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  #16   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 09-02-2017, 08:34
GalacticNights's Avatar
GalacticNights GalacticNights is offline
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FRC #5180 (Metalheads)
Team Role: Student
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Rookie Year: 2011
Location: Blythewood
Posts: 3
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Re: We are struggling.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chief Hedgehog View Post
PM me if you need still need help. What language are you programming in? We have a team of students set up as a 'programming hotline' if you need it.
Thank you, we'll keep that in mind.


I'm pretty sure we code in Java, and the program we use is Eclipse.
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Unread 09-02-2017, 09:28
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mypie4050 mypie4050 is offline
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AKA: Micah Young
FRC #4050 (Biohazard)
Team Role: Leadership
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Rookie Year: 2013
Location: PA
Posts: 21
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Re: We are struggling.

Quote:
Originally Posted by GalacticNights View Post
1.) Has your mentor/coach dropped off the radar unexpectedly for family/personal reasons, and if so how did you get help to keep the team going?
2.) Have you been behind/procrastinating during the build season before? How was it fixed and stopped?
3.) Would you suggest reaching out to local teams for help?
4.) If you have had horrible communication in the past, how was it fixed?

Thanks for reading.
1. Team 4050 has been fortunate enough to have 12+ mentors to help with overall team leadership. Of those mentors, only a few are directly involved with the build, and the rest are administrative mentors/chaperones. It helps that we are not a school-based team, we are able to pull many mentors who are parents or members of the community. I would look in the offseason to see if your able to recruit non-teachers/faculty as mentors for your team. It takes a lot of people to run a FRC Team, and it definitely helps to have mentors to take care of administrative duties and the like.

2. Our team has never been where we wanted to be at a certain point during build season, yet we always seem to pull through during the last few weeks. Once again, a recommendation for next year: plan out your season. Even if you don't specifically adhere to the schedule, it's good to have a plan.
It's always hard as a young team to gain momentum and direction, that gets better with time. I know from experience - I joined my team in our second year. My suggestion for this year: Sit down as a team and evaluate where you are, what your resources are, and where those resources can get you by bag day. Keep in mind that you can continue work on a certain poundage of material before your regional.

3. Absolutely. Veteran teams have more resources than you can imagine. If we were nearer to you, I would offer our assistance (we're in PA, let me know if you think we can help with something!)

4. We still have horrible communication. All I can do is point you back to planning out your season. Have team meetings as often as possible. Update each other when you see each other. Find someone (maybe a captain) who can be the team communicator - making sure everyone's on the same page.
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Micah Young, CEO Biohazard 4050
2012: Rookie
2013: Semifinalist - Pittsburgh Regional; Quarterfinalist - Chesapeake Regional
2014: Semifinalist - Greater Pittsburgh Regional
2015: Winner - Chesapeake Regional
2016: Finalist - Greater Pittsburgh Regional; Quarterfinalist - Smokey Mountains Regional

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Unread 09-02-2017, 10:02
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pmattin5459 pmattin5459 is offline
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AKA: Patrick Mattin
FRC #5459 (Ipswich TIGERS)
Team Role: Mentor
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Rookie Year: 2015
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 83
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Re: We are struggling.

Quote:
1.) Has your mentor/coach dropped off the radar unexpectedly for family/personal reasons, and if so how did you get help to keep the team going?
2.) Have you been behind/procrastinating during the build season before? How was it fixed and stopped?
3.) Would you suggest reaching out to local teams for help?
4.) If you have had horrible communication in the past, how was it fixed?
1. Mentors are not the driving force behind our team. Students take charge of nearly everything. Mentors merely provide some sort of direction and help if needed. The team goes so long as the students have a place to meet.

2. We're always behind where we'd like to be. Everyone is. The main thing is to make sure that you're meeting often enough and you set goals that need to be met. We meet nearly every day for at least a few hours. Everyone has a clear job, so procrastination is kept to a minimum. The environment is more professional. There's fun and messing around, for sure (this is necessary for a well-functioning team), but you, as a mentor, need to communicate to your students that there's time for that later. The key is giving everyone a set job.

3. Yes. Other teams that are miles ahead of where you are are probably very close by. And one of the core tenets of FIRST is coopertition. It's probably going to be a very positive and enlightening experience for you.

4. Have daily meetings. Make sure everyone is on the same page. Email. Use a messaging platform like Slack. Try to have some sort of bonding activity. Your students are not working for a corporation. They're a team. They should be friends, and a lack of communication is a sign of other serious problems.
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