Not to Be a Total Stick in the Mud

[AllenGregoryIV]

Originally Posted by DampRobot

In response to "why are there so many kids in the pits" question, I can say from personal experience that the pits are the best place to be at competition. They are the place to be if you want to help fix the robot, learn more about the team, and generally benefit from the competition experience.

But I don't need to tell commenters about that. If you are a part of FRC, you understand that. What I would like to remind posters about is how demeaning being thrown out of the pits is.

You have worked for six weeks, putting your team above friends, social engagements and sometimes even school to build the robot that now lies broken before you. Now, an older and supposedly wiser member of the team yells at you to leave. Your commitment doesn't matter, or the fact that you could actually help. Only the fact that you are a Freshman and look like you getting in the way.

I know that there are safety issues, and that order in the pits must be maintained. I hope you realize that just because you are an indispensable member of the pit crew does not mean that everyone else should just go away.

This is very true which is why I don't demand that any team member never be in the pit it's just that they shouldn't stay there for very long. Competition is far more than just working on the robot and in fact I hope my students know that they can work on the robot all they want when we are home in the shop but they get limited chances to meet other like minded people and to watch the robots actually compete. They also have many other ways that they can contribute to the team, and learn about engineering besides for working on our robot.

[JaneYoung]

You can actually work with your team in visiting the pits.

- Go in very small groups, taking turns with time limits. Then return to the stands or the meeting place. There are jobs like Scouting and Spirit that need attention. There are also jobs like helping with lunches and team errands.
- Have 2 people in charge of distributing giveaways go through the pits. That job can be swapped off with 2 more people, and so on.
- Tell the parents and guests of the team not to crowd around the pit and block the path of the robots, the Ambassadors, the Judges, and the FIRST folks.
- Each team can lend a hand with keeping the pits friendly, fun, and manageable by having a team plan and implementing it. No team needs to set up a party shop in the pits.

Jane

[Siri]

Originally Posted by DampRobot

In response to "why are there so many kids in the pits" question, I can say from personal experience that the pits are the best place to be at competition. They are the place to be if you want to help fix the robot, learn more about the team, and generally benefit from the competition experience.

I understand the allure of working in your team's pit. But I try to impress on all my students that we're here for and as a team, and we each have our own jobs. No matter how much you enjoy it or how much you've put in, hanging around the pit talking slows work on our robot down, impedes neighboring teams, and restricts traffic for everyone. It's also a drastically inappropriate use of your time if you're not the best person(s) for that job.

We're happy to rotate people, call students from the stands, and have observers if they're not impeding teams and/or volunteers. In the mean time, there's other work to be done. Before I spent so much time in our pit, I earned my place by visiting other teams, introducing ourselves, helping them and looking for solutions to our problems. Even now as the adult manager, I spend a lot of time with my alliance partners, scouters, and other teams. There's plenty of competition experience to be had everywhere.

With no offense towards anyone in particular, I have little patience for any attitude of "I deserve to be here" because I earned it or even because I know best. Part of inspiring students to STEM and other professional careers is teaching them to work on a team and appreciate the value of every position on it. Understand that if we're asking you to leave it's because you're impeding the performance or ourselves or others and because your time, for the current moment, could be better spend elsewhere.

[pathew100]

Originally Posted by Koko Ed

4. Why oh why do people insist on running through the pits? You may need your robot fixed but if you flatten and hurt someone I would certainly hope they would take priority over robot since your carelessness. It's too crowded in the pits to be running don't do it!

This has been a problem at every event I've been to. And worse at Championship considering the distances people need to travel.

I would hope that this is something that the green shirts could address. But it seems like their attention is focused on what is going on inside individual pits more than what's going on around them.

Maybe events could post big signs at the pit entrances with some basic "Shop Safety" rules on them. At least it might get people to think about the right mindset that they need while in the pits.

[pyroslev]

Originally Posted by Koko Ed

1. ...cheerleaders...
2. Please don't play on the ramp at the end of the event.
3. people insist on going down into the field area where they don't belong.
4. running through the pits?
5. carry their robots to the field.

Shortened for simplicity.

Coming from a vet like you KoKo, I completely agree. The goal of creating a competition based around science, learning and technology rivaling a sporting event brings with it some of the normal dramas and creates its own.

2 & 3 are the same old thing you get at any event. Falls on volunteers to be diligent but given the sheer masses sometimes, you're bailing water out of the titanic with a thimble. #4 is one of those things it's everyone's job to use common sense. #5 is one I still shake my head at. Even FTC level teams use carts and you can carry those bots one handed. As for #1, I guess that one is a failure of people to read event site rules.

I'll add to the list though voo voo zella horns and over the top horns. Those things I'll happily stick in the mud.

[DonRotolo]

Originally Posted by littlejimmy1058

I think yelling Robot coming through is fine. If someone doesn't hear you, tap their shoulder. Disagreements?

Yes, vehemently. There is never a need to yell anything.

Originally Posted by jeleser

On the subject of yelling "Robot," I tried to only let myself say "'Scuse me," with enough volume to be heard but not yelling at people.

That's more like it.

Originally Posted by Brandon Holley

Our team hasn't yelled robot in the 7 years I have been on it, and we don't need to.

Teams should learn from this.

Originally Posted by Alan Anderson

Vanguard.

Seconded. Do we get to vote on it now?

[Koko Ed]

One thing I admit to is I screwed up on the queing design at the entrance and exit and caused quite a stir making people have to walk all the way around the field(it would have worked the same on the exit side but that wasn't as far a walk). Jess pointed out I could have made an alley at the entrance that would have eased that problem and then people wouldn't be compelled to dart underneath the bleachers to get food.
My apologies for the inconvenience it caused.

[Tylernol]

Every year we bring gray vests to our pit. If we see a team member standing around in the pit without doing anything, we put a vest on them and send them around to help other teams. It keeps our pit from getting crowded because our rookies learn really fast not to stand around doing nothing . And having people going around trying to help all time isn't too bad either.

[Koko Ed]

Another thing I would like to point out at events. When you have a question to ask about a certain point of the event you should make sure to ask the right personnel the question so you can get the proper answer that you seek.
All game rule related questions should be asked of the referee (particularly the head referee).
Any technical questions you have about the robot should be brought to the FTA's attention.
Safety Issues should be brought to the attention of the Safety Advisors who are dressed in dark green shirts.
Pit issues should be brought to the Pit Adman table that is usually located in the center of the curtain on the opposite side from the playing field.
Any Inspection questions should be taken to the Inspectors (they have the bright yellow baseball caps)
Any controls questions should be brought to the attention of the Controls System Advisor (the CSA will have a bright orange baseball cap).
Just because someone is wearing a volunteer shirt does not mean that they will have the answers that you seek and worse yet they could end up giving you the wrong answer which could cause you and your team valuable lost time and headaches that you do not need.