How do you unwind after the build season is over?

[Jon Stratis]

I'm sitting here in lovely Lake Tahoe, having just killed myself on the slopes at Heavenly. I take a trip with some friends from college every year, and it always seems to come right after the build season is over, and before our first competition.

Some details of my first real day (remember, us mentors still have to go to work after the robot ships!) of post-build relaxation:
18 miles downhill, 11 miles on lifts
29.7 mph max speed
12.7k ft ski vertical
10021 ft max altitude
7485 min altitude

[pfreivald]

Originally Posted by Jon Stratis

I'm sitting here in lovely Lake Tahoe, having just killed myself on the slopes at Heavenly.

Very nice! When the competition season starts to wind down I start back up with writing and beekeeping -- my generally preferred form of relaxation is "other types of work".

[Team 4057]

two words "HOT TUB"

Two words: Practice Bot.

Realistically, I like to stay with my family, do a little less, maybe go out with the guys every once in a while, etc. If it's near the end of school, I get so slowed down and relaxed my teachers think I'm ill (this doesn't affect my grades).

[liam.larkin]

I apologize to my wife and spend the offseason begging her to let me do it agian. Jk (she is quite supportive and would never think of not letting me be part of such an awesome organization.)

When the season ends baseball season is in full swing....Nothing like sitting outside on my deck with an adult beverage or two listening to a good game on the radio.

[Hallry]

You can't unwind after build season knowing that competition season is just around the corner!

[stundt1]

Originally Posted by Hallry

You can't unwind after build season knowing that competition season is just around the corner!

AGREED

[Gray Adams]

Does preparing for competition count?

[Grim Tuesday]

I find Portal 2 exceedingly relaxing.

Originally Posted by Hallry

You can't unwind after build season knowing that competition season is just around the corner!

QFT. Seriously, (no offense to anyone), if you're thinking now is the time to fully unwind, I can tell you haven't been in FIRST too long.

After Bag and tag, though it may be relaxing, those teams serious about winning will keep working, either with practice bots, training the human players, preparing for their competition, etc.

I know this year, in the coming weeks, 256 will be working on our first ever practice bot, human player training (118, your human player will be no match for ours), and even practicing setting up a pit area (speed trials) so we can get to work ASAP

[Savvy578]

Catching up on homework and preparing for competition. Thinking of putting together a pit priority sheet

[MagiChau]

We're in Michigan and are busy on our three work sessions (including 6 hrs on the robot) before competition, and then we have 5 hours of pits on Thursday. We have not really wound down at all. We have also been drilling our drivers & human player about the game.

[Damiaen_Florian]

Take a 1 day break, get right back to building the practice bot!

And once that is done we normally find imperfections with it and try and see what works so when competition comes around we can alter our competition bot

Let's be honest, build season doesn't "end" until the FIRST season ends, it just gets less intense and less time constrained

[n1ckd2012]

practice bot is relaxing!

[PayneTrain]

Take a day off, then proceed to not sleep because you can't wait to compete. Done competing? can't sleep because you're excited for invitationals and parades and pool parties and... well... it's the world's coolest vicious cycle of sleeplessness.