Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

After a few years of competitions there are a few sage words of advice I would like to give about what goes on at regionals and a few things that I dislike.

#1 Carts - Big heavy carts are a major pain in the rear for queuing folks. Please keep your carts light and easy to move. Big carts can cause major headaches for the folks trying to help you play as many matches as possible (and don't even get me started about music on carts!)

#2 Keep your drivers station simple and plan ahead for where everything plugs in. Also don't forget that Velcro on the bottom. Controllers taking flight and hitting the floor in autonomous is an ugly sight.

#3 Think now about how you are going to lift up and carry your robots. Our Lunacy robot was quite a pain to lift and carry. One of our mentors hurt his back when he was placed in an awkward situation while moving it at IRI. After that I vowed to never let that happen again. Last year we put simple eye-bolts on out robot and used a nice big soft rope and carabiners, it was a joy to move. I have also seen some sweet built-in handles on robots.

#4 Don't hang banners on the back of your pit facing the other direction. I have seen this a number of times and it's just plain rude to you stablemates behind you to have your banner in their pit.

#5 Roofs and canopies make your pit seam small, dark and not very inviting. Leave them at home.

#6 Some pit areas have inadequate lighting. Plan for a simple solution to add light to your pits.

#7 Bring all the parts from the kit you didn't use. They don't count against your withholding allowance and that window motor or pneumatic fitting you didn't use can really help another team out

#8 Rookies have a heck of a time making bumpers that comply with the rules. Bring extra wood, noodles and fabric with you and you will almost be guaranteed to be some teams hero.

#9 If your robot is working fine, seek out the head inspector to find another team that needs help or watch the inspection board for obvious problems. Odds are that team you don't help will be in your first match of the morning.

#10 Inspectors are a huge resource for helpful advice. Most of them have been around the game for a long time and have seen most everything. If they give you advice to change something because they think it will cause you a problem, change it.

#11 Be kind to your referees, they have a completely thankless, impossible job. Take them a bottle of water and be sure and thank them even if a ruling goes against you.

These are the ramblings of a grumpy old man and don't represent the thoughts of anyone but me.

Please add your own words of advice.

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

Great post. All good hints.
I would add take extra care this week and get your BOM bill of materials 100% complete. Have a second set of eyes look at it and use the template.

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

Excellent post, Sam.

That gives us a huge hassle every year. Great reminder.

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

Also make sure it is in electronic format . .
and please, make sure the flash drive you bring it on is free of viruses.:mad:

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

Assume the stick you bring it on will be contaminated with a virus after you deliver the BOM.
Isolate it until you have time to run a virus check on it and clean it before plugging it into any other PC.

We don't want everyone's Classmate at the competition to spread a "cold" virus like what happened last year.

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

Some flash drives have a read-only switch. If yours does, set it to read-only before you hand it over.

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

Mine does :)
That's what I carry all those FIRST Updates on just in case someone needs them. I don't have to worry about spreading any viruses aquired from a previous machine.

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

Please put extra emphasis on talking to your lead inspector. They are trained to help, dedicated to get you playing, and know most of the teams they can turn to for assistance. Don't wait! Small problems on Thursday morning become huge problems Thursday night.

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

Thanks you! As a rookie team, this will prove to be very good advice!:D

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

All rookies should know that I heard Lead Inspectors respond well to candy and donuts, too...:)

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

All rookies should also remember that "but I heard it on chiefdelphi!" is not an excuse, and although they'll probably still eat your candy and donuts, if your robot doesn't follow the rules the Inspectors will not pass you no matter how full they are.

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

But they read this on ChiefDelphi ..........

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

Touche!

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

That's funny - I remember running into a bunch of robot inspectors, oh, ok - went looking for them - at the Championship event and they all wanted coffee. I have no.idea.why.

Edit: I should contribute to the thread - please refrain from running at the event, esp. in the pit area. (It will just slow you down.)

Jane

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

So do Lead Inspection Managers....;)

Also respond well to "Please" and "Thank You."

See you in the pits.

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

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

I am the guy that always did that last year, I see some dust, it is time to whip out the vacuum.

I would recommend having a computer and monitor at your pit to track the latest scores as they are updated and look at match scheduling without the hassle of looking for the paper sheet. Usually there is some program someone posts on ChiefDelphi that takes data uploaded to the FIRST website and puts them onto an easy to use program for easy navigating and organizing.

