[BrendanB]

I think the better goal here is how to move forward to become a consistent high performing robot at the Championship not just a goal of being on Einstein. Let's face it there are many, MANY amazing robots and teams each year who don't make it to Einstein because so many little elements determine where you seed, what alliance you end up on, and who you face.

Something to remember is you have to be able to make it to the Championship. You can't compete at an event you aren't qualified for which starts at your first event. Many teams who are quoted for their amazing designs that end up back up on Einstein or are consistent favorites for deep in elimination runs like 67, 148, 254, 1114, etc. have HOF or Legacy status that gives them an invitation to the Championship each year. This means they have the "net" that they can go a little more complex than you because their goal is to win the championship (in addition to every event the attend) but that goal doesn't ride on them having to qualify at a regional/district in order to get there. Many teams bite off more than they can chew because they are focused to deep in the season.

Drive practice and committed students are HUGE. Its one thing to have a practice bot. Its another to have a group of students who strive for perfection and the best performance possible. A very high majority of teams are held back because of their drivers not the mechanisms they built.

You need to iterate through the season to make your robot perform better and like it was said before you can't be afraid of drastic changes. Many robots can hit a cap on their performance which some drivers will hit during practice or have a robot that can't adapt well to the higher levels of play we see at the Championship. Sometimes its iterating your mechanisms, your programming, your strategy, or how you drive the robot but never settle for "good enough".