[EricH]

By the way, I would like to add in one thing that I forgot earlier. And that is something that everybody--veteran, rookie, mentor, student--should do:

Read the Manual. All of it.

GeeTwo already pointed you in the right direction--the Admin Manual is posted, while the Game Manual should be up in encrypted form next week. Some of the items in the Admin Manual are very, very valuable to know--for instance, what awards you may be eligible for so you can plan ahead, or how to use the robot lockup form. When the Game Manual comes out, start by reading the rules there and noting things that are absolute--like size/weight constraints--and plan ahead to deal with those (by building slightly undersize and about 20 lbs underweight).

I generally suggest that rookies start by building the kit robot--this gives them both instructions and practice, and a decent drivetrain to build on top of.

Oh, and remember to HAVE FUN. (And those 6 weeks will disappear really really fast.)