Go to Post When I judge a robot, the single most important factor to me is whether or not the robot is rigid. - Gressa [more]
Home
Go Back   Chief Delphi > FIRST > General Forum
CD-Media   CD-Spy  
portal register members calendar search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read FAQ rules

 
 
 
Thread Tools Rating: Thread Rating: 7 votes, 5.00 average. Display Modes
Prev Previous Post   Next Post Next
  #1   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 24-03-2010, 08:33
Unsung FIRST Hero Woodie Flowers Award
Chris Fultz Chris Fultz is offline
My Other Car is a 500 HP Turbine
FRC #0234 (Cyber Blue)
Team Role: Engineer
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Rookie Year: 1942
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Posts: 2,831
Chris Fultz has a reputation beyond reputeChris Fultz has a reputation beyond reputeChris Fultz has a reputation beyond reputeChris Fultz has a reputation beyond reputeChris Fultz has a reputation beyond reputeChris Fultz has a reputation beyond reputeChris Fultz has a reputation beyond reputeChris Fultz has a reputation beyond reputeChris Fultz has a reputation beyond reputeChris Fultz has a reputation beyond reputeChris Fultz has a reputation beyond repute
What makes a "Powerhouse"?

"A prize fight is like a war; the real part is won or lost somewhere far away from witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights." Mohammad Ali

This is a quote from Ali, and it is relevant to just about every activity we can take part in. The point Ali was trying to make was that it is the preparation that determines who comes out on top, that he did not win in the ring, he won in the days and weeks and months leading up to the fight.

FIRST Teams are the same way. There are many threads about the good teams, great teams, "powerhouse teams", and most of it centers on what they do during a 2 minute and 15 second match. I believe their performance is really driven by how they work during the build season, during the weeks of competition, and during the 8 months of the "off-season".

There are also threads about "haves" and "have-nots". But if you look at the list below, you will see that many of these defining activities don't take a lot of money, they don't take a huge corporate sponsor or a fancy machine shop.

But they do take time and commitment and dedication in the weeks and months leading up to March. And they do this year after year after year.

From watching and learning, both in FIRST and in "real life", here are some things that I believe the top teams do and things that any team can implement to help them improve -

Off-Season
(This is a time to learn from the previous season, to learn new skills, to design something unique, to recruit, to get sponsors, to work in the community.)

* Learn to use a CAD program - Inventor is included free to all teams and there are loads of tutorials.
* Practice driving an obstacle course
* Design and make something that might be of use in the next season (a pick up arm, a new style drive)
* Learn a new manufacturing skill - welding, mill, lathe
* Go to an off season event and compete (Many are under $250)
* Go to an off season event and volunteer
* Do some community out-reach
* Play with VEX or LEGO parts and make a prototype of something that could be used later
* Do a "lessons learned" on the previous season and write down what you did well, what could be better, and what you did not do.
* Shadow a "top" team and see how they work
* Celebrate, have fun, relax and become a team.
* Find new sponsors
* Talk to mentors of who you consider to be a “top” team. Most, if not all, of them will treat you like you were their own student and help you with what you ask.
* Go back and study the physics of your robot. This will help you learn what’s important for next year.


Build-Season
(Don't build anything on the robot the first week. Focus on the game, how to play, ideas, prototypes, models, etc.)

* Brainstorm ideas
* Understand the keys to the game, challenge each other
* Don't assume anything. Read the rules. Understand the rules. Ask Q+A.
* Prototype, sketch, make computer models, play with ideas
* Make a priority list of the critical components and work on them first
* Talk to others, read CD, continue to get ideas and be willing to adapt
* Practice, Practice, Practice - get something that the drivers can play with on a simulated field
* Focus on the details – it can be small, simple things that make the difference on the field, in the pits and in the stands.
* Don't worry about something being "mentor-done" or "student-done", focus on it being "team-done"

Competition-Season
(Continuous improvement and refinement of the robot, the strategy, the team)

* Continue to watch others and learn
* Continuous Improvement - adjust, modify, adapt, replace
(If the robot you have in June looks identical to the one you put in the crate on ship day in February, either you are brilliant, or you ignore the concept of continuous improvement)
* Review every match, every day, every competition - what could be better, what was great
* Make a plan / Assign roles
* Expect everyone to contribute and do their best to support the team in whatever their role is
* Celebrate every success

NOTE: I thnk these principles can apply to every aspect of a team.
__________________
Chris Fultz
Cyber Blue - Team 234
2016 IRI Planning Committee
2016 IndyRAGE Planning Committee
2010 - Woodie Flowers Award - Championship

Last edited by Chris Fultz : 24-03-2010 at 11:39.
Reply With Quote
 


Thread Tools
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Championship Event - Where the "Random" Match Sorting Really "Shines" Travis Hoffman Championship Event 57 19-04-2007 08:06
New NEMO White Papers! "Creating a Killer Packet" and "25 Ways to Sponsor" Jessica Boucher Team Organization 0 10-08-2005 10:55
"Thunderbirds" Vs. "Team America" Which one will rule the box office? Elgin Clock Chit-Chat 3 07-09-2004 19:53
Conflict between "Initialize_Tracker()" and "pwm13 & pwm15"? Kevin? gnormhurst Programming 3 22-02-2004 02:55
how tall is the ramp when in "up" and "balanced" position??? archiver 2001 1 24-06-2002 00:54


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 23:51.

The Chief Delphi Forums are sponsored by Innovation First International, Inc.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2017, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright © Chief Delphi