Re: Best Practices For Staying Healthy During Build & Competition Season
 

Typically, you'd have that on any medical releases. Somewhere in said medical releases (which most schools would probably require to be on file), there's usually a space to put special considerations--meds and dosing schedule, allergies and stuff, and other similar things.

Then you just have to alert the lead mentor that such things exist and are recorded on the medical release.

Re: Best Practices For Staying Healthy During Build & Competition Season
 

Who would be the 'you'?

Re: Best Practices For Staying Healthy During Build & Competition Season
 

Students on school-based teams will often have this information already on file with the school. Need to check on privacy policies in place for each team.

I would have a 5-10 interview privately with every student on the team and this information would go on a large index card. These cards were private, but would travel with the team in case of emergency. Emergency numbers. Medications. Health issues. Allergies. Home life situations the student felt comfortable sharing. I used to be a school nurse (but wasn't in my capacity with the team.)

This is how I discovered one year that 11 languages were spoken on the team.

Re: Best Practices For Staying Healthy During Build & Competition Season
 

Presumably a parent of the affected student. Possibly the student in question.

Re: Best Practices For Staying Healthy During Build & Competition Season
 

Jane,
Meds are handed over to the lead teacher on any travel event in original containers. Students with inhalers are allowed to keep them with them as well as epi pens and diabetic meds that are needed for immediate response. The teacher keeps a folder with all pertinant info, travel and medical parent authorizations, and any other special needs with them on the trip. It makes for a bulky backpack but it is the prescribed way for our district.

Re: Best Practices For Staying Healthy During Build & Competition Season
 

Avoid excessive caffeine consumption. While caffeine will mask the effects of sleep deprivation, excessive consumption has negative effects on work performance.

My team likes to be called the Mountain Dew Maniacs, Dew and energy drinks go hand in hand with the build season, but we have had to limit their consumption at times when we've notice a decline in safe working practices. Sugar and caffeine in large quantities isn't good for safety in the workshop.

Also, I really try to discourage my drive team for relying on sugar and caffeine at a competition, when you come down from their effects your driving performance really suffers. (you can never find a Dew when you really need it. :p )

Don't get me wrong, I love my coffee (and Dew!) just as much as anyone else, but you have to know your limits.

Re: Best Practices For Staying Healthy During Build & Competition Season
 

Personal aside:

Thanks for this post! I couldn't agree more. If a team member is hopped up on caffeine, he or she can be more of a detriment to the precious time allotted for that day that should be used wisely in the build process. The crash isn't helpful either. Apply that to the work that has to be done outside the shop afterward and it isn't pretty: homework, home responsibilities/demands, etc. Also, what is it teaching anyone - using stimulants to get through the process?

Thank you!
Jane

Re: Best Practices For Staying Healthy During Build & Competition Season
 

Art,
We had a driver one year consume so much that he was not able to drive. We had to pull him for a day while he secreted all of the caffeine. He couldn't control the robot and kept driving into stuff.

Re: Best Practices For Staying Healthy During Build & Competition Season
 

I'm fixin' to put this into a white paper format. If anyone is interesting in helping me proof it, please send me a private message. If anyone has anything that you want to add, please do sometime before Friday of this week.

Thanks for all of the thoughtful posts in this thread,
Jane

Re: Best Practices For Staying Healthy During Build & Competition Season
 

Jane there was one I have I don't believe was mentioned.

It was not a health issue but does help you mentally.

If you have other activities going try not to miss them for Robotics all the time.

For example, I'm an active Boy Scout, and we meet on Wedsday nights the same time Robotics meet. I had decided for about most of Build season to skip those meeting and go work at the shop. While it was great I was in the shop another day, I fell behind in my advancement with Scouts, and felt our of the loop.

About 2 weeks before ship, my Dad made me miss robotics to go to scouts. While It wasn't the complete rest others mentioned, it got me away from the shop, let me rest my mind, and the next day when I returned to the shop, I didn't feel as stressed, and was ready to go and and get the job done.

Re: Best Practices For Staying Healthy During Build & Competition Season
 

Something I have to do - If you are becoming aggravated, angry or something is getting on your nerves, step away from it for a few minutes and take a breather. Lord knows I've gotten many cuts on my hands because I was a little too frustrated with how metal pieces weren't fitting together.

Getting flustered is not mentally healthy. I know our workshop can get really warm and it sets tempers up. Step away from the conflict, clear your mind and go back at it with a less stressed attitude - that is until that *#&%ING PIECE OF METAL CUTS YOUR HAND AGAIN GAAAH!

Re: Best Practices For Staying Healthy During Build & Competition Season
 

I've had a couple of thoughts regarding safety in the pits since volunteering as one of the safety advisors at the Alamo Regional.

There is a significant change in how many of the teams behave in the pits on Friday afternoon and all day Saturday. It is a drop in energy that makes them more careless and less aware of their surroundings. Seriously.

There were teams who kept up their momentum and stayed on top of their game. I don't know what their secrets are, except that they conducted themselves in a professional and safe manner during the entire competition and apparently knew how to counter the tiredness/energy drain, efficiently.

I also noticed the same thing in the team support - the parents. There were teams whose parents were maintaining and supporting the teams, efficiently and wisely. There were parents who were exhausted and not helping as wisely or efficiently as they could have been. Again, I don't know the secrets behind the efficiency vs. the exhaustion and careless actions that were prone to happen.

To help counter the exhaustion, it might be wise to talk to the team about the drain of the 3 days and to take precautions as they move into Friday and Saturday to pay closer attention to what they are doing as they are doing it - and to stay energized by food and water.

Jane

Re: Best Practices For Staying Healthy During Build & Competition Season
 

In 2005 at the Championship in Atlanta the BeachBots were a top seed in our division. On Friday night we had a meeting to work out a picklist and strategize for the next day.

I think it was around 10pm when the team was dismissed and sent to their rooms. They went with a gentle word from our fearless leader in theior ears. It went something like this: "You have worked hard all year and you are one of the best teams out there. But there are a lot of teams out to beat you as well. If you stay up all night, are you going to be energetic or have the fast responses required to win this thing? Think about what you really want."

Must have worked. The kids were pretty chipper, unlike most teams, and we took home some pretty big trophies.

What I like best about his was the kids chose what to do. The adults just reminded them of potential consequences.

Getting sufficient rest will help deal with most other problems you might have.

Re: Best Practices For Staying Healthy During Build & Competition Season
 

I'm beginning to think you can read my mind, Chris. Just be warned, I think in typos, too, and the editing process can be totally insane.

Jane

Re: Best Practices For Staying Healthy During Build & Competition Season
 

Did you ever turn this into a white paper? I remember PMing you about it, but never had any real follow up.