[Lil' Lavery]

BE READY AT YOUR FIRST EVENT - Nothing harms your odds of reaching the next level of district play more than completely whiffing at an event and missing the eliminations. If your robot isn't ready to compete at your first event, the odds of this happening go up significantly. Even if you're not 100% where you want to be, show up to your first district with a robot that can drive reliably, doesn't break often, and can complete some aspect of the game challenge.

Know the ranking system. - Getting a top 8 seed essentially pays off twice in the district standings formula. You get points for ranking highly at the event, and then you get more points from your alliance selection result. If your goals are designed primarily dictated by accumulating district standings points, designing your robot to rank well is often a very solid approach. To do that, you have to understand how teams are ranked in the game. This year there are ranking points bonuses for accumulating 40+ kPa or getting 4 rotors spinning in a match.