Never, ever, have a single time where no one is at the pit is the obvious but needed to be emphasized tip. It may suck not being able to see robots compete in some matches, but take one for the team to make sure anyone that visits the pit can ask a team member without hassle of searching.z

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

Some things about us Emcee's and Game Announcers:

If we announce your team name wrong on the field, please do not come running up to us in a frenzied fashion telling us how we need to change it immediately. Be nice and kindly request. Odds are that it is your fault for putting it in TIMS wrong.

If you have a special way you want to be introduced or have something you want us to wear or wave during your teams introduction let us know! Please remember that emcee's are not responsible for keeping track of your items, it is up to you to get it back.

It is okay to ask for a shout-out from your Emcee, but don't be disappointed if we do not do it or forget; we have a lot going on! Oh and please no birthday song requests! Odds are that 5-10 other people have a birthday that day as well.

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

There will be conflicts between those that stand and those that sit. Please keep this in mind when picking a seat. The sides are a perfect place for large teams that are heavy on spirit. You can all sit in a group without building a wall that those that can't stand all day can't see around.

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

And rotate that duty. Unless someone specifically volunteers to spend every match of yours in your pit... Or you're in the end pit by the screen at Pit Admin, so you can watch matches from the pit.;)

Also, be sure that whoever's in the pit has at least one working cell phone number to call the stands (and a working phone in the pit), or some other non-radio signaling method. I could tell of a time or two when someone was needed in a hurry in the pit and either had to be paged via PA or was turned around in the stands to get to the pit.

Chairs in the pit: One. Two at the most. Any more, you clutter it up. One is for the programmers to sit on, the second is for either a second programmer or whoever needs to sit down, beyond that, go to the stands or find a suitably strong box/bin/tool chest.

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

If you're going to go for the safety award, please don't plaster the pits and fire exits with flammable paper or crowd the pits with 'safety wardens'. Please keep your safety award efforts confined to things that are actually safe, like good shop practices in your pits or by evangelizing good safety practices in a safe way.

You know those teams with really well-functioning robots? Ask them for help when yours breaks. They probably have lots of tools and knowledge to help out.

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

As a inspector i would always want coffee and at the Championship i never can sleep really. The inspectors can be your best friends and help you out. I know i'm busy helping out teams fixes there robot every year.

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

Thats why you dont let me do the BoM ;)

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

If I remember correctly, the rule is that you should NOT do this at ANY event out of respect for the arena and its staff.

...Yup, found it in the manual, among other Arena rules.

2011 Manual, Section 4 "At The Events", 4.16

• Do not bring food onto the site. If you bring food, do not bring it onto the property.
• Do not distribute any food products, such as candy, water, soft drinks or fruit

It doesn't matter if you can 'get away with it' at your regional. It's against the rules, and you shouldn't do it.

That said, a big THANK YOU to IndySam and to all the suggestions listed. Definitely take these to heart!

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

Please remember that we are all guests in the venues... Even if the Regionals Planning Committees pay a rental fee, we should all try to keep the entire place clean (not just your pit).

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

Here are some queing tips for rookie and veterans alike:
• Read the Match Schedule and the Read it Again – Have two or three people thoroughly read the match schedule and clearly mark off the matches they are participating in and make sure members of the drives team is aware when those matches are and adhere to the schedule like religion. Last at Midwest I actually had a team miss a match because they misread the schedule and were unaware they had a match coming up. Fortunately they were sitting near me at the front of the que and after debating that they didn’t have a match saw their number in the drivers station and sent their human player so they wouldn’t get DQ’d. their sister team actually went to lunch at 1:30 pm after lunch was over and missed their match. When you do this it looks irresponsible and unprofessional. It’s a guaranteed way to turn teams off in a heartbeat from picking you.

• Come Early – If your robot is properly functioning please show up 5 to 10 minutes previous to your match. And if your robot is not functioning properly please have your Analyst/Feeder show up 10 minutes early. It let’s us know what is up with your team and lets your alliance partners also know what is up with your team.

