[archiver]

Posted by Andy Grady at 03/12/2001 1:31 PM EST


Other on team #126, Gael Force, from Clinton High School and Nypro Inc..


In Reply to: Perplexed after Richmond Regional
Posted by rob kelly on 03/12/2001 12:20 PM EST:



Rob,
Unfortunately every year great teams get overlooked and it is a great bashing to a teams spirits. I have been part of 2 different teams now in my time in FIRST. One of them the picker, who is well known throughout FIRST, the other was a smaller, little known team who struggled on many occasions to get noticed. While with the smaller team we had been overlooked on a couple of occasions too, and of course we were very unhappy when we didn't get picked. Unfortunately many teams do not scout to the point where they find these gems in the rough and instead go with names that they recognize over robotic skill. Don't give up though, just because you are a smaller team does not mean that you have to go unnoticed for the rest of the competitions. Here are some suggestions which may help your team get noticed and raise your chances of getting picked...

1. Always aim high, the best way to get into teams heads is to hold the number 1 spot in the rankings at one point in the day. In many cases all it takes is one good round and people will flock to your pit wondering who you are and why you are up on top of the leaderboard. Of course this is easier said than done.

2. Be friendly with other teams, especially on the field. If you talk to other teams, make friends, they will remember your number. Also if you work with another team real well while on the field (especially if you use total honesty about your robot) they will remember that. (note: be careful not to annoy other teams, this could be bad!)

3. Make something about your team stand out. Anything from a team name change, or color change in your t-shirts can make a world of difference. My team in 99 did this between regionals and nationals. We went from a light blue shirts to bright orange shirts (keep in mind bright orange shirts are becomming common so get creative) and changed our name from a long hard to remember name to a short catchy name that everyone remembers. On various occasions people would ask me what team i was on, i would answer 42 and they would have the reaction of "Ohhh, PARTS, the team with the bright orange shirts!"

4. Team Spirit and Gracious Professionalism. People will remember you if you are great at cheering (especially if you cheer for their team). Also any way you can help another team, whether it be loaning them tools or whatever always helps you stick out in a teams mind.

Though I cannot guarentee this will work for everyone, it does help a little and it does enhance the students experience of the competition. If they go out, have fun and make friends, im sure that any bad things competitionwise will be overlooked. So I wish you good luck at your next competition, and have fun.
Andy Grady =)