Quote:
Originally Posted by Wayne TenBrink
Don't go overboard on the robot next year. A lot of second year teams (like ours) think they are seasoned experts and try to bite off more than they can chew (technically). Keep it simple and focus on building the team.
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I would have to second this. The team I am currently working with won Rookie All Star two seasons ago. They made some strategic decisions in the design of this year's robot that are hurting them now and are very difficult to recover from.
Your trip to St Louis is a golden opportunity for you. Look through the "Robot Showcase" and "Extra Discussion" subforums and the tournament results. Make a list of the teams who are doing well and have well thought out robot designs. Make a list of intelligent questions that you would want to ask those teams (regarding team organization, robot design philosophy, strategy, etc.) Use the pit maps to find them at the World Festival, make sure they are not about to go for a match and ask your questions, listen and take notes. All of the top teams we have talked with have been very gracious and generous, sharing their experiences and ideas freely. If you are really lucky, an established team in your area will take you under their wing.
We let the students choose areas that they wanted to work on but we also made it clear, up front, that they may have to work in other areas.