FIRST Withdrawal Sets In

[matthew_martin]

So now that the Championships are over (and I actually had to go to school today), I've found myself depressed that the past four months of our lives has gone by so quickly! Last year, I made a USB OTG cable by myself just to make something again, but I don't know what to do this year! It seems a little too small of an idea!
What do you guys do when FIRST Withdrawal sets in?

[dag0620]

Get ready for off-season events! We're less then 20 days away from the first of 5 off-season events New England will see over the course of May and June.

Otherwise, I try to actually take a little time off from FIRST, even when the withdrawals set in. It's an addiction, but it's important to take care of yourself, see the family, do some other things etc.

[plnyyanks]

Originally Posted by dag0620

Get ready for off-season events! We're less then 20 days away from the first of 5 off-season events New England will see over the course of May and June.

Oh man, that one hit me hard. I'm excited because robots, but worried because I'm volunteering at two of those five and I don't even live in New England anymore...

But I'll make it happen and it'll be so worth it.

[Bmarshall645]

What are some of the off-season events in New England? I know W.P.I Battle cry is one. Any teams in the New England area looking for something to do can check out the Day of robots that team #4909 is hosting at Billerica Memorial High School on May 31st.

Day of robots thread: http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...hreadid=129141

[Whippet]

Well, all but 3 of our current members are graduating, so we've been recruiting since our regional. Other than that:

1. Teach the newbies programming
2. Teach the newbies about the eletrical systems
3. Find a veteran member to teach the newbies shop safety
4. Build a test machine
5. Fundraise
6. Practice CAD
7. Practice programming
8. Build my 3D Printer
9. Start applying for colleges
10. Et Cetera...

[dag0620]

Originally Posted by Andromeda One

What are some of the off-season events in New England? I know W.P.I Battle cry is one. Any teams in the New England area looking for something to do can check out the Day of robots that team #4909 is hosting at Billerica Memorial High School on May 31st.

Day of robots thread: http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...hreadid=129141

May 17 - CT State Championships - Killingworth, CT (Open to CT Teams Only)
May 24-25 - Battle Cry @ WPI - Worcester, MA
May 31 - Mayhem in Merrimack - Merrimack, NH
June 14 - Where's Wolcott - Wolcott, CT
June 28 - Beantown Blitz - Boston, MA

[Chris Endres]

My team has summer and fall projects built up, including:

-Summer CAD sessions for swerve and WC drivetrains
-Lego camps for youngsters
-Custom 3-CIM shifting gearboxes
-Pre-season freshmen CAD classes
-Build a demo bot with summer CAD drive trains to shoot Rebound Rumble basketballs

Personal projects:
-CNC certification
-Design and build a custom 3D printer

[IndySam]

I won't miss the robots but I will totally miss my graduating seniors.

[CLandrum3081]

I've promised myself I won't mentor for at least two years, so the withdrawal is real.

I'll be taking a physics class in the summer (only now do I realize how nerdy that sounds), and I plan on volunteering at FIRST events throughout the school year. My spring break is during week 6, so mom and I plan on traveling to volunteer at an FRC event then, considering there typically aren't MN regionals during week 6.

What I really need to stop doing is pressing the refresh button on the Spyder app. I've worked in scouting my three years on the team, and it'll be strange not geeking out over ridiculous CCWMs with my mom on a weekly basis.

[Basel A]

Originally Posted by CLandrum3081

I've promised myself I won't mentor for at least two years, so the withdrawal is real.

I told myself the same thing.. It took one semester in my sophomore year to go from "absolutely not" to "just a little bit" to jumping in with both feet.

[Calvin Hartley]

Off season? Huh? On 4967 we decided that the post-season was the FIRST Finale and the off-season was the eight hours home from St. Louis and now we are in the pre-season.

However, I'm taking this week to finish up my Eagle Scout. I've spent far too much time not doing that. After that? I start work on June 2. But I get out at 4:00, time enough to continue on as a mentor I think, though I do not know yet in what capacity or how much.

[Tim Lehmann4967]

Well, beyond the obvious team activities(new programming languages, new drivetrains, sponsors, members, etc...) I try to go camping when possible, get 8 hours, and build random stuff in my garage. Also, ChiefDelphi.

[waialua359]

Originally Posted by IndySam

I won't miss the robots but I will totally miss my graduating seniors.

THIS

[PayneTrain]

Originally Posted by IndySam

I won't miss the robots but I will totally miss my graduating seniors.

This. This is the first year 422 has any semblance of transitional programming but this year we are losing:

1) Our first Dean's List Finalist
2) Our head programmer for the last two years
3) The core Chairman's team that won our first ever RCA, including 2 presenters
4) Many more hands on and behind the machine

I've really given them hell to make sure they realize their potential of coming together to work hard as a team, and they are probably the smartest, most humble, and tireless individuals I have ever been able to work with as both a student and mentor. I watched them all grow from being little oddballs looking for a place to call home into great leaders who will no doubt do greater things than I ever will. Every hour going through the local Kroger's stock of chips and guacamole to get the Chairman's presentation right, the nights I spent awake worried that I bombed the Dean's List essay and ruined his chances, and the constant negotiating with a very intelligent programmer beaten down by a mechanical program with room to imporve are the things that I will miss as I recover a fraction of my old sleeping schedule.

I won't ever really run into withdrawl with FIRST until it probably kills me, but I'll miss every member on every class that graduates.

[PVCpirate]

Originally Posted by Andromeda One

What are some of the off-season events in New England? I know W.P.I Battle cry is one. Any teams in the New England area looking for something to do can check out the Day of robots that team #4909 is hosting at Billerica Memorial High School on May 31st.

Day of robots thread: http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...hreadid=129141

Originally Posted by dag0620

May 17 - CT State Championships - Killingworth, CT (Open to CT Teams Only)
May 24-25 - Battle Cry @ WPI - Worcester, MA
May 31 - Mayhem in Merrimack - Merrimack, NH
June 14 - Where's Wolcott - Wolcott, CT
June 28 - Beantown Blitz - Boston, MA

And don't forget River Rage(Manchester NH) and Mainely Spirit(Oakland ME) in the Fall! We love offseasons in New England.