2014 Lessons Learned

[Sohaib]

Our rookie year was filled with ups and downs, and a lot of fun! It's an exciting challenge to build a robot in six weeks without having and previous experience; its so exciting, we want to help other teams get this experience, and with more ups than downs. We've prepared a lessons learned document for all rookies - and veterans - to look at and hopefully have an amazing season next year.

If anyone wants a PDF full-resolution version to print, you can visit our website (www.team5036.com) and follow: Update > Blog > 2014 Lessons Learned.

[Jacob Bendicksen]

Very neat! I might add something about not neglecting awards/outreach, especially for rookies - it tends to be difficult for veteran teams to win RAS/RI! We forgot to have spokespeople in our rookie year, and it cost us dearly, so I'd recommend that to all rookie teams (and all veteran teams, while I'm at it).

[Bmarshall645]

Nice tips we won rookie all star at 1 district and 1 regional competition. If you apply for those awards your gonna need a few people to talk to the judges and do the interviews. Some of those awards can put you threw to the championships if you win them at a regional level competition. Make sure your prepared to do interviews for them if needed. One tip we have is during competitions make sure you always have at least 1 person at your pit to talk about your team in case judges come around to interview you for the different awards.

[Sohaib]

We actually won Rookie-All Star at GTR-E this year, and went to the championships. You're right, it would be worthwhile to put awards in the list - thanks! Our team - we had two main pit speakers, one about team workings, and the other the robot, and all the technical things; it worked out fairly nicely for us in the end.

[Monochron]

Originally Posted by Sohaib

We actually won Rookie-All Star at GTR-E this year, and went to the championships. You're right, it would be worthwhile to put awards in the list - thanks! Our team - we had two main pit speakers, one about team workings, and the other the robot, and all the technical things; it worked out fairly nicely for us in the end.

I love hearing about all these successful rookie teams. If you don't mind, could I pick your brain a bit?
How did you get such solid graphic design done for that document? Did you have a student on the team who has done a lot of design, it looks really awesome?
Also, how did you raise the funds for the Championship? I'm always super impressed by rookie teams who manage to pull off so much more funding than rookie teams.

[Bmarshall645]

For our funding for the championships we setup a gofundme account were anyone in the community could donate any amount. We mostly just wrote letters to our current sponsors asking for some more funding saying we made it to champs.

[Monochron]

Originally Posted by Andromeda One

For our funding for the championships we setup a gofundme account were anyone in the community could donate any amount. We mostly just wrote letters to our current sponsors asking for some more funding saying we made it to champs.

Wow that's impressive. $5,000 just from gofundme and sponsors giving even more than they originally did. Great job, we might have to try that next year.

[Sohaib]

Originally Posted by Monochron

I love hearing about all these successful rookie teams. If you don't mind, could I pick your brain a bit?
How did you get such solid graphic design done for that document? Did you have a student on the team who has done a lot of design, it looks really awesome?
Also, how did you raise the funds for the Championship? I'm always super impressed by rookie teams who manage to pull off so much more funding than rookie teams.

I designed the graphics in the document, I'm pretty nifty with Photoshop from a personal YouTube channel I had.

To answer your second question, we had funding left over from our season, all of which was put towards paying for championships. The school covered transportation costs after we made a presentation to them. Students paid hotel and food costs out of their own pocket.

[Monochron]

Originally Posted by Sohaib

I designed the graphics in the document, I'm pretty nifty with Photoshop from a personal YouTube channel I had.

Ah, well done, it looks great .

To answer your second question, we had funding left over from our season, all of which was put towards paying for championships.

Ah sorry, I wasn't clear. I meant, how did you raise the funds that you used to go to the Championship? Did you do some crazy fundraiser or find an incredibly generous company to sponsor you? Getting the funds to attend one competition plus team expenses, robot costs, AND the $5,000 championship as a rookie team is impressive.

[cameron.lynn]

We were also a rookie team this year (we won Rookie All-Star at Peachtree), and I think I might mention how even though everybody has a job at competition, it is important to let everybody leave the pit or they're assigned job at some point and explore the venue and watch a few matches, even if they scout for those matches. The competition was incredibly fun and I would hate to see someone miss out on that. Some of our pit crew didn't stop to explore and missed out on fun things, even going to Scholarship Row in St. Louis.

Also, your PDF looks so much nicer than our webpage. I'm incredibly jealous.

[Sohaib]

Originally Posted by Monochron

Ah, well done, it looks great . Did you do some crazy fundraiser or find an incredibly generous company to sponsor you? Getting the funds to attend one competition plus team expenses, robot costs, AND the $5,000 championship as a rookie team is impressive.

It was a combination of us getting more money from our sponsors, and money out of the student's personal pockets.

[Sohaib]

Originally Posted by cameron.lynn

We were also a rookie team this year (we won Rookie All-Star at Peachtree), and I think I might mention how even though everybody has a job at competition, it is important to let everybody leave the pit or they're assigned job at some point and explore the venue and watch a few matches, even if they scout for those matches. The competition was incredibly fun and I would hate to see someone miss out on that. Some of our pit crew didn't stop to explore and missed out on fun things, even going to Scholarship Row in St. Louis.

Also, your PDF looks so much nicer than our webpage. I'm incredibly jealous.

Ha, thanks! If you guys need any help, just give me a holla.