[Mr_I]

In addition to all of the above thoughts, I'd like to add a thought that goes beyond just building the robot: you team needs to be prepared for your regional. When 811 was a rookie and went to our first competition, no one told us what to expect. As a team we were blown away by the festive, almost trade show like atmosphere in the pit area, team social, etc. Much of the weekend we sat pie eyed watching, rather than participating in, the off-field activities.

I see (on the FIRST website) that you're going to the Virginia Regional on April 7-9. If possible, you should see if you can get at least some of the team to attend another regional, to get an idea of what you're headed into. There are two events within a few hours in your are which happen in the weeks before Virginia: Baltimore on 3/17-19 (~150 miles from Richmond) & DC on 3/24-26 (~100 miles).

Whether you can make it to Baltimore or DC, make sure you have some portion of your team working on what we call Marketing: Who you are, what makes you worth watching, etc. And while you're at the VA regional, make sure you have the non-drivers / pit crew watching ALL of the other rounds, taking notes and scouting the other teams' strengths and weaknesses; also send students scouting to the other pit areas between rounds. And make sure you meet with your alliance partners before each match, so you can maximize your team's strengths.