[KathieK]

Hello rookies and welcome to the insanity of the Build Season!
You will find that it is nearly impossible to keep up with the amount of threads and posts that are put here during the Build Season. ChiefDelphi has a great system of organizing all the threads into different areas, including Technical areas, and by using the search function or by browsing through those areas, you may well find the answers to your questions.
Part of the reason you want to become familiar with the manual is that it is the official FIRST document. Answers posted here on ChiefDelphi are unofficial answers and should be taken as such. Lots of great discussion and debate goes on in these threads and you will make many friends over the next few months on ChiefDelphi.
All team members should be familiar with the game manual (including the non-technical members like me) so they understand the game, and so they can accurately answer questions about the game and robot to judges, media, and the public at competitions. Each team should have at least one rules expert who knows the game inside and out and keeps up with the Q& A forums and the Rules Updates that FIRST puts out throughout the season. Many teams quiz their members on the rules and game manual prior to attending competitions.
Good luck to you all this season!