using the “Unlisted” setting, and the link will need to be submitted on the online form.

We are so excited! Stay tuned for more details as the event gets closer!

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Hey everyone!

We hope your build season is finishing up strong and we can't wait to see your robots for Recycle Rush!

Using the link below, you can submit your release video and the submission form required for Premiere Night participation. Videos must be submitted by Sunday February 22nd at 12:00pm EST

http://www.frctop25.com/premiere-night-2015/

In order to have a good show and give your team the recognition it deserves, we have a changed submission form from last year. Please take your time filling out this form and give us as much detail as possible. The more detail, the more we can talk about your awesome machine.

Thank you for your participation and we can't wait for this years Premiere Night.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

So about that link...

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Yuuuppppp. My B.

Thanks!

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

For the first time, my team is planning on doing a reveal video. We have most of our video footage, but we haven't decided on the music yet. What does your team do for music? Do we have to use royalty free music or can we use any music?

Use royality free stuff. Machinima sound has some good stuff and monstercst is all royalty free if you like edm.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Conversely, if you have a copyrighted song that you want to use, just use it and be sure to credit the owners of the music in the description of the video. It's completely legal as long as you're not trying to make money off of the song. Whatever makes your video better is probably the best choice - just don't limit yourself.

Well actually that's not always the case.. From a legal standpoint your correct but assuming your posting the video on youtube you have to be careful. The video can and will be blocked regardless of credit given in the record label wants it to be. It's a rare thing but it happens. It's not worth it and there's good stuff out there.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

I disagree. It is incredibly rare that that happens. If you give credits in the description the odds of the copyright holder having the video removed are slim. If you have a song in mind that you think would work well and that you have a good vision to work with in the video then use it. If somehow youtube takes it down you could always try uploading it on another site then.

Ok I guess I have to verify myself.

I'm a long time youtuber. Www.techclash.me I have sponsors and had over 300,000 video views before my channel was hacked earlier this year. That is why it's in a disheveled mess but that's not the point. The point is I really know what I'm talking about. If this was a robot and you told me something Id probally agree because I'm not that knowledgeable. But YouTube and Internet copyright laws Is my cup of tea. I've had friends who included songs in videos and have gotten copy right flagged. YouTube has a very good filter system for them now so it's getting more and more common. I personally have music libraries that you guys can't get access to(YouTube partnership) but I used machinima sound for many years and can guarantee it has what you need. It's not worth a copyright take down believe me. Your account will get flagged and you will get a strike leading to account deactivation; I've seen it done its not fun. YouTube Has a filter to check soundtracks what it doesn't have is a filter in the description to see if credit was given. Youtube is a huge company with little to no support so they could care less if their algorithm incorrectly flagged your video. The only way to fix it is getting in contact with the pr of the music label(it's easier to get in contact with the president than those people).

Conclussion

Use royalty music its not worth it

Thank you for the information. I didn't want to accidentally do something illegal.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Would it be proper of Teh Chezy Pofs and their troll personality to just submit a day long footage of EJ? :p

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Really looking forward to this, will there be a team list coming soon?

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

One of my son's FLL tournament videos was taken down due to the music playing in the background when the video was recorded. I guess we would have to "mess up" the audio to make the music unrecognizable and re-post the video.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Looking forward to this amazing event! Hopefully we'll see some "game-breaking" robots this year. :eek:

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Do you guys have an approximate idea of how long Premier Night will be this year? I know a lot of that depends on the number of submissions.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

I think we already have (cough, cough, *148*) but I'm sure there are more to come!

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Thanks! We're looking forward to it as well!

Since this year falls on a school night, we will try to keep it shorter but as you mentioned, it's all dependent on the number of submissions.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

As long as you post the steam as you did on youtube last year, i think you will be good in that sense (especially for the west coast :cool: )

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Are you planning to order the videos in any particular way? I believe that the order last year was randomized.

My suggestion would be to group the videos based on the region the team is in and/or the event(s) at which they will be competing. I think it would be really cool to see two good videos back to back knowing that those great teams will be playing against each other at X regional or maybe at Y district championship. This will be especially interesting if the robots have complementary features, since there might be a chance they end up on an alliance together.

