Advice from a grumpy old man :)

[ChuckDickerson]

Keep the pit isles clear and your pits open and inviting. We are all busy but if you have your whole team of 20+ students and adults trying to cram into your pit I can almost guarantee they won't all fit and they will be spilling out cloging the isles. Sometimes less is more when it comes to the number of people working on something and the amount of work that gets done. Instead, your pit need only a few well trained pit crew while the rest of your team is elsewhere, preferably in the stands chearing for everyone else and, of course, scouting.

Make sure to always keep an eye out for that overwhelmed rookie standing about 5 feet outside your pit with that "deer in the headlight look" who probably needs help or wants to ask a question but is too scared to do so. Be open and inviting. Ask them if they have any questions or would like to get a closer look at something in your pit or on your robot. Drag them into your pit show them what they are wanting to see and spend time with them explaining what they want to know. If they need help and your not the right person for their problem get the right person for them. If you can't, take them to the lead inspector and help them explain their problem. The lead inspectors will do everthing in their power to get them the help they need.