[David Smellie]

If you are planning to have students do CAD, be sure to train them before the season starts. Even a basic level of training is significantly better than none at all. Do the same for any tools you have. Another idea to consider is having the students work on an actual robot, be it FRC or a different competition, such as VEX. An FRC robot may be too ambitious a preseason project but any level of robotics experience helps.

Other valuable things to do during the offseason include securing funding and mentor support. Mentors of any sort are very valuable to teams as in any sort of sponsorship. If you can apply for grants from groups like NASA when they are available.

Also, find a veteran team who is in your area either by using the regional director or contacting the team directly. 99% of the time these teams will be more than willing to help.