Regardless, I'm sure it will be an awesome show and I'm looking forward to it!

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Will the video be archived on YouTube? Our team is meeting during the show.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Ordering by regions would be pretty cool imho. You could check out teams you are competing against without remembering every single team going to your regionals.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Do you guys have a final number of teams presenting their robot on premiere night?

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Please post on YOUTube for the West Coast.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Submitted! 1923 is excited to be a part of it again.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

2607 put in a video for the first time! I wonder how many MAR teams we will see represented, and we all can't wait to see the show tomorrow :D

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Stellar Robotics has submitted our video and can't wait to show off our rookie season creation!

Will there be a list of teams who have submitted posted before the show?

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Team 2601 has submitted for the first time. Eager to see this year's show.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Baring any technical difficulties we will post a recording to YouTube. At the least almost all teams will share their premiere videos with the public and they can be seen there.

We ended up with 71 submissions.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Mind giving us a comprehensive list of the 71 teams that submitted?

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Sorted List Below. Thanks Aaron!

3360
4301
3316
229
4334
1676
2054
1540
5030
3937
16
2990
4522
1648
1860
3646
1985
868
4513
1747
706
1806
2607
3506
303
2386
948
3683
1610
3966
4954
2338
2984
2601
4536
5413
2512
1492
4476
3005
230
4039
1523
3824
2383
3668
174
2375
1923
3507
2363
4499
5209
88
4590
5240
1986
3397
4607
1730
4825
263
610
5254
1511
2481
3355
5637
2471
5599
2046

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Sorted list with teams from last year's final top 25 noted.

16 (#9)
88
174
229
230
263
303
610 (#12)
706
868
948
1492
1511
1523
1540
1610
1648
1676
1730
1747
1806
1860
1923
1985
1986 (#8)
2046
2054
2338
2363
2375
2383
2386
2471
2481
2512
2601
2607
2984
2990
3005
3316
3355
3360
3397
3506
3507
3646
3668
3683 (#24)
3824
3937
3966
4039 (#23)
4301
4334
4476
4499
4513
4522
4536
4590
4607
4825
4954
5030
5209
5240
5254
5413
5599
5637

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Justin, is that the order that they will be playing in?

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

That is close to the order. Some changes are still being made, safe to assume last year's Top 25 will be toward the end.

Also, I just want to point out that these release videos are amazing! I can't wait for tonight!

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

First in the list! :cool:

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Second!

I'm guessing they're listed by submission time?

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Im excited to show everyone the fruits of our team's hard work :) .

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Do you mean Monstercat? If so, I had no idea that their stuff is royalty free! If it is then why am I buying their albums on iTunes... :yikes:

Its pretty much to support them. You can get all there songs on Spotify and on the website they are either free or cheap. I personally buy there stuff because I really respect their stuff and love it.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

We've got a week one competition this year and tonight we're getting ready for it, as I'm sure many other week one teams are. Unfortunately, I'll be missing tonight's festivities. Where might we(and other teams who are playing with their robots tonight) see this presentation after it's over?

Thanks.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

As Pat said, hopefully it will be uploaded to YouTube afterwards. I'm crossing my fingers as well, since I have unfortunately have a class from 7-10 tonight.

And, Happy Birthday, Pat!

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

This is where a shop projector comes in handy :P

But yes, I'd like to know this as well since I'll likely be missing a good bit due to getting ready for Georgia tonight.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

You are going to show 71 videos? :ahh: :ahh: :ahh:

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Same reaction here. Any idea how long you guys plan to spend on each video, roughly? That's a lot of robot.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

With at most 1.5 minute videos for 67 robots and say 5 minutes each for the 4 ranked top 25. Gives about 2 hours footage and i would guess give an extra half an hour to an hour for talking about each robot and recaps i would guess it shall be three hours long.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Stream is live.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Awesome video Caleb! My favorite one of the day for sure! Everybody check out the 4536 reveal video!

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Will it be possible to see the videos after it finishes. I missed the first hour.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Thanks! I'm looking forward to seeing 4607's video.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Full length 1923 video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yZNMJwGQEw

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

So yeah... it was a furniture store... because... why not.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Ours was in our lobby. Similar situation, except we got kicked out after that because the robot is loud.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Top teams up next for anyone wondering.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Here's our video that premiered earlier in the show - we're looking forward to a great season!

