Kickoff Traditions

[sanddrag]

We meet at school at 6:30 AM and watch the broadcast. Then we print and read the manual ALL the way through. Then we make little fields on tables and have mock matches to determine all the scoring scenarios. Then I get back to school with the KOP. Then everyone stares anxiosly at the plastic crates while gobbling down their food because we are not allowed to open in until after lunch. Then we open it and I do a presentation of all the parts explaining to all the members what they are and so forth. The parts get passed around and then put away on shelves. Then everyone formulates some ideas about what kind of robot would be good to play the game and about what we can do with the kit parts. Then we break into four design groups and leave at 5 PM.

Sunday we meet at school at 1PM and get right to work in our design groups. Each of the four groups stay mostly separate. We make cardboard mockups and other simple prototypes. Leave at 5PM

For the next 3 days the four design groups work furiously 3Pm-9Pm each day to build inventor models and mockups to present their designs to the rest of the team. On Thursday they can finish up from 3PM until 6PM and then the presentations begin. Each group will get about 15 minutes to present their design in any manner they feel it appropriate as long as everyone can see it. When that is done, the members who were on the team last year all gather round to decide which of the four designs we should go with, or if we should combine components of some or all of the designs into one different design.
We stay as late as necessary to decide on a design.

Then the team breaks up into subsystems (drivetrain, chassis, electrical/programming/ arm, etc.) and goes to work on their own part. The chassis group is also responsible for integration and interference avoidance.

By the end of the second sunday we have a good amountof precision layouts, dimensions, and weight calculations for the final design.

I know that was a bit more than this thread asked for but I am "FIRST Frenzied" tonight.

[downhillpat241]

We watch the webcast on a projector screen...nice, clear and big... have breakfast b4 the webcast and order out for pizza around noon...

I get there at 9 tomorrow morning to setup the parts inventory system, get loaded on 3 cans o' coke, and go to work getting ready...then I wait for the KOP to come...and then my fun begins...we have had problems with stuff disappearing, stolen and other stuff...only to make us really crunch the deadline...that will NOT happen this year...my brass knuckles rule the pahts depahtment!!! I run it efficient, secure and when I deem necessary fun (pahty time!!)

Then I have to go unpack the Inventor kit from storage...and we pretty much make a party out of it...

The bad part is, It's gonna snow tomorrow and I want to go take out my sleds and take out some snowbanks... (sleds are snowmobiles for all those who don't know) 500cc's calling my name and playing my song....