Hey all! We're SMR Vault, a student run media group that covers happenings within the FIRST community.
We recently released two videos in which we interviewed veteran teams about build season strategy, team structure, etc.
We made these videos with rookie teams in mind, and we recommend your team (rookie or veteran), sits down and analyzes these videos in order to have some sense of structure as your team embarks on the daunting task of "starting up," in the case of a rookie team.
We’ve summarized some highlights below, but we encourage you to check out the videos for yourself!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pdC5BnXAys
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HI48...ature=youtu.be
Alexis Longmire, captain of the Hardin Valley RoHAWKtics, has emphasized outreach, ranging from integrating sub-teams all the way to running a foreign exchange student program to promote FIRST internationally, throughout her leadership. Our biggest takeaway was HVA’s regard for the well being of students; this has been highlighted throughout their safety program, which extends beyond the realm of FRC, and their outreach to other teams during competition and throughout the season. Alexis had sound advice to offer in regards to kickoff strategy and team structure, so definitely check that video out!
Alijah Lawson, business lead of Blount County Robotics, places a large emphasis on student leadership and learning from experience, as evidenced by the unique student-mentor relationship, which differs greatly from that of HVA, and the simplistic team structure that allows students to drift in and out of sub-groups to find where they fit best. The team also has a very straightforward, yet effective method of managing priorities, and we think teams will find this particularly helpful this season!
The most relevant subject that both teams touched on was kickoff strategy! Both HVA and BCR take a relatively similar approach to beginning the season, and both strategies are certainly noteworthy!
Hope this helps!