[davidfv]

Not being prepared for the Alliance Selection
Especially with the way the seeding is done this year, there are good chances that rookie teams could be ranked pretty high after the qualification matches. It is hard to watch a high seed not knowing which team to select. Be proud that you managed to be ranked high and start thinking about alliance selection right away on Thursday. Even if you only have one person scouting, it is better than none. You could be ranked 12th and be brought into the top 8. Be prepared.

Not asking for help
There should be little reason that we do not have all robots running at the matches... NO ROBOT LEFT BEHIND. If you take a look at how the pits are arranged, you will notice that the low number (veteran) teams are mixed in between the high number (rookie) teams. Most regionals do this expecting the coopertition between the teams. If your robot is not working, just ask for help. Use the pit boss and their microphone to ask for help, you will be amazed how many other teams will be at your side in seconds.

Fixing everything before inspection
If your robot is a 60%-70% ready for matches, and all the hardware is there do the inspection as early as you can. The inspectors may find a major item that needs to be repaired or changed prior to competing. It is much better to find it out early than later.