Advice for a potential rookie team?

[Akash Rastogi]

You're actually in luck. Lower Merion HS has a robotics team, 1712 DAWGMA.

Get in touch with them ASAP and they'll help you get started or help you find a way to maybe join their team.

http://dawgma.lmtechclub.org/contact/

Or one of their other mentors on here:
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/member.php?u=5183

The best help is when you get 1 on 1 attention, so please contact them first.

[Retired Starman]

You already have a good start with yourself and another student. That's how teams get going. When other students find out what you are doing, they will want to join.

A team of 12 is not bad for a first year. Having too many students makes it hard to keep everyone busy and 12 students can build a good rookie robot and do the tee shirts and other things that a team needs to do.

There is help out there for you. Go to the FIRST website (usfirst.org) and look around. One page

(http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprogr...t.aspx?id=5504)

tells you exactly how to go about starting a new team. One of the things you need to do RIGHT NOW is get in contact with the Regional Director in your area and instructions are on this page for doing that. The Regional Director's job is to help get new teams going (among a lot of other things). He or she will find you mentors, sponsors, and most importantly, money to start your team. It takes about $11,000 the first year to get your team going. That's more money than anyone would expect your team members to raise by yourselves. That what sponsors are for--to provide funds and mentors to help your team.

One thing you will have to do is find an adult at your school to act as coach, or sponsor, or whatever your school calls "club leaders". That person doesn't need to know everything about building robots, but does need to commit to being with you during meetings and while you are building your robot, so it's an important, time consuming job.

And great news--since your school had a FRC team in the past, you already have a team number! FIRST never re-issues team numbers, so when your team gets going, you can claim the number that was given your school.

Good luck getting your team going, and keep asking questions, questions, and more questions. Unlike other competition teams, EVERYONE in FIRST wants you to succeed and everyone will be willing to help. Don't let yourself get discouraged before you ask for help.

Dr. Bob

P.S. Did I remember to tell you not to be afraid to ask for help???

[XaulZan11]

Originally Posted by Retired Starman

And great news--since your school had a FRC team in the past, you already have a team number! FIRST never re-issues team numbers, so when your team gets going, you can claim the number that was given your school.

Not always the case. There was a FIRST team at my high school that folded but FIRST gave us a new number probably because no one from the original team was involved in what became 1732.


I think the most important thing is finding a dedicated mentor with some FIRST experience to mentor your team or atleast guide you. 1712 and your regional director is a good place to start.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by XaulZan11

Not always the case. There was a FIRST team at my high school that folded but FIRST gave us a new number probably because no one from the original team was involved in what became 1732.

Well... It's a little more complicated than that. Take a look at the rookie criteria; those cover the new number/old number dilemma.

[Joe G.]

Secondly, so far I only know of 1 other person willing to work on the bot. We have other friends that would be interested, but I doubt we're going to get the 15 or so people it seems like you'd need for this kind of thing to work

Remember, the biggest selling point of the FIRST program is Inspiration! The idea is to attract people who wouldn't normally be interested in robotics, and show them how exciting it is. Focus on recruiting, and remember that there's a lot required for a FRC team beyond the construction of a robot as well.

And to echo the comments of others, to be successful, work hard, and ask for and accept every bit of help you can get. Other local teams are a fantastic resources.

[ichaelm]

Thanks for all the help guys! I know a lot of people at LMHS, so I'm sure I'll be able to contact and meet with their team for help. Looks like contacting places like NASA and JC Penny would be good for sponsorship, and I've found our region's website, so I can contact them. Of course, I'm waiting on a reply from that tech teacher to see if he's willing to help us start a team, or can tell us who would. Until then I don't think it's a good idea to contact people like the regional director. Thanks though!

[avanboekel]

Originally Posted by ichaelm

Thanks for all the help guys! I know a lot of people at LMHS, so I'm sure I'll be able to contact and meet with their team for help. Looks like contacting places like NASA and JC Penny would be good for sponsorship, and I've found our region's website, so I can contact them. Of course, I'm waiting on a reply from that tech teacher to see if he's willing to help us start a team, or can tell us who would. Until then I don't think it's a good idea to contact people like the regional director. Thanks though!

Also, don't be afraid to ask questions. CD is a great place to get your answers. We were all rookie teams at some point.
Take a look at USFIRST.org as well for more info on how to start a team.