Well, I guess I can start by beating a dead horse;
find an off-season event(s) in your area, and plan on going. These are great for new and old students alike. Not much more to say on this, everyone else had this pretty well covered.
Another thing you should do is immediately is
a season and regional "Critique". Go over everything that went right and wrong. Strengthen your Pros, and fix your Deltas. Did a certain part of your design always break down? Did you lack tool organization? Is there a tool, material, or machine that you found yourself constantly needing but never had access to? Did your drivers not have enough information on the other teams going into matches? These are just a few things to start looking at.
The next step, I would say, would be to
clean up, take inventory, and restock. Get your workspace spick and span, with everything properly stored and organized. Take a look at all the materials you have left; bolts, electrical connectors, spare electronics, and so on. Is there something that needs to be restocked? (For us, it's long 1/4-20 Bolts). Also, take a look back at any electrical connector, any fastener or adhesive, ect. that you needed during season, but didn't have. (For us, it would be 45 amp APP crimps)
Then, I would
get on starting fundraising, public outreach, and recruitment. Demonstrate your bot at your highschool(s). Go demonstrate it to the incoming 8th graders at your local middle school. Work your way into events, rallies, parades, ect. in an effort to get the word out about your team. And then start hunting for money. Apply for grants, hosts fundraisers like an E-Waste or "robotics night" at a restaurant where you could get a percent of the profits.
The last step for an off-season is
projects and preparation to help make your next build season the best it can be. Here are a few ideas:
- Prototype Drive Base
This can be costly, but if there is ever a time to move to a new drive system, it's your off-season. Decide on a budget, drive and frame type, ect, and have all team members help design it. Personally, I would have "teams" of students make something in CAD or on paper, and then combine all of the teams Ideas together on one final design, and would build that. Be weary of the complication on the design; don't go beyond what your team can manage building during season - Improve the previous year's robot
Go back and improve what you can. Fix faulty design areas, automate things by adding sensors, tamper with hybrid mode, try out a new drive gearbox, and so on. - Battery "Cart"
Build some sort of "System" for keeping batteries charged, organized, and cared for. When I was on 973, we had more of a shelve than a cart; two people would carry it by the handles on it's side, and it kept the batteries well organized and kept the cable mess in check. Some people like to build theirs onto a literal cart to easily transport their batteries, too. - Pit Items
Build or obtain things improve pit organization and safety. This can range from shelves to tables to carts
Just my $0.02 on the matter. There are a great deal of things that can be done; it all boils down to two things though, and that's to improve and prepare.