FRC: Long days, short weekends, and fitful sleep

Originally Posted by SenorZ

Entering my second year as a coach/mentor/teacher and I have all the apprehensions of a second date... not a rookie anymore but definitely NOT feeling like a veteran!

What I've done in the "off" season:
- bought a bunch of the tools we didn't have enough of last year
- moved to a larger space with nice big flat tables
- recruited some new, motivated students and let the flakes slip away
- developed an immunity to fatigue and iocane powder

Any tips from other mentors/nerd-wranglers out there to make things smoother the second time around?

Have a game plan, and stick to it. It's best to spend the extra day deciding what your team will do rather than redesigning a robot weeks later.

On the same subject, try to get as much done as you can, as fast as you can. If you watch the game video, and decide you're gonna use the Kitbot (ALWAYS a good choice, LOVE the kitbot), and you're final about it, then as soon as you get back to your shop or when you have available time, get some students working on the kitbot. There are some things you'll need to take longer on, and some things you can decide early on. Make sure you know what those things are before kickoff, if possible.

Have multiple options. Even if it's something as simple as deciding whether or not to use metric nuts or not, always make sure you have more than one option for things. You may change your mind early on.

ALWAYS be prepared to sit down, log onto your computer, and ask for help. If you honestly can't do something, or even want the slightest reassurance, I can guarantee you people will help, either from Chief Delphi, or real teams, in real like. If you ever need help, PLEASE feel more than welcome to contact 256, since we're both in California, and both compete at SVR. We'll help you quicker than 254's minibot.

If you can, attend 115's post kickoff workshop. They will go over the game video again, and look over possible strategies.

If you need any more help, don't hesitate to ask!

Good luck this season!