[BeardyMentor]

Learn the wonders of rivets an rivnuts and do a little reading on design for manufacturing. Reducing the number of loose fasteners and special tools can make changing parts go from a competition ending set back to 5 minutes in the pit with no mentor involvement.

Next: Strategy First, then robot. Dont try and build a robot then figure out what to do with it.

Always order team branding items early during build season. Pins and T shirts are a lot cheaper and better when you dont have to shop around for the one place that can get the shirts to you before the first day of competition.

Buy lots of drill bits in the sizes you commonly use, but dont tell the kids you did that. Put them in a closet somewhere and dole them out as needed.

Bring tylenol/advil to the competion. You and the other mentors will need it.

Also, bring water and your caffeinated beverage of choice. And food, the event food usually sucks and has long lines to get it.

Dont plan on sitting down for more than a few minutes during your first competition.

Teams that do all the cool "extra stuff" and have a cool robot probably have a cool robot because the do all the extra stuff, not the other way around.