[Boltman]

Originally Posted by MaryJ

Wow, thank you again for all the advice and the kind offers of help. I'm not giving up, yet.

Our #1 priority this offseason will be to attract new mentors.

The teacher has agreed that it is "sometimes difficult to find important parts" and that storage drawers and other organizational mechanisms would be helpful, and would like to purchase some.

So maybe there is something of an opening, there.

Spot on...more mentors!

Also kudos on organizing tools thoughts.... do stuff like mark batteries with the year you bought them etc. An organized shop is a more efficient shop. Like I said go ask for tool donations we got so much from Harbor Freight each season even good stuff.

Put lots of this on students...but mentors should provide the framework and aid as necessary. Let mentors do what they like you'll get more done that way. So if ordering is not the teachers cup-o-tea take it off his plate. Let him pick another thing to do. Mentors can cross over and offer tidbits here and there on other areas...which can be ultra useful but I think its better to specialize as a mentor. Be the mentor of ONE major thing and cross over advice on other areas as you see opportunity. This is why you should aim for at least 5 mentors. Getting the right people in the right areas is crucial. Also remember only bite off what you can do well...plan plan plan then build...but order all parts you KNOW you'll need early or parts that you know you will eventually want to use if not this year next...try to settle on design in a week. Most of all have FUN..and finish your bot on time!..so you can enjoy the competition.

Do not try to be a 3 day bot or Powerhouse... be yourself do what your team does well! 3 day bots are not necessarily the best designs. You might be surprised at how effective your own unique design can be (I was) ... don't be a lemming...be spectacular in your own way. Sometimes its the simplest thing that wins in championships...look to a team like the Holy Cows for inspiration. 2013 World Championship 1st Seed, Newton Division, Finalist, Chairman’s Award. Look at how they won in 2013. They found what worked.

Here a link to their publicly available team manual. They have good organization. A nice example of a solid Mentor framework.

http://team1538.com/downloads/2014handbook.pdf

I'm sure they don't mind me mentioning them or sharing their manual as its a very good example of how to be an effective FRC team. They were very helpful in helping us get off the ground last year and cluing us into what it takes to be a good FRC team. You need a strong team like that (that's willing to help) to lean on initially when you are new at FRC FIRST. Now we know what to do one year in... and plan to compete at their level this year. One year makes all the difference. So much better second season.

Check out this thread too lots of good resources.....
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=59475

Get to St. Louis actually seeing world best bots in action gives you something to shoot for...preferably with your team competing...its a whole different level than divisional. We were slow..guess what we fixed that this year now bots this year we see in action look slow which is good for us. Its not a one year deal..its consistent improvement year over year. Do not try to do it all in one season...just lay the framework for the next...and do your best...and enjoy the season. This is supposed to be fun.