• You Are Responsible for Your Drivers Buttons – The driver’s buttons are issued to you for a reason so we can differentiate who belongs on the field and who doesn’t. Make sure they are in the hands of someone reliable and responsible. If you lose them, forget them at home or destroy them somehow you are responsible for getting another one at Pit Adman ASAP! Even if you have a critical match coming up we are not going to let you on the field without a badge. If your drive’s team is incapable of taking care of their badges leave them with a responsible mentor (just make sure they don’t leave the arena with them. I’ve seen that happen before too)or put someone on the drive’s team who is responsible.

• Authorized Personnel Only! – The field area is for Field Personnel, Drives Teams, Judges and Authorized Guest only! It is not to be used as a shortcut to the other side of the field or a great place to go watch the match close up or for that awesome shot from your camera. Remember if you want to be in there so do dozens of other people in the arena and we don’t have room for all of you so it’s just best to play fair and keep all of out so we can keep order on the field so everyone can enjoy the event.

• STOP RUNNING! – last year at the Midwest regional the son of the founder of Motorola was walking around the filed area with Dean. He walked very slow and was bent over all the time. He looked very fragile. Meanwhile there were frantic high school students solely focused on the well-being of their robot and dashing around back and forth from the field to pit getting parts for their robots to make them work as well as they could never once thinking that they could collided with this man or anybody else and severely hurt them or themselves. Is that extra five seconds of getting that part worth hurting someone in your haste? If you did crash into someone and hurt them I certainly hope you would have the brains enough to drop everything and make sure they are all right at least. Because the robot isn’t going to matter to that person that you sent to the infirmary I assure you. Slow down.

• Please No Coding – Unless it is an unavoidable emergency please do not upload code to your robot while waiting to go onto the field especially if you are in the next match. It takes forever and whether you are ready or not we are going to start the next match with or without you and if you are not ready to go because your robot is taking in some new programming we are not obligated to wait for you so you might as well go back to the pits and finish your upload there.

• Great Play Now Please Leave – Nothing personal but while your big upset/ big victory/ great play was an awesome moment for your team could you please unhook your control, retrieve your robot and celebrate to the side. We still have a job to do.

• No Standing Zone – and while you’re at it please do not block the traffic lane because you want to see the score from the last match. There is not much room in the field area and you are holding up teams leaving and event personnel from their appointed duties when you are just standing there with your robot and cart and team in the way. Also those attending the event should leave the entrance and exit of the field clear so teams can do their best to come and go as well.

• I am Not a Radio Station – Please do not give me your music request for the DJ. The DJ isn’t going to take my request to delete obnoxious ( The Chicken Dance) dated (The Macarena) or overplayed ( Cotton Eyed Joe) songs for his playlist so I’m not going to forward your request either and to be honest I have better things to do at the moment like helping keep the competition running. And no you can’t come into the field area too make request either. Just put up with what’s being played like everybody else.


• It’s not just about you. It’s about ALL of us – Yes FIRST is a wonderful event that is designed to help you reach your full potential and the regional is going to be one of the best times of your life, win or lose. But please be aware that you have a job to do as well and it’s not just in service to your team. It’s your job to make sure your team has everything on your robot plugged in and ready to go. That your robot is inspected. That your batteries are charged and that your team is ready and willing and able to perform the task at hand to get your robot on and off the field in a timely manner. All it takes is one team or one team member to be lax in their duties and the competition dies the death of a thousand papercuts. A minute lost here. A couple of minutes there and next thing you know the event is an hour behind. What I have learned in queing is that when queing is at its most effective it isn’t because the que team rocks. It’s because YOU GUYS ROCK. The most efficient and organized que team is only effective as the teams they lead. If they get it then everything works like clockwork.

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

A regional I attended (WPI) explicitly permitted food and drinks in the pits. I imagine this is the only case when such an action is okay.

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

Run through the inspection checklist yourself before the actual inspectors come. FIRST provides it freely in their manual section on the site. It will give you some more time to fix the problem if you find it before an inspector comes and notifies you.

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

We put our safety captain in charge of keeping the pit clean overall, since we don't allow them to be on the drive team. As soon as the robot is out of the pit, our pit crew puts away everything that was taken out (tools, spare fasteners, etc), and then the safety captain vacuums or sweeps as necessary. The robot should always come back to a clean pit.


