how often does your team meet during build season?

[Billfred]

It was made officially official today. To qualify for travel:

-70% of three-afternoons-a-week meetings (that's 14/20)
-60ish% of Saturday meetings (4/7)
-$100 (less, we hope, but that's the working number)

There are some alternatives in the works for those who just plain can't do one or the other, but by and large these are the rules.

[synth3tk]

Hmmm, club fees. That's an untraditional way of collecting money for a FIRST team, as far as I know. How's that working out for you all?

[vivek16]

club fees are implemented on team 2264 this year as well. They are more to retain members than to fundraise. there might be more people staying for something they paid for than not.

-vivek

[synth3tk]

Never really thought about it that way. I know if I paid $50 for something I sure as heck would want to be a part of it.

[Mitch1525]

1525 is kinda crazy-ish

Mon-Thru = 6:00 PM- 9:00 PM
Friday = 6:00 PM- 11:00 PM (early season)
Saturday = 9:00 AM- 10:00 PM (early season)
Sundays = 9:00 AM- 1:00 PM (depending on fi there's a football game)

Friday = 6:00 PM- 2:00 AM (end of season)
Saturday = 9:00 AM- 3: AM (end of season)

Weekend of shipping = NO SLEEP AT ALL!!!!!!!

it's great... meetings are not mandatory, just strongly encouraged because we have a relatively small team.

[synth3tk]

I have a question for teams, specifically ones who meet in schools, who can meet late or stay all night. How did you persuade the administration/janitors to let you stay?

[Mitch1525]

Our school is open all night (sorta) and so the school knows that we plan on staying late. We also do not work in our school. We use to computer labs from the start of the season and doing CADD/ INVENTOR while our team mentor has a workshop of his own that he lets us use. We have started feeling bad for him and his family because he never has time with his family during the season and his wife has to navigate around about 7 cars in his driveway if she ever wants to leave. It's kinda impossible which makes the season even more fun. Especially when it snows and someone gets stuck!

[octothorpe]

Originally Posted by blakcheez

I have a question for teams, specifically ones who meet in schools, who can meet late or stay all night. How did you persuade the administration/janitors to let you stay?

We just stay. The janitors don't really come by to kick us out or anything, and the administration is relatively understanding. We have a set of keys to the workshop so we just lock up whenever we leave. Normally our slots are scheduled only as late as 9pm, but if we run a few hours over, nobody's there to notice or care.

Except, actually, the local police force, which has dropped in on a couple late-night work sessions. We assume they just stop by to see why the lights are still on, and to make sure everything's all right. In the past they've usually been perplexed by the robot-building but have apparently decided that we're harmless.

[synth3tk]

Since when have a few thousands dollars for students with a mind for learning ever been deemed "harmless?"

[Blue_Mist]

Well, none of us have been arrested yet, so...

[octothorpe]

Originally Posted by blakcheez

Since when have a few thousands dollars for students with a mind for learning ever been deemed "harmless?"

We work hard to keep up appearances.

Originally Posted by Blue_Mist

Well, none of us have been arrested yet, so...

I'm sure that day will come. The garden will run out of bricks eventually.

[vivek16]

I really hope the garden of bricks is a metaphor and you are not actually using bricks from said garden to prevent your arrests somehow... ( and bricks usually involve some throwing and the some falling, usually destructively...)

thanks for everything guys. keep it coming please

-vivek

[octothorpe]

Originally Posted by vivek16

I really hope the garden of bricks is a metaphor and you are not actually using bricks from said garden to prevent your arrests somehow... ( and bricks usually involve some throwing and the some falling, usually destructively...)

No no no, we're not using the bricks to clonk policemen over the head or anything! Sorry, it was a bit of a 766-in-joke. The garden club needed bricks for an herb garden they were making, and there's a construction site at our school right now that had involved tearing up part of a brick patio. I hopped the fence to "repurpose" some of the extra bricks they had lying around, that's all.