[Billfred]

Craig,

This is certainly a rather gutsy strategy, one that I would hope will pay off well for the teams in the area. As an inspector, one thing I always enjoy seeing is a team that can uncrate and get inspected earlier on Thursday, practice well, and sit back towards the later evening with a bought-in-the-venue lemonade. (Unless, of course, someone else needs help.)

I can't help but wonder if having the robots driving and programmed the Saturday after Kickoff might cause a problem or two with manipulators. It might be a non-issue in a game like Triple Play (flat field, only one real way to score), but it may be a bigger issue if we get a game like FIRST Frenzy (field with stairs, at least three or four valid strategies for scoring). Getting teams familiar with the basics, along with some inspiration from old robots, may be a better goal to aim for than a driving base.

Last year, I presented a workshop at the South Carolina kickoff. Granted, mine was on marketing, but I can definitely see how knowing the game could help tailor the more technical workshops to help more. (I bet anyone who spent time learning about arms in 2006 would agree with me.) If you've got enough teams close enough, you might be able to try something like Eric's suggestion of a couple of smaller get-togethers to get teams rolling in the right direction (and ask for help if they need it).

Best of luck with this--anything that gets teams moving in the right direction is a good step.