post your Chairman's Award tips

[Ryan Foley]

Hi all.
It seems as though my team will most likely be back in FIRST, and my advisors are starting to get on my case about Chairman's award. The only problem is that I have never done chairman's award, I dont think our team has ever submitted to it before. I was wondeing if all of you could PLEASE help me and post any tips or helpful info you might have on how to make a good chairman's award submission.

On behalf of Timberlane Robotics:
Thanks a bunch

[Rich Kressly]

Ryan,
Check out previous threads in this forum for all kinds of information. For a start you an view our entry from 2003 here:
http://www.cybersonics.org/cybersoni...airman2003.asp

Let us know how else we can help: cybersonics@cybersonics.org

Good luck and I'm glad your coaches are "on your case"

[Josh Hambright]

My best advice is to start early, you can start documenting things and start working on the chairmans award in the fall because its basicly the same idea every year so its going to involve very similar stuff.

[Erin Rapacki]

(cracks knuckles)

Ok... it's the start of a new season, and these are a few things that have helped me out:

-every pre-season meeting, every little time your team gathers, jot down a note and take a picture of what you did. It'll really help you remember what went on and might give you guidance on how to structure your submission.

-sometimes, if your thinking of writing your submission as a four page term paper... you might find it difficult. Instead, perhaps try structuring it like a newspaper. Write a paragraph about a specific subject, what a particular subteam has done that season such as: programming, mechanical, drive, community service, mentors, team goals, team structure, ect...

Now if your focused on winning the chairman's award, that's a different story. Here are some things that might help you along the way:

-market your team at competitions and make the judges job easy for themselves. train good speakers, have people available for information about your robot or outside activites

-outside activites are important. you will not win a chairman's award by simply building a robot and bringing it to a regional. get your school student body interested in the outcome of a team. develope a robotics curriculm at your high school. do community service, lego leage, your own robotics program of some sort. spread the word of FIRST to your community. do team building within your own team so at least you all get along enough to pull off a nicy-nicy act at the competitions. be helpful to other teams and don't be pushy. teams appreciate when you tell them that your robot can't do something, instead of those teams who brag about their robot but they can't meet up to their words. if your partner team knew about your weaknesses, there could have been a better strategie developed.

ummmm... that might be all i have to say for now. if you have any more questions, IM me.


ByE

erin