Everyone else seems to have covered most of the bases, but here's a link to my team's build schedule.
http://lightningrobotics.com/forum/a...3&d=1262867950
For a rookie team, I would recommend two major things:
1. Make sure at least one part of your robot works. Namely, the drive train. If you haven't decided yet (which you should have by the second or third day at the latest) here's my team's drive train presentation:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/13241970/pres.zip
2. Do exactly what you did - seek help.
If you have any questions, feel free to pm me, not just on team organization but on designs as well.