Mythical Six Week Build Season

[Rich Kressly]

It's been a pretty long time since I considered all these things - my last "on team" FRC experience was 2010. At that point, after a decade in the game, I was pretty much toast, but not totally because of "the game" and "the robot" but more because of the totality of game, robot, outreach, school integration, work with area teams as an SM, etc, etc.

So, with that in mind, I'll provide you with no answers, but rather I'll pose additional questions ...
- What's the best use of time for an FRC team when mentors are with students?
-Is more time on "the game" and "the robot" a good thing in terms of culture change or does it "only" provide better competition robots?
-What metrics should be used to measure this stuff?
-does having unenforceable rules (even if everyone is honest and gracious) make any sense?

I'm honestly not sure, even after all this time, exactly where I stand on the overall issue - I'm just adding questions to the pile. I think, if I were back on a team, I'd lean toward JVN's kickoff-to-competition and spread out the meetings, "teach" more, get home before my whole family was asleep ... and probably shut the "robot switch off" at some point and use more "in season" time for outreach, community service, etc.

The one thing I am sure of is I don't want good folks to burn out ... however, I can't say I know the exact cause of burnout in FRC or if it's even the same thing for all who need a break.