Student Expectations for Travel

[SarahBeth]

We always eat as a team during competition. When we travel, this includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner. When we're going to a competition in town, it's generally only lunch, as students will do breakfast/dinner with their family, and we aren't responsible for them during those hours. This gives us a chance to hold team meetings while we eat, promote team bonding, and ensure no one is getting in trouble.

Jon, question on this - (it may be a dumb question but whatever) - are the kids responsible for paying their own way even when you have team dinners or does the team pay?

We tend to run into a problem that the kids don't budget appropriate for trips and their money is gone the first day - and they don't listen to us when we tell them that $20 isn't going to get them through 3 days in Boston or Manchester. Any suggestions for pounding this home?

[SarahBeth]

Also, one more question - do any of you all enforce cell phone use in the stands during competition? During our matches, we do want our kids in the stands cheering, but when we're not competing, we want them either mingling in the pits with other teams or talking to the college reps that are there.

Unfortunately, we have a hard time with most of them just sitting in the stands who aren't scouting and being on their phones. We don't want to have to take the phones away and give them back at lunchtime, but we're at a loss as to how to handle this.

[Jon Stratis]

Originally Posted by SarahBeth

Also, one more question - do any of you all enforce cell phone use in the stands during competition? During our matches, we do want our kids in the stands cheering, but when we're not competing, we want them either mingling in the pits with other teams or talking to the college reps that are there.

Unfortunately, we have a hard time with most of them just sitting in the stands who aren't scouting and being on their phones. We don't want to have to take the phones away and give them back at lunchtime, but we're at a loss as to how to handle this.

This is a great point! One year, cell phone use got so bad we placed a basket next to the door at our build space - every student had to drop off their phone before entering, and any phones we saw out would immediately be confiscated and placed in the basket. Fortunately, we haven't had to do that since - the threat of the basket at the beginning of the season is usually enough.

As for at competition, cell phones are great to have from a safety perspective, especially if the students have phone numbers of adult chaperones. The best way to keep them off the phones during the competition is to keep the busy with other stuff. If you have enough students to fill a drive team, fill your pit, and fill your scouting team with some left over, find something great for those leftovers to do. Form a "help squad" of some sort to go around the pits and help teams (especially rookies!). Have a couple of experts on Chairman's or community outreach go around to the younger teams to talk about those aspects of your program, and help them improve their programs. Talk with the individuals coordinating your regionals, and see if they need extra volunteers to help run the safety glasses station, or to guide VIP's around the regional - these are perfect roles for students to help out with!

There is so much you can do at a regional, no one should be sitting around playing on their phones!

When in doubt, send your technical students to the inspection station to ask which teams need the most help - you'll quickly become your LRI's favorite team!

[SarahBeth]

Originally Posted by Jon Stratis

This is a great point! One year, cell phone use got so bad we placed a basket next to the door at our build space - every student had to drop off their phone before entering, and any phones we saw out would immediately be confiscated and placed in the basket. Fortunately, we haven't had to do that since - the threat of the basket at the beginning of the season is usually enough.

As for at competition, cell phones are great to have from a safety perspective, especially if the students have phone numbers of adult chaperones. The best way to keep them off the phones during the competition is to keep the busy with other stuff. If you have enough students to fill a drive team, fill your pit, and fill your scouting team with some left over, find something great for those leftovers to do. Form a "help squad" of some sort to go around the pits and help teams (especially rookies!). Have a couple of experts on Chairman's or community outreach go around to the younger teams to talk about those aspects of your program, and help them improve their programs. Talk with the individuals coordinating your regionals, and see if they need extra volunteers to help run the safety glasses station, or to guide VIP's around the regional - these are perfect roles for students to help out with!

There is so much you can do at a regional, no one should be sitting around playing on their phones!

When in doubt, send your technical students to the inspection station to ask which teams need the most help - you'll quickly become your LRI's favorite team!

More great ideas - I apologize for all of the questions, but myself and 2 other adults (alum of our school and our FIRST team) just took over the team this year so we're trying to make some positive changes for our team and for our students.

We don't necessarily have a problem with cell phone use in our build room - that tends to be more of a sneaking off into other rooms under the guise of scouting or homework to play minecraft on the computer for 3 hours.

I love the basket idea though.

[Jon Stratis]

It depends on the meal. Some meals (like lunch during competition) are ordered and delivered as a team, and the team pays. Others might be on a per-student basis.

Before the trip, we make sure everyone knows which meals the team is covering, and which ones they will need to pay for, as well as how much money they should bring for meals (based on average prices at the places we'll be eating).

Occasionally we'll have a student who forgot to bring money, or didn't bring enough. It's usually not a problem for one of the mentors or teachers to cover that student and get paid back by the parents later - it's never been that common for it to be a big problem for the team.

If it's a chronic problem, though, I would recommend having a travel fee every student pays before they get on the bus that covers all meals. Plan the meals appropriately - for example, stay at a hotel with an included buffet breakfast of some kind, pre-order lunch through the venue if possible (at our regionals, they provide an option to get boxed lunches for your team ordered ahead of time - just pick them up, find a cozy spot in the hallway or in the stands, and chow down), and go to a pizza place for dinner, where you can order a number of pizzas for everyone to share. It helps a LOT if you can find a local (someone who used to live in the area, or someone who has friends or relatives in the area) to give you restaurant suggestions. They'll be able to clue you in on great places that don't cost too much, can fit your team AND take reservations!

[SarahBeth]

Thank you Jon! That is all great information!

I'll have to look into the venues possibly providing boxed lunches for the teams - I didn't recall this happening last year (Boston & Manchester, respectively). I'll definitely ask around, because that would be a great help for a) corralling our kids to the arena during lunch, b) not making them pay arena prices for food and c) Not having them have to leave and cross the street to get outside food.