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

That was a freaking blast!

Thanks to all the teams the submitted videos, the people who helped us out and the viewers who stuck with us for almost 4 hours. You all are the best.

Good luck to those competing week 1! If you see me at Dallas, say Hello!

We'll see you Tuesday Night at 9PM EST for the Week 1 FRC Top 25!

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

For reference will all of the Premiere Night videos be added to the FRC Designs playlist and by when? (I'm looking for you GRR :) )

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

It is up to the invididual teams to mark their own reveal videos as 'Public' so they can be listed and viewed in the FRC Designs 2015 playlist.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Not true. Unlisted videos simply mean only people with the link can view/find the video. And some of the unlisted videos are on the playlist. Below is 2054's unlisted premiere night video on the FRC Designs playlist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bno1Huceqdk&index=57&list=PLuCPd1I3_wVKUXD iaeS2pE8zvVAMBJvyw

A brief aside: 2054 if you are seeing this awesome robot and autonomous. Congrats on your robot and good luck at the competitions from your champs partner from last year! :D

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Thanks for tuning in everyone! Justin and I had such an awesome time.

HERE is the link to watch the archive from last night's show. There are two parts! It's on YouTube as Twitch blocked some audio from the show.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Haha yes I know, but that's cool. I think a Monstercat song is getting featured in this season's wrap up ;)

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Were any of the powerhouse teams featured last night and I just missed them? I was hoping to see 111, 1114, 254, 2056, etc. Can I find them in the archived videos or have they not shown their robots publicly yet?

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

This is the list that debuted last night. Some of those teams haven't released publicly yet as far as I know.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

None of those teams were in reveal night. 254 rarely does reveal videos, 1114 hasn't in a long time, I don't think 111 has in a few years, and I don't think 2056 ever has.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Awesome show last night Mike and Justin! I was so excited that some CEntral New York teams were able to show off their designs this year.

All of the robot reveal videos have been added to the FRC Designs 2015 Robot Reveal Playlist:

https://www.youtube.com/FRCDesigns

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

I've never known too many powerhouse teams to do reveal videos. It's a rare treat when they do. It makes seeing them at their initial competition even more special.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Not to mention the intent of Top 25 program doesn't actually align with powerhouse teams, as weird as that may sound.

Top 25, especially with the change to voting this year, is about promoting the the top teams no one knows about (as an observer, that's at least what I think they're doing. 4039 and 2054 are great examples of this. Each of these programs are really incredible, but are overshadowed by the powerhouses in Canada and Michigan respectively that the community circlejerks over.

254 and 1114 are HALL OF FAME, WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP WINNING organizations. They do not need the FRC Top 25 as part of their promotional package. Not trying to throw shade, but go compare the Facebook likes of Top 25 to 254 and 1114.

They don't need FRC Top 25, and FRC Top 25 doesn't need them. You don't need a poll of 80 dudes and chicks punching out some numbers to know that the Poofs built the most dominant machine in the modern era last year. You do need a poll to help change the minds of people who discard a broad swath of teams above the 1500-2000 level.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

But that's not Top 25's fault.
That's the cult that worships top tiered teams for their robot and only their robot. That's the way it's been on CD for years. To be honest it's no different than any other sport: the top level gets all the love.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Thanks for the link, Mike. Always enjoy the insights you and Justin add to the broadcast.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

I'm glad that Top 25 is changing up the voting system. Lesser known teams will get more views and more fans, and I think people will also learn more about each region in FIRST. Everyone knows about Michigan, Canada, California, and Texas. But maybe some people will take away some knowledge about teams from other less prominent regions.

I love looking up to the best teams, but hopefully we can also start a culture of learning about each region's top teams.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

I admit Fantasy FIRST also plays into the cult as well but at least we do recognize other aspects of the team as well.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Playing Fantasy FIRST has helped me broaden my horizons on FIRST teams. Researching teams and events has made me a little more knowledgeable about teams and regions every year.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

I can say it did for me as well.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Nice

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

I didn't blame the Top 25 for anything?

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Does anybody recall the number of the team that grabbed every tote and bin in auto?

