Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

Keep the pit isles clear and your pits open and inviting. We are all busy but if you have your whole team of 20+ students and adults trying to cram into your pit I can almost guarantee they won't all fit and they will be spilling out cloging the isles. Sometimes less is more when it comes to the number of people working on something and the amount of work that gets done. Instead, your pit need only a few well trained pit crew while the rest of your team is elsewhere, preferably in the stands chearing for everyone else and, of course, scouting.

Make sure to always keep an eye out for that overwhelmed rookie standing about 5 feet outside your pit with that "deer in the headlight look" who probably needs help or wants to ask a question but is too scared to do so. Be open and inviting. Ask them if they have any questions or would like to get a closer look at something in your pit or on your robot. Drag them into your pit show them what they are wanting to see and spend time with them explaining what they want to know. If they need help and your not the right person for their problem get the right person for them. If you can't, take them to the lead inspector and help them explain their problem. The lead inspectors will do everthing in their power to get them the help they need.

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

Thanks Indy... Just went out to all my rookie teams.

My word of advice, when the judges visit your pit, be aware that you probably only have 5 minutes with them. Make that 5 minutes count. If you have something they need to know, let them know it (they may not know to ask about it). Be sure to speak loud and clear (pits are noisy). Don't crowd the judges. Do not stand behind the judges, or let anyone on the team stand behind them.

Thanks all the volunteers at the regional.

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

Make sure that you make the 5 minutes count with students talking and not mentors. Nothing looks more contrived than a mentor trying to explain this doo-dad or cool thing XYZ. If you are a mentor, ask a student to explain. If you are a student and don't know the answer, get another student that does. If the knowledgeable people are out on the field, let them know that they will be back after the match. Mentors and students alike: Prepare with information. Create a robot spec sheet to hand out, have a scrapbook on hand to show activities. Use your copious witholding allowance to demonstrate assembled mechanisms. Most importantly - Train the students and mentors that will be manning the pits. A little bit of knowledge goes a long way in making a good impression.

This goes for talking to anyone, not just judges.

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

I HATE MOTORIZED CARTS!
They are big, awkward, unecessary and when teams don't properly stow them away they are a real pain to move because they are so heavy. Every time I see teams make these monstrosities I think "why don't you put more time into building a better robot instead?"

I'm going to add more from the perspective of queing but let me start by saying that teams should take the time to take care of their carts once they get their robot set up ASAP (it doesn't take 4 of you to put the robot on the field). They are a hazard to the field personel and to the otehr teams. The sides of the field are reserved for essential volunteers like refereers and field reset amongst others. It is a sign of great disrespect for the time and effort they are sacrificing on your behalf when you leave your cart smack dab in the middle of their work area.

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

Great way to make inspectors happy:

Walk up to the inspection station as soon as it's open, with your bumpers off the robot, and request the size/weight inspection. If you pass that, get everything else checked while you're there. No line, one more team has at least a partial, and you never have to take the bumpers off again until your next size/weight check.

The more teams inspected by noon, the happier the inspectors are. Hint: If you've already been at another event, inspect right away, unless you're making modifications.

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

Weight and size are free anytime. Come and check your weight and size when you unpack to know that your measurements match ours. Ours are the only one that count!
Inspectors are asked to continue inspection for any team that wants to make weight and size an official record. Partials are not encouraged as they actually slow up the process. We want you to get as much inspected as possible all at the same time. Inspectors can average 5 or more miles each day and walking to a pit for three or four partial inspections just adds to that distance. If you are not inspected by 5PM and have no valid reason, I start to visit your pit with my "mad mom" face. It's not pretty!

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

Care to explain more about that? I've never heard of it...

As for the topic-

Pits get cramped fast! Our team (tries to) have a rule where no backpacks and jackets should be stored in the pits, (except for the pit crew) and to try and keep non pit-crew team members out!

Also, the pits get hot. Bring water, and some Nectar of the Gods (Mountain Dew). Bonus points if you bring enough to share with your pit-neighbors!

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

Be aware some arenas ban food and water from the pit areas so make sure it's ok. Also remember there are strict rules about bringing outside food and drink into arenas.

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

Ah, true. I forgot about that. We've never had a problem at our regional, so that completely slipped my mind.

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

Some good hints here. If you want some more about the judging experiencea and preparing for judging, I did a presentation for the local teams last fall. Following the links from NEMO for "Judging 101" slideshow. http://www.firstnemo.org/resources.htm

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

I would also recommend that you put together a "pit box" that contains crucial tools and spare parts, especially if you continue to compete Saturday afternoon. Run through a checklist you have prepared while in your pit area before you queue up for a match during qualification.:) :)

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

Bring a small broom and dustpan to keep your pit area clean. Nobody likes to see a pit covered with clipped zip ties and aluminum dust; it's more of a sty.

Thanks Sam for starting this post. Not one word of it is anything less than the best advice you can get.

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

Now are there any rules regarding playing video games in the pit?:D :rolleyes: I remember last year as a rookie playing madden all day because I had no idea what to do. Unless someone told me to fix something in the code.


Honestly this year I am so stoked to go to the regionals. I won't be playing Madden;)

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

Wow can't believe I missed that one. I guess I have been spoiled by a wonderful pit crew that breaks out the broom and vacuum when the drive team leaves the pit.

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

Realizing there are pit duties for those who are there, it is always nice to take breaks and tour the pits and arena, meeting people from teams. What is very helpful is having a veteran team member understand the importance of this and take the rookie around during the competition. For those who do not have pit duty, one way to meet people is to offer to be the mascot's handler - helping them navigate, hand out give-aways, and helping to keep them hydrated. Some of our shy students have really enjoyed that job. It helped them with their shyness and it provided them with an opportunity to work on their social skills and their elevator speeches without making them feel any pressure because - the spotlight/attention was on the mascot.

Jane