We did a bunch of useful stuff in our pre-rookie season:
- Go through a mock-kickoff. Watch the animation of an earlier game and go through the manual. Split into groups and analyse the strategies. Then brainstorm some designs and see how they compare with the robots that made einstein
- If you can find an old KOP and pre 2015 control system (a neighbouring team may have these kicking around, since they won't likely be used in competition) see if you can make your own drive base & bumpers. Sorting out challenges now will help you in January
- Start some training, even if there isn't time to bring students up to 100%. We did some intro to programming with Java and MIT App builder, intro to 3D CAD with onshape (and printed 3 view drawings).,
- Conduct safety training on whatever shop tools you have
- Have a social! It's never too early to start building team spirit. Plan a board game night, or dodge ball or something. End with seeing The Martian or Star Wars in theatre
The first season is a tsunami - fortunately there are a lot of resources to help. Keep asking questions and you'll keep above water. Good luck!