Should FRC Team name = HS athletic team name?

[dtengineering]

We combined our school mascot, the "Trojan" with "Robotics" and got "Trobotics".

And while we proudly stuck with the name, my advice would be that every possible combination of "....botics" and "Robo....." has been done to death.

However it is only people in FRC that know that... in your community linking the school mascot to something robotical will help people make connections with both the school and what you are doing.

But what I would suggest is that whatever name, colours and logos you choose... STICK WITH THEM. Your team will develop a reputation based on the character of the students, the quality of your robot, your presence in the pits and stands and your presentations to the judging panels.

Many judges and volunteers come back year after year... we get to know teams, probably better than you might expect, and that is almost always a positive. If you are going to change your image than make sure you have a good reason, follow a logical process, document the process and explain it to the judges.

Finally, whatever your team name is... find something that makes you unique. Our first ever FRC award was for our innovative use of plywood... so we built on that angle using plywood as key structural components of our robot every year. We won at least two more awards that cited our use of plywood, and when I retired from the team and joined the judging panel, I discovered that not just other teams... but many judges... would make a point of coming by our pit area to see what we had done with plywood this year.

As a Canadian team competing primarily in the states, we made hockey sticks a key component of our design. When I introduced myself to the other judges, they didn't all know who Trobotics was, or who 1346 was... but they sure knew who the team in the red shirts and black pants with plywood and hockey sticks on their robot was. (It was the Canadians, eh?)

Choose whatever name you want... but don't count on your name to make you stand out. It is the overall package that will establish your reputation.

Jason