I can't even stress how important this is. Also make sure that you can tell if you're being called. The only quiet place at events is the bathroom, so make sure the phone is on vibrate (or a very loud ringer, but that can turn obnoxious quickly)


-Don't forget to put your safety glasses back on as you enter the pit if you had to leave for some reason! Someone WILL notice.

-Please please PLEASE respect the size limitation of your pit. PLEASE. If you don't, that just means that someone else gets less space. At one of our events, we arrived about an hour later than most of the other teams, and ended up with less than a 7 foot wide pit. There's no one team to blame for this (each team going over a few inches adds up quickly), and once pits are set up, they aren't going to budge over such a small amount. We dealt with it, but it was still endlessly inconvenient when we needed four sets of hands and could only fit in three bodies. Remember that while 10'x10' is the suggested pit size, you are NOT entitled to expand to that if your event's pits are 9.5'x10'. Which brings me to my next point...

-...Make sure that your pit configuration is adjustable, because you won't always have a 10x10x10 space. Plan for the minimum when you're creating your pit - I've never seen one smaller than 8x10x10, since that's really the minimum workable space anyways. 10x10 tents (if you choose to use a tent, which I don't suggest) should be a no-no unless you don't care if it doesn't fit.

-On the topic of pits, wear deodorant. Everyone at the event will thank you.

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

FIRST seems to have alot of grumpy old men in the making. Honesty though, all the advice here has been pretty good. Anyone preparing for your first regional or could use a bit of work on your regional demeanor should read everything on this thread.

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the pits at the 2010 Philly regional were 8'x8'.

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

At least they seem to be helpful grumpy old men. ;)

A lot of the things we've been listing here are the little things that can really make life miserable or good, depending on if you follow them. I've been going to events since 1999 (this year will be the first since then that I don't make a single event), competed 2003-2008, and inspected 2009-2010 (and volunteered a time or two while competing). That's a lot of time that you can notice things that can help/hurt you, and make the events run better.

A few more:

Saving seats. This is the #1 most overlooked rule in the book. If it's #2, then banners in the competition area is #1. The rulebook says, don't do it. Common practice is to sort of block out a set of seats for a team. As a general thing, blocking out a set of seats won't be criticized too much, if it's reasonable. 3 people holding 3-4 rows doesn't fall into the "reasonable" category, BTW. 3 people holding one row, probably OK. Oh, and placards on the seats? Also not a good idea.

If you are saving a large block with a few people, don't chase out random other people who want to sit there when the main body isn't there. Who knows, it might be your next sponsor or student or FLL/FTC/VRC team founder. Just let them know that there will be a lot of people around them for short periods and invite them to be part of your team while they're at the event. "Adopt" them, if you will.

Pit Size: Minimum 8' by 8'. Typical 10' by 10'. I've seen them as large as 10' by 15'. 10' ceiling any way you look at it, though. Please do not expand. Your pit neighbors will thank you. OTOH, if somebody needs help, feel free to move large amounts of items from your pit to theirs to help them (just stay inside their pit area) and move them back when you're done.

Oh, and while I'm on the topic of the pits: When you are done for the day, stow everything and leave. The volunteers want to do the same. They aren't chasing you out because you're staying too long, they're chasing you out because they want to get home!

Spare Parts: There is a Spare Parts area. However, it most likely does not have your 1/4-50 screw and matching nut. Same for your raw polycarb, your IFI wheel, and/or that extra-long piece of allthread that is your main minibot structure. It will have KOP parts, and KOP parts only. It won't have all of them. Bring your own KOP and any spares for your robot.

I don't know if they still do this, but back when I competed, if you needed a loaner control system item part, you needed an adult with a credit card and tech support clearance. No charge if you returned it... but billed for the cost if you didn't (not to mention the aggravation from the later events because the early events forgot to return everything).

Laptops/electronics/stuff you don't want to lose: Keep it with you, or with the team, in a designated area. Under the pit table is often a decent repository, or on/under your chair in the stands. Not everyone is going to be honest; that's reality.

Venue personnel: Be gracious to them. Even saying hello may be more than they hear from other events' attendees. Explaining the game to them so they can understand what's going on when they get a glimpse of it, even more so.

