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Unread 25-03-2010, 12:44
Wayne TenBrink's Avatar
Wayne TenBrink Wayne TenBrink is offline
<< (2008 Game Piece)
FRC #1918 (NC Gears)
Team Role: Engineer
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Rookie Year: 2006
Location: Fremont, MI, USA
Posts: 526
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Re: What makes a "Powerhouse"?

Quality, depth, and continuity on the mentor bench - both technically and administratively.

If you want a successful program:
- You can't start over from scratch every season.
- You can't have zero funds on hand when registration opens.
- You can't expect an administrator to lead the design/build process.
- You can't expect the chief engineer to schedule all the snacks, reserve hotel rooms, coordinate drivers, make buttons/peer gifts, manage the budget, etc. (there is more to this program than just building a robot!)
- You can't expect one or two technical mentors to keep a large group of students productive, engaged, and learning during build.
- You can't burn people out
- You must train new people (students and mentors).
- You must learn from your mistakes and build on your successes.

A perennial powerhouse makes sure every member of the team (student and mentor) is doing well at what they do best. There will always be a lot of personnel turnover. The key is making sure that there is always a critical mass in place to integrate new blood into the organization.

Oh, yeah. And if people are not having fun, they won't be back next year.
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NC Gears (Newaygo County Geeks Engineering Awesome Robotic Solutions)

FRC 1918 (Competing at Standish and West MI in 2016)
FTC 6043 & 7911 (Competing at West MI and Allendale in 2015)
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