My Blog: Starting a Competitive New Team

[JaneYoung]

Originally Posted by Kims Robot

.. and maybe one of these days we will finish it

That would be very cool.

Jane

[JamesBrown]

Originally Posted by JaneYoung

That would be very cool.

Jane

I agree 100%.

Kim, Thank you for you’re in depth reply. 1511 is certainly one of the teams that I would be striving to emulate. 1511 was national rookie all-stars my rookie year, after you guys won in Atlanta I became fascinated by the team and have paid attention to what you have been doing. I really wanted to see what the difference was between the good rookie teams and the elite ones.

I agree 100% that RAS is the best way to get to Champs. I think my post may have been misleading, most of what I outlined was technical because that is what the posts and PMs I was getting were addressing. I definitely intend for the team to be competitive for the RAS award, at least at the regional level. I have found that the points judges seem to look for the most in selecting a rookie all-star are, sustainability, Engineering Inspiration, and what the team does outside of the 6 week build season. I hope to address all three of these points in the next few days on the blog so I can get feedback.

[Bob Steele]

This is a great undertaking.
Just remember that building a robot and being competitive on the field is the least of your worries your first year.

You need to plan for continued success. Build a base of a good team.
Organization, fundraising, the support infrastructure, team comradarie, team image... the fundamentals of sustainability.

If you base a team on how well you do on the field you have a much harder time winning.

If you base a team on building a team that enjoys working and playing hard together you will always be a winner. Rejoice in your team's accomplishments no matter what they are. Have fun. Always look out to help others and the community. These are the hallmarks of a truly great team.

Good luck!!

[Phoenix Spud]

Quick question(s)...

How do you define competitive? In terms of the robot or outreach/chairmans?

[JamesBrown]

Originally Posted by Phoenix Spud

Quick question(s)...

How do you define competitive? In terms of the robot or outreach/chairmans?

Both, I think it is important for a team to be well rounded. I am all for the teams that do everything they can just to get a robot on the field and consider making eliminations a successful competition who along the way have an impact on their students and communities. However I believe it is easier to inspire students if the team is high performing on field.

I have a couple of posts typed up but I can't get on wordpress from work and I haven't been home much the last couple of days.

[nlknauss]

I was a team mentor for 5 years before starting a team at my current school district. The biggest thing I can take away from my experience so far as a team leader is that you have to think of yourself as a manager. I think of baseball where the manager has his pitching, hitting, and bench coaches we may have a mechanical, electrical, and software leads here in robotics. With that, you can't have your hands in everything (you don't have enough) so you need to build a mentor core and student leadership group that will drive the team itself.

Nate