Dream Team, the people

[Rich Kressly]

I love the Dream Alliance thread http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...threadid=45783 and it got me thinking. If you could build your own FIRST team from scratch, what would it look like? Mentors, facilities, budget allocation???

To make it interesting, here are the constriants:
1. Six Mentors - four technical, two non-technical
2. Build/Team facilities - What's it look like?
3. Budget limit= $30K/year

My answers...

Mentors: It's impossible not to leave great names off, but...
- four technical - Bill Beatty, Andy Baker, Dan Green, Kevin Watson
- two non-technical: Amanda Morrison, Anne Bergeron

Build/team facility:
I'm partial to the Team 103 configuration. Old habits die hard. In the school, CAD Lab, Shop with some automation/machining capabilities, full practice field, and another lab/room for animation, website, and PR.


Budget limit = $30K/year: This is a real challenging number, but
12K - registration fees - 2 official FRC competitions, 2 offseason
8K - robot build materials and tools
4K - hardware and software upgrades
4K - marketing/pr/display/vex/school curriculum integration/recognition of sponsors, mentors, etc
2K - toward travel
*Individual team members could fundraise to defray individual travel expenses.

[Dorienne]

Mentors:
Technical:
1. Dave Lavery
2. JVN
3. Mike Wade (our team's, not the NASA Mike Wade)
4. Elgin Clock ('cause I adore him)
Non-Technical:
1. Jenny Beatty ('cause I miss her, and I wanna work with her foreverrrr)
2. Kathie Kentfield ('cause I love her and miss her)

Work facility: A tech classroom. It's the best that way, I think, though you would probably need to have an engineer machine parts.

Budget Limit: $5,000 in a bank for the next year; $3,000 for the robot; $9,000 for regionals; $3,000 for transportation; rest for either saving or spending on volunteer work and such. ^__^

[Cory]

Technical Mentors: Andy Baker, Paul Copioli, Steve Kyramarios, Joe Johnson.

Non Technical Mentors: Kathie Kentfield and ????????

facility: shop with machining capabilities, full sized practice field, CAD lab, etc.

Budget:

$16,000 for 3 competitions.

$10,000 for parts/tools.

$4,000 for other miscellaneous costs.

[Gary Dillard]

Technical - Raul Olivera, Joe Johnson, Al Skierk, uh, Skierwike, uh, you know who I mean, and Kevin Watson

Non Technical - Amanda Morrison & Jenny Beatty

Facility - Take our S.P.A.M pit, add a carpeted, high ceiling full size practice field next door, and RUN A STUPID T1 LINE TO IT!

Budget - $12k for 2 comps
$8k for robot and tools
$2K for Lego League Support
$8k for travel subsidy - no student should stay home because of financial reasons

[Liz Smith]

I'm not so sure about the people... but when we (team 555) went down to Brazil team 393 showed us their robotics house. Basically its a house where they all go during build season, since they build during their summer break. Theres a work area downstairs and computers upstairs. It even has a little soccer field outside. I've been dreaming of a robot house ever since!

[Morgan Gillespie]

Originally Posted by Pika1579

I'm not so sure about the people... but when we (team 555) went down to Brazil team 393 showed us their robotics house. Basically its a house where they all go during build season, since they build during their summer break. Theres a work area downstairs and computers upstairs. It even has a little soccer field outside. I've been dreaming of a robot house ever since!

Gah now I want one just scratch that soccer field and replace it with a test field. Yeah... Hmm gives me an educational reality show idea (heh kind of an oxymoron)

Real World : FIRST Robotics
Find out what happens when people stop pretending and start being real. When tiny dry erase board discussions break out into all out mental brawls.

“I sincerely feel that going in that direction will not result in what we wish to accomplish.” “Gaze upon this spreadsheet. This shows all the advantages of treads rather than wheels.” “While your spreadsheet analysis persuaded me of your opinion I still feel we should stick to what works. Also you have been known in the past to put fallacious info in you spreadsheets.” “Come now that was a rather long time past you cannot still use that against me. Yet I don’t see your proof of how wheels are better than treads.” “Well then you want to talk statistics!” “Yes!” “Well then as compared to robots that…”

14 hours, 4 CAD Drawings, 8 simulations later… “So it’s settled we shall use...”

