101 Things I Wish I'd Known Before My First FIRST Tournament

FIRST General Forum
1

I want to write the document referenced in the title of this thread. I don’t think I have 101 of my own ideas, so I’ll start and let any interested parts of the hivemind chime in.

  1. Be aggressive in your onsite marketing. If no one knows who you are, you’d better have a robot so much better than everyone else’s that it just doesn’t matter.

  2. Specialize. Despite what Robert Heinlein said about insects, you can’t run a team where everyone is responsible for everything.

  3. Check the robot before every match. Use checklists. If it’s good enough for NASA, it’s good enough for FIRST.

  4. Wear comfortable shoes.

  5. Bring lots of water. No one wants to pay $4 for 16 ounces of water.

  6. If you want to do well at the tournament, pick your drivers ahead of time. The qualification rounds are no time to test new drivers.

  7. Adults should keep their hands in their pockets when work needs to be done.

  8. Get out of your pits and meet other teams. Otherwise, you might as well watch a Webcast.

  9. Wear distinctive shirts.

  10. Get more sleep.

  11. Be enthusiastic. Yell, cheer, chant, dance. Act foolish.

  12. Make sure your robot has the correct code loaded.

That should be a good start. Only 89 to go. :]

2

I’ll speak from recent experience on this one…

Don’t EVER lose hope. Even if you’re dead last after quailfying, there is still a chance to make it to the finals. Keep working to make you’re robot the best it can be.

(This one is courtesy of Ryan Dognaux) Scout teams, not matches. Sometimes very good teams run into very bad luck.

Meet other people from other teams - they have a lot to teach and a lot to learn.

HAVE FUN! These competitions are supposed to be a blast - don’t lose sight of just how fun science, technology and engineering can be. And always look at the big picture.

3

network. FIRST is more than just a robotics competition. use it to find out what you like and try to meet people you can get in touch with when you leave high-school, for job oportunities.

4

*Always scout your competition and alliances.
*Always have enough people in the pits to fix your robot at any given time, but don’t keep the pits crowded with unnecessary people.
*Keep up on FIRST’s schedule of events.

5

counting up the other posts, thatll make this number 21…

  1. Don’t be afraid to have fun because its not “cool”. Honestly, no one at a FIRST competition is gonna judge you. No one cares. Chances are, there are least 20 people dorkier than you.
6

  1. Yes, kids really do cry when their robot loses. Pretty soon, you will too.

  2. When something goes wrong with the robot, it’s always the programmer’s fault. :wink:

Dave

7
  1. Start the animation on kickoff day, not 10 PM the night before the deadline.
8

Don’t panic if something stops working.

If you need help, ask for it! Other teams are more than willing to help out, and chances are, one of them will know what’s wrong.

9

27- Never forget your multitool in the hotel.

28- Never forget your safety glasses.

29- Don’t forget your robot cart.

30- Don’t forget 27 through 29.

-Andy A.

10

  1. A Minute on the field waiting is as long as a microsoft minute (read as eternity).

  2. A Minute during the match goes bye like a flash.

11
  1. make sure someone has a key to the big toolbox, or disable the lock before you leave. Trying to borrow a hacksaw at 8am thursday is embarrasing
12
  1. ALWAYS bring a spare cordless drill battery to uncrating, becuase your’s will die. (We had to remove many screws with a screwdriver :frowning: )
13

35 Make sure your PWM cables are going in the right direction

  1. Learn what every flashing light in the control system means
14

  1. make sure you have the spare battery plugged in and zip tie the battery connection (helps a lot when battery don’t come undone during the a match)

  2. make sure there are batteries on charge for the robot

15

39- Keep your pit ORGANIZED. It is MUCH easier to get repairs done on a tight schedule if you dont have to spend ten minutes looking for a tool.

40- Make sure everyone knows about the robot. Being able to have any team member speak eloquently to the judges is a huge plus!

41- Do not get more complicated than is nessecary. “Keep it simple, Keep it safe.”

42- If something goes wrong with your robot, dont stress out too much. There will ALWAYS be someone willing to help, and someone with a worse issue.

43- Check all systems before every match. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE TIGHT CONNECTIONS AND THE SERIAL CABLES ARE FULLY SCREWED IN.

44- Most problems are electrical or in the program. If something goes wrong, check these first.

45- Buy non-standard joysticks, the ones in the KoP suck.

46- Eat. Take lunch breaks, and one or two other ones. Otherwise the stress will kill you.

oh, and last but not least…

47- Sleep before the competition, because for three days you wont get much if any.

I just got back from my first FIRST regional, and this woulda been useful!

16

How addicting it becomes

17

  1. have your pit crew assigned before ship and give them practice on the robot

  2. give your drivers a lot of practice, if there is space on the field and you have time use the field

  3. color coordinate your tools for easy access in the pits, say i need a 10/24 screw, wheres it o, it’s blue…

52.have a big banner to put up in the stand area

  1. have a neatly organized pit area, very team/spectator friendly

  2. HAVE A CLOCK! it helps a lot and make sure it’s the right time

  3. safety FIRST

and i can think of more but I’ll leave some room for others

18
  1. Never be afraid to ask for a spare part even if your sure no one will have it.
19

you havent seen the warning label?

WARNING! FIRST IS HIGHLY ADDICTIVE - MAY CAUSE: SLEEPLESSNESS, LARINGYTIS, UNCONTROLLABLE CHEERING, YELLING, CLAPPING, STOMPING, TENDENCY TO TALK TO ALLEN WRENCHES, COMPULSION TO BE IN ATLANTA IN APRIL, REVULSION FOR PIZZA, INCLINATION TO CALL PEOPLE ‘HUMAN PLAYER’, OBSESSION WITH #S 5 26 120 130, INTENSE LOVE/HATE FEELINGS TOWARDS ROBOTS, IRREVERSABLE POSTIVE ATTITUDE, STRONG FONDNESS FOR WOODY FLOWERS, STRANGE DESIRE TO BALANCE THINGS ON 2 WHEELS, TENDENCY TO LEAN TOWARDS MIT, INEXPLICABLE ADMIRATION FOR SOMEONE CALLED DEAN KAMEN, CAUTION! MAY CAUSE STUDENTS TO SUDDENLY EXCEL UNEXPECTEDLY AND WITHOUT WARNING. SIDE EFFECTS ARE PERMANENT - THERE IS NO CURE OR TREATMENT FOR ADDICTION TO FIRST.

20
  1. Remember to eat and drink, FIRST is very intensive and food is not often your number one priority during the day. :ahh: