Snow days

[blackwood]

In the past we had entire week lost to snow. This year we had an almost perfect snowday - It occurred today! A day to recoup, had it been on Wed. instead of Thursday it would have been perfect.

[ctccromer]

Y'all are lucky. I think I can count on one hand how many times its been below 40 this year in Louisiana. Only snow day I've ever had was in 8th grade, for half an inch of snow! Needless to say, a snowball fight was had.

EDIT: At the same time though, we had an entire week off last week for Mardi Gras, and that did mess with out schedule some.

[Bill_B]

Originally Posted by CLandrum3081

...

Maybe someday, one of the geniuses in FIRST will invent a weather machine so that it's always 65 degrees and mostly sunny with a cool breeze whenever anything having to do with robotics is going on.

Make that "the geniuses from FIRST". It could be coming. Next year's FLL challenge is titled "Nature's Fury." We may change global warming to global control any decade now.

[SarahBeth]

Originally Posted by fox46

Our title sponsor who supplies us with our build area, equipment and much of our materials is a Snowmobile and Powersports Repair shop www.jtsnowmobile.com. Getting around in the snow is never an issue. A snow day for us means the team can build all day at the shop! Many of the kids have their own sleds (kids as young as 12 yrs old can get an operator's permit) that they ride to school every day which makes finding rides that much easier.

Go ahead nature - do your worst!

LOL, you win.

We lost 2 days this year due to a blizzard we got a couple of weeks ago - lost all day Friday and all day Saturday - if school is closed then we can't have robotics at night (Even if the roads are ok) and if it's bad weather on the weekend, its our call if we want to have it. However, with Nemo (Also known as the Blizzard of 2013) the whole state was shut down with a driving ban so getting to the school was not an option, LOL.

[Bill_B]

Originally Posted by Squillo

What is this "snow" you refer to?

Never been to the big island, Cynthia? Mauna Kea is up there in the snow-zone on top of the world's tallest mountain.

[MooreteP]

Many teams in Southern New England lost four days to winter storm "Nemo".

This was in the next to last weekend before Bag and Tag, which is typically the most productive. Some teams build space is based in schools, which were shut down due to +2 feet of snow. Friday through Monday.

At the Suffield Shakedown, almost half of the teams did not even show up, including the always competent Aces High, who sponsor the event.

While we have had winter storms affect our build seasons in the past, this was one of the worst.

[electroken]

Originally Posted by MooreteP

While we have had winter storms affect our build seasons in the past, this was one of the worst.

Exactly right, and the reason why the Gaelhawks were no-shows at Suffield.

[FrankJ]

So do you have surf days down there on the island?

[Squillo]

We do occasionally get sent home for a tsunami warning.

If there were a hurricane we could miss the whole build season, but fortunately it's after hurricane season.

No active volcanoes on our island. Maybe the Big Island has to deal with that.

Basically, though, it's just sunny, mostly sunny or partly sunny, with the occasional shower. It has been cold this winter - down to the lower 60s at night!

[MarcD79]

What Team Paragon didn't know was that the Scrimmage originally had the 30 teams, plus a stand-by list of 16. So that means out of 46 teams, only 14 were able to show up & compete. So that was the impact of Blizzard Nemo here in the N/E. We did manage to complete the robot. I must say, it looks fantastic. If it performs anything like it looks, it should incredible. I hope other teams were able to finish their builds.

[je2164]

Obviously snow is a natural part of living in the northern states in winter. Here in Michigan we usually handle it pretty well. I was really just curious how other teams handle snow days. When we are not allowed to meet it gets frustrating. Usually we don't have very many snow days and it can be a relief to have one or two. This year just seemed especially icy and therefore, we lost more days. As far as hurricanes and tsunamis go.......I can plow snow......can't move a hurricane.

[crfox]

It's funny you saying that being from Michigan... I graduated from Western (Go Broncos!) back in the day ('02), moving to a school district in Maryland that will close if there is even the slightest hint of sno* in the air. I remember student teaching for several districts in Michigan (Mattawan and Vicksburg) and they wouldn't close for anything (I should have stayed in Michigan). Being the faculty member/coach/advisor for our team in Columbia, Maryland, any time I receive word from the district to not have a meeting after school, or open the building because of sno*, I have to follow district policy... despite if it actually does snow or ice. 95% of the time it does not. 100% of the time it bugs the mentors...

I have seen the liability take effect with other activities that required students to come in, where there were accidents causing blame on the school districts, so there is reason why a lot of the larger districts aim to be safe. Just hope for no snow... Do not allow for students to wear their PJ's inside out... and get as much work done per night as possible!

[theawesome1730]

For the most part we work all day on snow days. So for use snow days are a blessing of several more hours of build each day. We only got one during the season, but we're up to 4 with all the snow we've gotten the past few days

[jvriezen]

So, we already have a build season work session cancelled due to weather. Our local school district, based on a forecast for extreme cold on Monday (4 days from now) is cancelling school and all school activities for Monday.

At least we can plan for it, and are thinking of meeting on Sunday instead, (which is likely to be just as cold, but the district doesn't make rulings for weekend days, as far as I know)

And from what I'm told, if the cold doesn't arrive, they don't have a procedure to reverse their decision.

[Zuelu562]

As a team that operates out of a Boys and Girls Club, we have some distinct advantages (and some glaring disadvantages) over a team based out of a school when it comes to snow.

One of these advantages made itself apparent at last year's WPI Regional. It snowed from early Thursday morning clear through to extremely late Friday. Most school districts in the area had school cancelled by Wednesday afternoon. This left some other teams participating at WPI in the lurch, while we were able to manage a trip Thursday unimpeded by red tape.

One of our disadvantages, however, is that on snow days, the club closes, and means if we are to have a meeting, team members have to find a way to our club, and that's assuming we feel comfortable meeting on a day like that.

I've dealt with snow in the past with a school team; in high school, I remember one particularly bad season where we lost a day a week on average to snow.

Dealing with snow is a challenge to (FIRST) life in the northern parts of the US and many other countries and areas. Having a successful season is all about overcoming obstacles, and I've come across some harder obstacles than snow.