Snow days

[je2164]

Our team in Northern Michigan, much like many other teams this year, has had an unusual number of school closings due to weather. I was just curious how this effected your teams' build season. Our team meets each evening from 630-830 and on Saturdays. For us, if school is canceled, Robotics is canceled and we don't meet. In total, we lost an entire week of building because of snow days including the final evening for bag and tag. Ouch! How do other teams handle things like this?

[DjMaddius]

We're just out side of Detroit, and if school is closed we still have robotics at 3 until around 9 every night during the robotics season. A few important mentors had a funeral in another state they had too attend sunday and monday before the bag and tag day, that seemed to set us back more than the weather this year!

[MagiChau]

For the first time of my years in FIRST we lost a week of build as well due to snow days. It was a huge blow to lose the last day as well but we will manage. We have to really utilize our 6 hours before Week 2 well.

We tried to make up time by making more and longer meetings. We did not end up making up for all the lost time but that is even more motivation to work harder in competition season.

[CLandrum3081]

Now I feel really bad about all the times I complained about not having a snow day.

There's been quite a few times in the past few years that literally every district and private school surrounding Bloomington, MN has had a snow day or late start and we haven't. In January we might have had a snow day - if the blizzard hadn't happened during the 4-day weekend.

This is a big point though. Losing time like that can really hurt. Most of where we lose time is from people being out sick - various illnesses can catch like wildfire, and if you miss school, you can't be in an activity, even if you feel better. Plus a lot of our kids take classes at local colleges, so even with our team of about 20, many nights and weekends we had numbers under 10.

Better luck next year, I guess! Minnesota weather is bipolar, so this is one of the snowiest winters we've had in recent years. Last year, it looked like soggy November most of the time. Really sucks when the weather affects robotics.

Maybe someday, one of the geniuses in FIRST will invent a weather machine so that it's always 65 degrees and mostly sunny with a cool breeze whenever anything having to do with robotics is going on.

[Christopher149]

We're in Houghton, MI, and if school is canceled but it is safe to drive, the meeting is optional but will still be held.

Though, I guess if a school disallowed meetings, that would be a different story.

[Jeff Pahl]

We just assume we are going to lose 3-5 days each build season due to snow and ice. Because of the number of elementary, middle, and high schools in the district, each with different start times, it's very difficult for the district to have a delayed start or early dismissal, as each school bus runs two or three different routes. So while all the surrounding districts may have a two hour delay, we just end up cancelled. Which means even if the roads are fine after lunch, all after school activities are also cancelled.

So we just plan for having less than the full time to build, and deal with it. Plus we lose almost a full week every year due to finals, as we do not work the weekend before finals or the Monday-Wednesday of that week. Finals end on Thursday and we resume working that night. So we effectively plan for a 5 week build season. The team tries to have parts that require outside fabrication designed before finals, so that we can get that done and have them back when we resume work.

[Squillo]

What is this "snow" you refer to?

[Retired Starman]

Originally Posted by Squillo

What is this "snow" you refer to?

Something like very cold, wet volcanic ash.

[Shelbers2486]

Out here in Flagstaff, Arizona we ended up with only two snow days this year. We usually work, as long as conditions are not totally horrible. A few years ago we lost a whole week to snow because the weather was so bad.

[fox46]

Our title sponsor who supplies us with our build area, equipment and much of our materials is a Snowmobile and Powersports Repair shop www.jtsnowmobile.com. Getting around in the snow is never an issue. A snow day for us means the team can build all day at the shop! Many of the kids have their own sleds (kids as young as 12 yrs old can get an operator's permit) that they ride to school every day which makes finding rides that much easier.

Go ahead nature - do your worst!

[Alan Anderson]

Until several years ago, a snow day at the high school meant bonus work time at the TechnoKats shop. Now, the rule about not having extracurricular activities if school is cancelled due to weather is strictly enforced.

Fortunately, that didn't cut into the team's work time this year.

[Grim Tuesday]

Originally Posted by fox46

Our title sponsor who supplies us with our build area, equipment and much of our materials is a Snowmobile and Powersports Repair shop www.jtsnowmobile.com. Getting around in the snow is never an issue. A snow day for us means the team can build all day at the shop! Many of the kids have their own sleds (kids as young as 12 yrs old can get an operator's permit) that they ride to school every day which makes finding rides that much easier.

Go ahead nature - do your worst!

Alright everyone, welcome to Canda! This thread is officially closed. Done. I don't think anyone can top "our team is sponsored by a snowmobile company and most of our team rides them to school"

[blackwood]

In the past we had entire week lost to snow. This year we had an almost perfect snowday - It occurred today! A day to recoup, had it been on Wed. instead of Thursday it would have been perfect.

[FrankJ]

So do you have surf days down there on the island?

[crfox]

It's funny you saying that being from Michigan... I graduated from Western (Go Broncos!) back in the day ('02), moving to a school district in Maryland that will close if there is even the slightest hint of sno* in the air. I remember student teaching for several districts in Michigan (Mattawan and Vicksburg) and they wouldn't close for anything (I should have stayed in Michigan). Being the faculty member/coach/advisor for our team in Columbia, Maryland, any time I receive word from the district to not have a meeting after school, or open the building because of sno*, I have to follow district policy... despite if it actually does snow or ice. 95% of the time it does not. 100% of the time it bugs the mentors...

I have seen the liability take effect with other activities that required students to come in, where there were accidents causing blame on the school districts, so there is reason why a lot of the larger districts aim to be safe. Just hope for no snow... Do not allow for students to wear their PJ's inside out... and get as much work done per night as possible!