[sanddrag]

Would you think I was nuts if I told you we spend a portion of the afternoon preparing parts and material ordering lists?

We do the same as many teams. It starts off rather casually, as we wait for the kit in line, and joke about large fans, springs, and curtains in the robot design. Then as soon as we get the kit loaded into the back of my truck, we ferociously rip it open screaming "How many CIMs!?" Then it's off to breakfast at a local diner, and then to the school. The students watch the recording of the kickoff many times over, and we make sure everyone understands the game. Then we scrounge for a whiteboard marker, usually come up with only dead ones, and give up and go home. (j/k!). Then the usual bit, brainstorming, how to handle the game piece, how to do it faster/better, how to fit it all, etc. We try to continue this to the point where we don't leave for the day until there aren't any major flaws in our plans.