So as a rookie team, we are quite new to the competition environment. We have managed with the mechanical, electrical and programming side of this all fairly well but are unsure about the competition itself. Our team was informed that we should have our members well versed on background of the organization as well as the game itself.
My question to you all is- What are some invaluable pieces of knowledge that every team should know and be prepared to answer for the First Robotics Competition?
Thanks in advance!
If you dont have safety glasses you wont get anywhere. Have them on all times, even if you dont “need” them at that moment (Say, eating lunch in the stands) in case you do.
Not really something to know for the judges but its pretty invaluable to help out other teams too.
+1. You need them, especially when you go for load-in, make sure you have your glasses for everyone going to setup pit (5 members allowed).
Have someone to manage battery charging, you need fully charged battery especially during eliminations. Keep CAW handy and driver station laptop on, for inspection.
I will be at your event–I might be hard (or easy) to find, though. If you recognize me, feel free to say hi. (That goes to, and for, anybody and everybody from CD.) And yes, I have some stories from long ago…
Invaluable piece of knowledge: It’s not WHAT you know. It’s WHO you know, and who knows YOU. (Secondary: How they know you–whether you’re known for Gracious Professionalism or “it’s that one team that X” can make a lot of difference.)
Important people to know at your event: too many to list. But seeing which event… start with Velma and/or Ty. Those of you in the Ventura area know why I say that. (You should also chat with the Lead Robot Inspector about robot-related stuff, the Head Ref via the question box about game-related stuff, and other volunteers as needed for stuff like “where’s the line to practice between our practice matches?”.)
Right, almost forgot:
You’re a rookie team. As soon as you get your gear into the pits, look at the team to your left, and the team to your right. If I read the team list correctly, you’ll probably be right next to one of the best teams to be next to in SoCal. Rookies tend to end up between veteran teams around here–those veteran teams can be a real help if you need anything.
Perhaps equally important as safety is practicing gracious professionalism or GP for short. When being GB, you are supportive of all your competitors. It’s called co-opertition where the people who go against you may be your alliance partner for next match. Also be happy for those who are doing good and offer help for those who are not. If you are doing good, GREAT! If not, remember, that the real challenge of FIRST is building a robot. Doing good is just icing on the cake. Everyone is super friendly and really GP (shows lots of GP) toward everyone. Honestly I hope you and your team become inspired like how I did our teams rookie year. Best of luck!!! HAVE FUN!!!
Always have safety glasses, always.
No food in pits - ever.
No Wi-Fi at events. ever.
Try to have fun! I mean, it’s a competition for sure, but it’s call the “year’s game” for a reason.
Get through the inspection process as early as possible and try to get to your practice matches. They’ll make a big difference.
Which means: do NOT set up your own wifi/hotspot.
But prepared to have a boat-load of fun. FRC events are like comic-con meets NASCAR. The competition is one part competition, one part celebration. I envy the rookie teams walking around with the glossy look in their eyes…
Hi,
Judges will be around in waves. They will ask several questions regarding the many areas of FIRST. For instance, you might have a pair of judges asking you about the control systems of your robot, you use software to help you complete game tasks. Other questions will be geared towards your robot’s mechanical design, and your organizations impact on community.
So be prepared to answer both technical and non technical questions.
It’s also important to answer safety questions, so make sure your safety captain is in the pit all (most) of the time.
Remember the help desk/spare parts desk are very helpful tools. If you ever need anything going around to ask other teams is great way to make friends and receive help.
Good luck,
Mo
I haven’t updated this in a while, but here’s a list of questions that I’ve kept track of that judges have asked previous years’ students.
A newer team won’t know some of these, and that’s perfectly fine. Judges know that the rookies are new to all this, and that some teams are just trying to survive through the first few years of chaos.
That said, some of these are just really great for your students to think about in general anyway.
Remember: judges are just interested in what STUDENTS have to say. Encourage your students to talk as much.
Scouting is an important part of the game itself, on the first and second day of all competitions my team sends people around to go talk to other teams and right down what they can do, after that we send people to go watch the games and verify that they can do what they claim. we use scouting to figure out what auton we want to use and if we make it to playoffs we use it to figure out what a good choice for alliances would be.
But when you are out in the pits talking to other teams be friendly, have fun with them, and invite them to come to your pits and talk to your team about your bot. Good luck in your rookie year and have some fun
Some of the awards determined at the event, without a prior submission, are:
Creativity Award Sponsored by Xerox
Celebrates creativity in design, use of component, or strategy of play.
Engineering Inspiration Award
Celebrates outstanding success in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering within a team’s school and community.
Entrepreneurship Award sponsored by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
Celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit by recognizing a team that has developed the framework for a comprehensive business plan to scope, manage, and achieve team objectives.
Excellence in Engineering Award sponsored by Delphi
Celebrates an elegant and advantageous machine feature.
Gracious Professionalism® Award Sponsored by Johnson & Johnson
Celebrates outstanding demonstration of FIRST Core Values such as continuous Gracious Professionalism® working together both on and off the playing field.
Industrial Design Award Sponsored by General Motors
Celebrates form and function in an efficiently designed machine that effectively addresses the game challenge.
Industrial Safety Award Sponsored by Underwriters Laboratories
Celebrates the team that progresses beyond safety fundamentals by using innovative ways to eliminate or protect against hazards.
Innovation in Control Award Sponsored by Rockwell Automation
Celebrates an innovative control system or application of control components – electrical, mechanical, or software – to provide unique machine functions.
Judges’ Award
During the course of the competition, the judging panel may decide a team’s unique efforts, performance, or dynamics merit recognition.
Quality Award Sponsored by Motorola Solutions Foundation
Celebrates machine robustness in concept and fabrication.
Rookie All-Star Award
Celebrates the rookie team exemplifying a young but strong partnership effort, as well as implementing the mission of FIRST to inspire students to learn more about science and technology.
Rookie Inspiration Award Sponsored by National Instruments
Celebrates a rookie team’s outstanding success in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering and engineers, both within their school, as well as in their community.
Team Spirit Award sponsored by FCA Foundation
Celebrates extraordinary enthusiasm and spirit through exceptional partnership and teamwork furthering the objectives of FIRST.
A list of awards is at:
^^^^ This ^^^^
An Alliance Captain picks based upon the best available robot that meets their strategy need, and one that they can work with. The Alliance is not just the best robots, but the best robots that can work together. Sometimes friends pick friends.
If a team knows nothing about you, they may be reluctant to pick you, even if you have a good robot. As the Qualification Rounds progress, it is helpful to have your drive team make an effort to be friendly with the top ranked teams. Even if they don’t pick you this year, they might more easily remember you next year.