Saturday and Eliminations, Backstage: If you're a top 10 team in ranking around midmorning Saturday, take your robot over to the inspectors for an eliminations inspection. It can't hurt you to get reinspected; go right after one of your matches if you can. There won't be a line. By noon, the inspectors will have about 28 teams they need to inspect. That's 24 eliminations teams, and 1-8 backups (most events will grab about 2-4). I was on a crew last year that was told not to worry about finals inspections due to the small size of the crew--we followed this pattern, and were already done when that message came through.

Speaking of backup teams, don't pack up until you're cleared to, if you're a backup (and you'll know if you are a backup--an inspector will pay you a visit to get you over to size/weight). You never know when an alliance needs a third functioning robot in 30 seconds, and if you're at the top of the list, you need to be going quickly. A team packed up in Arizona last year. They were #1 on the backup list... and we couldn't find them. The #2 got their spot, and a silver medal. And sometimes, multiple backups are needed.

But once you're cleared to pack up or if you're not a backup, don't dilly-dally too much. Send a small crew to pack up during eliminations, and finish the job with a larger one before or after. Then after the event is over, see if the FTA needs help packing, if you're done with your pit and have time to stick around for an hour or so. It's kind of fun to put the field away ready for the trip to the next regional. It also makes their job easier if there are more hands rolling carpet for some local team's practice facility (that's where the event carpet should end up, not the dumpster) or loading carts full of scoring grids or dropping the alliance stations.

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

And just to add to this, no flashing cone lights at the front corners of your pit. Yes, we know it's your pit, and yes, we know to be safe. But when the programmer across the aisle is fixing code and your flashy lights are right above above the laptop screen... it is a bit unsafe.

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

Let me put my $.02 in. All the previous suggestions are a must read by ALL teams.
I have a few more.

1) On your robot, make sure the wire sizes are correct and you are using the proper breaker for that wire size.

2) Make sure you have the correct COLOR wires. At Championship last year a team had used all red wire for their wiring.

3) When placing your robot on the field, wait until the previous game robots are OFF the field.

4) The manual says 3/4" plywood for the bumpers. This means use 3/4" plywood. At Championship a team had to rebuild their bumpers because they used 1/2" plywood.

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

I'm a grumpy old man also so I guess I can post to this thread. Every team should take time to say thank you to :
Field Supervisor, Field Technical Advisor (FTA), Field Technical Advisor Assistant (FTAA), , Game Announcer ,Head Referee, Judge Advisor, Lead Robot Inspector, Lead Safety Advisor, Lead , Safety Glass Advisor, Lead Team Queuer, Master of Ceremonies, Pit Administration Supervisor, Registration System Supervisor’ Scorekeeper, Volunteer Coordinator, Regional Planning Committee members and anybody else that I have not mentioned.
Without these people you would not have the FIRST experience. They spend countless hours planning and organizing your event and sometimes a thank you is all they need.

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

I'm not quite sure if I can add anything to this thread because it contains so much great advice.

I guess the only thing I can suggest is to make sure your entire team knows where the cleaner bathrooms and good water fountains are. As a student this is the first thing I would want to know when spending ~12 hours somewhere.

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

Speaking of bathrooms... they are not a place to hang out or to be ugly in. Over the years, on regional level and Championship level, I have witnessed some terrible behaviors from students and from adults. Anger, frustration, and tiredness can make bathrooms a place for venting and worse. Be careful with that.

Be careful with your conduct in the hotels and restaurants, too. They have the right to kick your team out and they do. They also have the right to let you know that your return will not be welcome and they have no problem letting you know that.

At the same time, it is very possible that you will receive compliments from the hotel management, the restaurant servers and/or manager, your bus drivers, and event staff and teams in the venue where you are competing - by how you conduct yourself as an individual and as a team.

I have been awed by the compliments that we've received in our travels; sometimes, they come from out of the blue, or so it seems. I have also be awed and impressed by the compliments and praise that teams I am visiting with, receive. 1902 is a real trip on many levels. They have restaurants, hotels, and venues inviting them back, and looking forward to their return, year after year, because of how fun they are and how respectful they are. It's no small thing.

Jane

Re: Advice from a grumpy old man :)
 

We got a nice letter from the hotel we stayed at in Atlanta one year.

Another helpful hint:

5) Crio's, Speed Controls, Spike Relays, well heck, any electronic device does NOT like the taste of metal shavings and they will let you know this when they let the magic smoke out. 99.99% of the time you can't put the smoke back. Be very careful when drilling or cutting on you robot.