On next weeks episode see what happens when we near the final week!

Yes I realize they don’t actually live in that house.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Originally Posted by Gary Dillard

Technical - Raul Olivera, Joe Johnson, Al Skierk, uh, Skierwike, uh, you know who I mean, and Kevin Watson

Gary,
When in doubt, Big Al also works for me.

[Jherbie53]

OK now I have decided on the BOB Dream Team. Using just members from Team 85 for this one. First would be Doug Fairchild, Because he's been with the team from the very beginning. Second would be Troy Springer, for his design creativeness and technical knowledge. Third is Randy Westrate, He is our electrician and he can come up with good prototype designs, just look at our hopper this year. Last but not least is (would be Mark Pierce but I already have him on the non-tech side) Tim VanWieren, He is just as hooked as the rest of us, and its only his second year on the team.

Now I should talk about Hilda Westrate, because I didn't before. She has been like a co leader, along with Steve Yasick, for the team the past couple of years. She helps with the administration part of the team and is the leader for our scouts.

I am very happy that these people have been on team 85. I have learned a lot form them, and I still am to this day. Here is a like to team 85s page with all of our mentors on it, Mentor Page. All of them have given so much of there time to the team. Time away from their families, who I'm just as thankful to as the mentors for letting us "barrow" their loved ones.

This is my Dream Team. The one I'm proud to be apart of, The one that I DO Dream about.

[st1nkm4n]

Technical mentors: 3 clones of Kevin Watson + the REAL Kevin Watson

Non-technical mentors: I am also going to have to go with Kevin Watson clones here

Budget 30K?
20K = Robot
1K = Recruiting
1K = Travel expenses
.5K = website
6.5K = Food
1K = Mutual funds

[We don't really care a lot about PR]
We are also a pretty small team, about 9 people, so 1K = a lot of new people.

Facilities we have are fine, but 2 more comps.

[Kevin Watson]

Originally Posted by st1nkm4n

Technical mentors: 3 clones of Kevin Watson + the REAL Kevin Watson

Non-technical mentors: I am also going to have to go with Kevin Watson clones here

Budget 30K?
20K = Robot
1K = Recruiting
1K = Travel expenses
.5K = website
6.5K = Food
1K = Mutual funds

[We don't really care a lot about PR]
We are also a pretty small team, about 9 people, so 1K = a lot of new people.

Facilities we have are fine, but 2 more comps.

Wow, thanks! As I consume inordinate amounts of Diet Pepsi while designing stuff, you'll need a separate line item just for Diet Pepsi. $4K should be enough for the six of me..., uh..., us..., whatever <grin>.

-Kevin

[Tetraman]

100+ Students
14 Mentors
Lowest budget possible

Our Goal...Each year we join up with a current robotics team and we join that team for the season.

[Arefin Bari]

4 Technical Mentors: Andy Baker, John V. Neun, Andrew Rudolph, Kevin Watson.

2 Non-technical Mentors: Rich Kressly, Amanda Morrison.

Anywhere with space of 50 ft. 50 ft. with the tools including basic ones, a mill, a lathe, bandsaw, drill-press, grinder.

Budget would be $20,000 bucks. $12,000 bucks for registration, $2,500 for building the robot, $2,500 bucks for stuff that the team would need (T-shirts, food, etc). Save the rest for next year.

[Rick TYler]

*sob*
*sniff*

[Andy Grady]

Ok I'll play the game...

Technical Mentors: Mark Koors (45), Jorge Martinez (126), Raul Olivera (111), Rob Zeuge (121)

Non Tech Mentors: Liz Calef (88), Kathie Kentfield (173)

Facilities: Design Room for CADD design and animation, Large playingfield area full with picnic tables for eating while watching the robot or doing strategy, massive shop with 3 Lathes, 3 Milling Machines, CNC, etc..., annnd massive conference room.

Budget:

16k for 2 Regionals and Championships
8K for materials and tools
2K travel
4k misc.

[Chris Hibner]

I think it would be fun to team up with Andy Baker, Dave Scheck, Ernie Pacsai, and Brandon Martus. Yeah, that would be a good time.