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

2054... that was so impressive.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

2054 was my 4th "game changer" robot. A robot that does all the auton on their own using a couple seperate arms to grab the cans. Bravo.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

2054 and 1523.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

2054 has been to MSC Finals twice in the past three years, once at the top overall seed, which included beating various Michigan powerhouses. Anyone overlooking them has no idea what to look for. And that's disregarding how good their reveal was.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

I didn't say it was subjectively right, I'm just saying it's objectively true.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Looking through these reveal videos, I have seen some before the reveal night. Wasn't that not allowed?

Top 25 celebrates the good times just not the elite few. The thing is what I like about it is they are student built. Like seriously you can't convince me 254 kids without the mentors and sponsors can make a robot even close to what they make. I'm not of the mindset that "nasa buids their robot" but I do believe they help a lot. It's remarkable what they do but honestly it doesn't belong in a high school robotics program.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

:deadhorse:

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

You clearly have not met the 254 students or alumni. If the rules changed and suddenly all teams were forced to build a robot with only students, no mentors or sponsors, my money would still be riding on 254.

I admit I haven't and I'm not trying to start an arguement. My point was not to go after them particular but elite teams in general no student built can compete with a mentor built bot. Period.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Dead Horse alert, lets not ruin this unrelated thread with repetitive discussion on a controversial topic.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Why would anyone want to convince you of that? Mentors and sponsors helping students do more than they could on their own is a big part of what makes FIRST more than a science fair.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Not true. Mentors are supposed to be there to help guide the students. I don't want to derail this thread, so feel free to PM me if you want counterexamples or discussion on the topic.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

So yeah, Premiere Night was awesome. Loved seeing all the videos everyone submitted. I'm glad that Breakaway was able to participate this year, and I hope we'll be making appearances for future premiere nights.

Side note: I like the way FRC Top 25 is modifying their ranking system this year. Sounds interesting!

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

It absolutely belongs in a high school robotics program. The amount of inspiration and motivation they supply is so valuable. You get better by playing against those that are better than you.

FIRST would be half the program it is today if teams like 254, 1114, 2056, 148, 67 among others weren't bringing incredible robots year after year.

Anyway, I'm glad most people seemed to enjoy Premiere Night. We look forward to our first week of voting and getting the competition season underway! Please remember to vote and remember, it's just for fun.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

It was not as heavily restricted this year. They just asked that you try not to release too much prior to the Premier Night. We were one of those teams that released their video early, as we have always been very open with our robots. We had planned on entering a different video for Premier Night, but the snow prevented us from being able to get more video and get a video put together in time.

We were very happy that Top25 reduced their release restrictions this year. I think it gave more teams the opportunity to participate because they were not forced to keep everything hidden until after the build season.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

I really don't agree that a student built bot couldn't compete with a powerhouse, or what you are calling a 'mentor built bot'. Considering that I have seen teams that I am 100% sure that their students built the robot (just from going to their build space or them being able to help us in ours), that are able to be consistent contenders in their area.

For elite teams, it isn't a thing of mentors usually, its usually experience and how well these teams' students understand what works and doesn't work in FRC, and then pass their information and knowledge from upperclassmen to underclassmen.

On our team, our mentors are pretty hands-off, and the only time they help with fabrication is when we need to use certain equipment. However, they do offer great advice and insight for a validated opinion on when there is debate.

But that may not be the best way for some teams. Run your team how you want to, and we will run ours our way.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

The objective of FIRST is to build robots with mentor involvement. Although I strongly agree that many teams are very mentor built/mentor run, I strongly believe that teams like the Poofs, Simbots, Coyotes, OP Robotics etc. have just found a way to maximize their skills in mentoring students without making the robot mentor built. They just know how to teach their students. This most certainly belongs in this program. Their skills deserve recognition and congratulations, not accusations.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Was premiere night archived? I had to spend last night preparing to travel next week.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

My apologies for the derailing conversation; I probably should have taken this to PMs. Great Reveal Night, I regret that we were too not-done to send in a video this year, lots of great teams this year.

So this is a point people make all the time, that I'm sure a few dozen people will respond to with the commonly repeated, but still very valid, points. That FIRST isn't about students building robots, it's about inspiring students; that "100% mentor built" teams actually tend to be some of the 'worst' (least competitive) teams, not the best; that kids wouldn't want to *be* on a team where they didn't do anything; that constantly making these accusations undermines the sacrifice and hard work of thousands of bright students across the country every year; that FIRST is about the student-mentor partnership first and foremost; that people saying this crap are arrogant enough to think anyone better than them must be cheating.

Here's a different angle. I'm a mentor, and I know enough that I could probably try to build my own robot. I'm about to graduate with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, this year's robot is the 7th robot I've been involved with in FRC. But building robots is really hard. We don't have a FIRST Robotics Instruction Manual anywhere that tells us what the perfect designs are, or what the best intakes look like, or what the optimal strategies are. Mentors don't have some kind of secret knowledge of how to build robots that students aren't privy to. We can't do it without the whole team, especially the students.

This year, I did a lot of design work on my team. CAD is the only thing left on my team that you can truthfully say is done mostly by mentors; even so, our team's teachers are integrating robotics lessons into the CAD coursework at the school so in future years students and mentors will work side by side in every aspect. But as a designer, I couldn't even start to do work without the excellent, detailed, iterated, student-driven prototypes. Without the incredible machinists to make really intricate parts (or to tell me "Chris, you're an idiot, that's never going to work..."), the robot wouldn't exist. Without our amazing software team, including one of the brightest students I've ever had the privilege of working with, the robot would be absolute garbage this year (if we made the same design).

And even outside of the robot, we couldn't do robotics without the whole team. Who raises thousands of dollars every year to get us supplies and two regional events? The students, with some organization done by amazing parents. Who recruits vigorously every year, growing our team size from ~16ish to ~45 in a handful of seasons? Wasn't me. Who scouts, who demonstrates the robot, who prepares Chairmans, who wires, who tests... Can you really believe half a dozen professionals really have the time to do all of that, at the very top level, without burning themselves out? No, that's ridiculous. I'm burned out and I just show up for two months and draw pictures.

Honestly? There are some mentor built teams out there. But they aren't 254, 1114, etc. Those teams need the hard work of tons of mentors, parents, AND students to do absolutely everything they do at the top level. The mentor built teams tend to be teams with... awful robots. Teams you'd hate to play with, because they don't do anything. An overzealous teacher or parent considers the robot their personal playset, and shoves kids out of the pit whenever it gets so much of a scratch. And these teams never do well, because running a robotics team is too hard for just a couple of mentors. They need the students too, and this might shock you, but students who don't get to do anything aren't exactly motivated to go above and beyond to fundraise, scout, strategize, and drive the wheels off their robots. These teams are really sad to watch if you ever run into them, and ironically, lots of their students and mentors are the ones crying 'mentor built!' about the very top teams as well.

The only way my team has gotten any good at robotics, being able to consistently hit that 80% quality (at SOME point in the season) has not been by having mentors do everything; it's been by training a complete team to learn all of the skills they need to do huge tasks themselves. And then having the great privilege of amazing kids who learn everything they can, and when you think you're too tired to go back, they keep asking you for more and more, or doing their own research for the betterment of the team. The only way to do well in FRC is to inspire your kids. That's the big secret right there, everyone.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Although it's a healthy discussion, let's try to keep the "Mentor/Student" build topic on the proper thread.

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...r+vs+studen t


Top25 does a great thing for the FIRST community and it's to get further recognition of your robot and team.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Just finished putting indices on the composite videos on youtube. I hope those are the ones referenced by this link. Couple of glitches in the videos but quite a show guys. Thanks to all involved. Maybe I should start building soon? :) :D ;)


I tried anyway. being removed from comments for some reason. I could post here but the nifty links they make (made) into playback are the best part. Scratching my head for sure.

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

sorry to anyone I offended in this thread (cant believe the bad rep). I love the elite teams as much as the next guy I watch their reveals study their bots and wish I lived near them but.... I have my opinions. So please guys don't go crazy on people because they have a different opinion,

Re: [FRCTop25.com]- Premiere Night 2015!
 

Stopped scratching. One comment reappeared and the other one still gone. reposted the part 2 index. hope it stays. On to real fun for week 1.