Triaging Lost Teams

[IronicDeadBird]

Originally Posted by Conor Ryan

So its that time of year now where you have the teams that have found the light and found the keys to success... and the ones that have know its really dark out, they are scared, time is ticking away, and not sure what to do.

Here is the scenario: a random team just approached you for help, they may or may not be a rookie team. What do you do first? What questions do you ask first, and then how do you prioritize?

For sake of the conversation lets assume they have the full kit and limited tools. They might be able to find $500, but that is a lot to ask of a team that is still stumbling around in the dark.

INVITE THEM TO IHOP infinite pancakes yo. If a team is willing to approach you and put themselfs out like this then I respect that. First things first make sure they are aware of all the rules and everything they have done up to this point follows said rules. There is a lot of administrative stuff is done behind the scenes that I'm not aware of so. Not point in having a kitbot if they aren't allowed into competition right? After that just get a robot driving and leave room for them to stick prototypes on top. This way they can spend the rest of the season with a drive base that can be programmed, a robot they can practice with, and they can spend the the time learning how to effectively prototype. Finally familiarize them with how the pit works, get a pit going learn the rules of the pit, teach them not to yell ROBOT. The usual. Always before leaving establish a strong line of communication!