Brand New Team

[KathieK]

Originally Posted by TheKing

[size="2"]I made this thread so that any one willing to help us does.

Welcome to FIRST and to Chief Delphi. One of the foundations of FIRST is that we help each other. You've joined a great community. CD's webmaster Brandon Martus has started a thread of Rookie Resources. Check it out if you haven't already. Even though you haven't assigned roles on the team yet, one thing that should be assigned ASAP is a person to monitor the Q&As (http://www.usfirst.org/community/frc...nt.aspx?id=456) and Game Manual and Rules Updates. This is a lot of work and is a critical role on a team to keep up with any changes that may be made as the season progresses. Rules Updates are usually sent out twice a week by FIRST - I suggest having several copies of the Manual made and put into 3 ring binders and then append them during the 6 weeks. Having a copy near your build area, near your programming area, etc. will come in handy, but they HAVE TO BE KEPT UPDATED! Usually there is one person on the team that is anal like I am about rules - it's a perfect job for that person! Another imporant role is the Safety Captain - making sure your are is kept clean and free of safety hazards and that all team members are trained on equipment use and are using safety glasses, etc. Usually it's a thankless job.

Questions

1. How, or Where doe we go to start our site? - i am helping my teacher design a good preview site so we can give to potential sponsors and etc. we have all design and stuff just. How do we get it on to the web, What did you guys use? And do you have any tips or tricks?

A web site needs to be placed on a server somewhere before it can be seen "by the world" - as stated previously, your school would be the place I'd check with first to see if they will give your server space. If not, there are several places where you can upload your web pages files for free - Yahoo! offers free space, MySpace, etc. Do not focus on your design, focus on your content first. Read the manual (Sect. 5.28) for the website award criteria - even if you don't submit for the award this year, you should still use these as guidelines for what should be on your site. And don't forget to include your team's address and contact info in case a potential sponsor wants to get in touch with you! CD has a forum on Websites that might help also.

2. Were can we get cool custom shirts made, and possibly cheap? i also am helping to design the shirt and am almost done just now we need some place to get them made FYI the shirt will be full screen well partial actually but it will have allot of designs on it.

Does your school have a graphics art class? They may be able to help out and it will also spread the message of FIRST to people who may not otherwise be interested in a "robotics team". Some teams have used cafe press (www.cafepress.com). See this article on team clothing written by the Techbricks (JFLL, FLL and FTC teams) from Maryland.

If you are attending a kickoff event which includes workshops, I encourage you to attend them. You'll be learning things from your peer teams that will be invaluable to you as you launch your team. Good luck!

[DonRotolo]

We got your back.

I think you have enough info on web sites, but I want to echo Kathie's comments to not worry so much about design, focus on content. Look at other team web sites, see what you like and what is useful, and build your content. If you got a computer guy at the school ask him or her for advice.

As for the shirts: Focus on the design, but remember that really fine lines and some halftones do not reproduce well in silkscreen. Also, more colors cost more, so try to stick to a team color for the shirt and a contrasting ink for the screen design. The Pioneers use 2 ink colors: Black shirts with white printing, and a touch of yellow in the logo.

Then look in the yellow pages for places near by that do silkscreen, there are plenty of them. Go with an adult and talk to them, maybe they can help you out on the price in exchange for becoming a sponsor. Remember that these places are always being asked that, so don't get disappointed, but definitely ask (the worst they can say is no). Also, you ahve some funding, sometimes you have to spend the money. Get extra shirts (we get 2 for each regional so we don't have to wear a dirty shirt or do laundry - Thursday we wear any old shirt) because you'll want to give a few away to sponsors, school administrators, parents and other important supporters.

Regarding the Co-Op: Your first priority is and always should be school. Keep your grades up! Even if you have to do homework instead of cutting aluminum.... Second priority is the co-op, while you are at work. Work yur hardeat, do your best work, but once you leave for the day you can think about other stuff (like homework or robots). The LAST priority is robots. And don't forget food, family, and some fun too.

We'll talk again at the kickoff. Meanwhile, drive the robot, study it to see where the wires go and why, change the programming to see what effect is has... This is your practice bot, use it!

Finally: For your rookie year, resist the temptation to do it all. Focus on a few things and be great at them, instead of doing everything, but poorly. Think about your robot base, about your wheels, about your drivetrain. When you are putting it together after kickoff, think about how you're going to get it apart again when it breaks.

After kickoff, first figure out what it will take to win the game, then figure out what kind of robot can do that. 2 years ago, what won the game was the ability to shoot a few baskets or herd a few balls or play defense, and then to climb that ramp.

Oh yeah: Keep Asking Questions!

Don

[billbo911]

First things FIRST, (yes, that is a pun)

Welcome to the forums and more importantly, welcome to the hardest fun you will ever have. This is the beginning of something that will change your lives!!

I wish we were closer, but sadly, we are on the West Coast. Regardless, if there is anything we can do to help, please feel free to ask.

[Barry Bonzack]

Welcome to FIRST and the CD Community!


I've posted a couple times about how our team used design-it.com a couple years ago and were quite pleased with the result. Here is a link that I posted on the design and prices of the shirts.

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ht=1604+tshirt

[Scott L.]

Hi,
I have experience in hardware selection, setup, installation, domain name registration, DNS record management, website hosting, basic ASP.net & MSSQL, and Windows 2003 feel free to pm, or email me with any questions.

Good luck with your new team.