Quote:
Originally Posted by BMSOTM
We've found that while a second robot would be nice, we could do without by making a timeline for build season involving finishing the robot early, and then working hard to achieve that goal. It may not always be possible, but having a working robot done early is great to debug, revise, and practice driving.
|
I second this!! My team scheduled out to finish our robot 2 weeks before bag and tag. We also had access to a full size practice field because our team and 4778 were hosting a Week Zero event. With all of this extra practice we were able to work out all the bugs early and not scramble to fix our robot at regionals.
In addition to having mentors it is also very important to have sponsors and community support. When your team makes it to worlds and you don't have the funds, your community will come together to help you raise the money. At least this is my experience. Having sponsors and raising money to go to Worlds BEFORE you qualify is nice too. If it is pre-budgeted then you don't have to worry about it. If you end up not qualifying you can save the money for next year.
I would also recommend that you and your team are on the same page. Like the majority of the people here have said, it takes WORK! Not the work of one person, but the work of your team. You don't need a huge team, but the people you do have need to realize how much work it will take and be willing to do what it takes. I guess the bottom line is you can't do it alone. You need your teammates, your community, your mentors, and your sponsors' support.