RAMTECH will be available if any teams need help in Florida Regional! Just for a loud group with blue and yellow uniforms or pass by our pit and our pit crew would be glad to help!
i think this letter needs to become a sticky as it is really a great letter for all members to look back on time and time again.
and yes i am aware that this is a really old old old post but this post is totally worth re reading for all teams
i’m so glad you re-opened this post. my team has been working for the past two days straight, and tempers were flaring from the stress. i sat them all down and read them this post, and i could see some of the members fighting back tears. i know my eyes started tearing up.
as a rookie team in a tough situation (broken parts, unfinished bot), this post made our whole 6 weeks worthwile. thank you for showing us this post.
good luck to all the teams and i hope you can make the deadline!
Rachel -
Broken parts, unfinished robots are something all of the teams have contended with at one time or another - usually at an inconvenient time. When things get difficult, it is good that you can turn to the wisdom in Gary’s post and it is also good to remember that you guys aren’t alone. There’s a whole lot of FIRST teams hanging in there with you. And some of us have broken parts and an unfinished robot…
We’ll deal with it. Don’t forget to get some rest soon.
Jane
I myself am on a rookie team, I think we did a good job with our robot and the challenges we faced. I can not wait until competition to see what other teams came up with and some ideas possibly for next year. What I like is there is no ONE right answer, so all the robots will be really different.:rolleyes:
Also for all of the rookies out there (including us) dont worry if you didnt get that ramp on there or that arm or that emp system hidden in your plywood frame:yikes: . If you have a robot that is in compliance with the rules and runs you did better than a lot of the rookies out there. we for example wanted a fully functional ramp bot that could hold 2 robots and be made out of diamond plate aluminum. what we ended up with was a plywood box that was barely in compliance with the rules (we are still working with the compliancosity).
During the two weeks between the ship date and the competetion is when you should be working on your logo and tshirts. and during the summer is when you should be fully utilizing the kop you paid 6000 bucks for and making a kick $@#$@#$@# robot that you can show to companies to get their sponsorship.
And sell all other expensive kop parts on ebay and say they are brand new because they are.
And next year advertise so you get more people to join your team. and then petition your school board for a workshop or team up with your school teams that need a workshop and start a petition for a workshop.
This was only your first year and i am sure that most of the rookies are in the same boat as you.
And the rookie teams that accomplished what they planned on doing from the beginning and got it done without a workshop and on the weekends at peoples houses with limited tools and experience, I truly applaud you for sticking to your goals and not giving up because you didn’t want to take the chance to fail.
also go win at regionals with your “plywood shoebox” just to stick it to the more experinced teams:p
p.s. yes i did say compliancosity…
Thanks for the encouragment. Our team has had a wonderful experience these last six weeks. Suprisingly, we’ve had more ups than downs. Our students are extremely excited and ready to compete, despite some of our shortcomings on the robot end.
I’d like to thank the teams that have given us tips and encouragement throughout the build season. It is nice to see the gracious professionalism in action among so many teams.
now i am glad i did rebump this to the tops
The original poster is spot on. I will print this out and read it to my team every year after we ship. Great post. I can’t say enough about it. It’s what FIRST is all about.
Looks like we missed last year :ahh:
I really feel that this thread applies not just to rookies, but to vets as well. Seeing robots like 148, 254 and 100 (and others) have posted here can turn pride into envy pretty quickly. The matches have not yet been played, the game is not yet over. These robots have proven themselves “great” through some videos of stationary trailers. You still have plenty of time to prove your robot and your team are great both on and off the field, this year and in the years to come.
Whether you’re the swerve driving, fan assisted, power dumping, 30 balls per second machine or the “Brave Little Toaster” running for your life, you will be a critical piece of every alliance you play on this year. This game is truly a team game and will require every robot on an alliance to be giving their all in order to achieve victory.
Remember we’re pulling for you, we’re all in this together.
Another warm welcome to rookies. You are just about to discover that everything good you’ve heard about is TRUE. I’m in this 'cause it’s the most fun and exciting activity that I’ve encountered in high school in almost 20 years of teaching. AND the people I’ve met personally all really do follow the FIRST directive about gracious professionalism. I tell parents and students alike who have questions about getting involved to think carefully, that they are entering a second family. I feel personal comittment to all of my FIRST students and their mentors and advisors. I expect to be called upon if they need me, and I expect their support if I need them. It is, for me, professional (I’m a teacher!) and totally emotional. I LOVE the kids involved, the other teachers and mentors involved, and usually shed a tear or two over the robots. Good luck, ask for help if you need it (like everyone has told you) and HAVE FUN!!!
we just shipped, fully funcutioning:D
cant wait for the regional
our rookie team 2797, shipped too:D
Congratulations to you guys!
One thing I love about ship day is how everybody, from the rookie to the ten-plus-year veteran, can feel accomplishment and pride in what they’ve spent the last six weeks pouring their hard work, time, blood, sweat, and tears into.
Also, I enjoy restoring a normal sleep cycle. But not as much as the first thing.
One of my very favorite parts of FRC is seeing the tired but beaming smiles on the faces of the students and the mentors of a rookie team at the end of build season. In some small way (or perhaps large way), they have been transformed and have begun the process of building a team. It never gets old.
Time to bring up another post I have bookmarked from my adventures through the spotlights.
Congratulations to all the rookies for making it through your first FRC build season!!
i know its been tough for rookies this season. this may include a lack of funding, manpower, or skill. but this is not the end. you will have the time of your life at your first frc competition, whether you win or lose. not only is this a competition, but a culture. each regional is like a party for our own little culture 
Kinda funny - when I originally wrote that post I was with SPAM; I’ve mentored 2 rookie teams since then and it certainly applied to us looking from the other side
Digging the Possum Lodge reference. GO GO RED GREEN!
[/offtopic]
[ontopic] That was a heck of a read. I never saw this thread before it got bumped this last time. Anyone who goes to the Michigan Championships, if they’re still at the Convocation Center at EMU, I’ll probably be there. Look for me in my vintage Team 240 TEMPEST Robotics shirt, or my Button Mail Armor.[/ontopic]
P.S.: I still need to finish that ****ed thing. If you have buttons, I’ll take one of each variant. Also, Am I the only one with all 5 Gearheads buttons?