Nothing says FIRST like the build season. It's what's FIRST is all about. The creativity, the innovation, the strategy, the teamwork, the planning. The excitement of what will be. It' s the main course.
The competition season is just the desert. Unless you work in the pits or are on the field as the drive team, your work is mostly done (except for team spirit) so mostly it's fun.
The pre season is the entree. Light and not very filling. Just prep before the main course really.
Off season is bed time. All you think about is " I can't wait til next year". It's the worst season, obviously.

For me, it was always about Competition Season. I loved build, that's for sure.... but only in competition could I have the chance to meet up with friends on other teams, compare notes, and see what kind of creative solutions other teams came up with for the same problem.

i would have to say a tie in all four...

Build season cause you get to work with all your friends and see your creations come to life...(and sleep and work at school all through the night and morning)

Off Season because you get to do demos for all people and you get to have stress less fun (usually)

Competition Season because you get to see your creations at work and just get to hang with people and friends you dont see very often!

Pre Season because of the stress of wondering whats going to be this years game and knowing its only days or weeks away from being revealed.

~Mike

Build season for me because thats when I learn the most and get to stay up late at Johnson and Johnson building our robot... Also during this time is when our team decides on how we tye-dye our team shirts, after that we get to tye-dye 300 shirts! FUN FUN FUN!!!

But I do love the competition season because I get to wear all my buttons and I get to collect more... Plus I get to see all my friends I have made...

Pre-Season and offseason are fun though because you can relax more instead of worrying too much about scouting and all the regular stuff...

I absolutely have to agree with you 100% on that one!!! There is nothing better than 8 hrs. on a plane with the team... especially with Starkey.. hehe... there is no place on earth like competitions.. they are one of a kind. It's like a whole "nother" side of people comes out during competitions... and hey, who can say that they don't love the late nights with the team.. or getting home at 2 in the morning after being up for the past 24 hours!?

And I to live for the times when i can see Dean in person.. riding the segway. marry me dean, j/k!!

Build season all the way. I think it's that drive to accomplish something seemingly impossible in 6 weeks and that feeling of triumph once the object of your desire is done. I'm fully focused on one thing and that's to get a robot working and ready for the competition season. It's such a rush and definitely keeps me on my toes for those 6 weeks. Can't slack, can't procrastinate, can't fall behind; in and out of the workshop. I love it! When it's all over and in time for competition season, I get depressed -- even though I've attained my goal. It's just that there's no more filing or drilling or anything fun like that... until I get to see the robot again at competition that is.

Oh now this is a hard one. I live for the build season, but the competition season brings me to life :) It's live eating your favorite dinner, and then having your mom bring out your favorite dessert. lol.. hmm... FIRST and food- interesting combination :P

Competition season is the best. Build season is fun, but way too stressful. Competition is when you can finally let loose and act crazy hanging out with your friends and cheering for your team.

hmm.. I guess I'll use 2002-2003 as an example...

I reall enjoy build season.. with meetings everynight of the week, there is always Robotics going on.

I have the most fun during competition and post season except for the fact that I had so much more work to do then. I spent last March - September continuously doing scouting work. Competitions also bring along all of the great stress associated to as a driver.

We didn't really have a pre-season this past year. Some people would say that our team did, but for the few of us who were still continuing with last year (02) and that robot.. we were still going the end of Nov. We have a couple weeks off for xmas.. and then it was time for Build again..... I'm really not sure what preseason would be like???

Build season is definately the best. Robotics almost everyday. You can't beat that.

Build season is the best because you get all these toys and with those you get to Build a BIG toy!

But Competition time is the best Because you get to play with Your BIG toy And Evrybody Elsees BIG Toys (Oh, and the girls)

I LOVE the build season. I love the closeness and seeing the same people everyday and working with them. And while I LOVE LOVE competitions and meeting other people (:D) build season is deff. my favorite season. There's nothing like the craziness that happens during build season :p

(Well, besides hotel craziness.. but yeaaa :D)

Build Season (my vote leveled it off 26-26).

Yeah... too bad Steve isn't going to be here for most (or any) of next build season.

But hm... competition was also a possible choice because I remember using my mad azn skills to obtain room keycards and dumping lots of ice in various places (along with rearranging whole rooms lol...)

Yeah, funny stuff.

OMG yan... when you asked me for my room key in Canada.. and then later Jen, Vanessa and I discovered our toliet totally filled up with ice... THAT WAS YOU????

Well, ONE mystery is solved.

In 2002, we had a toilet filled with ice... but it was done by one of the kids in our room. Dave decided to dump the ice bucket out for something, and where did he put the ice... the toilet. Almost overflowed the toilet trying to flush the ice down, too.