how do those of you that have one keep girl friend* during the build season?
gf?
hmm… my robot is my gf:D
She’d better be very understanding and patient.
well, sacrifices must be made… and of course, that one time you promise to go to her house, she might just have to come down to the machine shop for that romantic dinner…
or just say “hey, i need some time away, call me in 6 weeks”
I got her involved too. 
Wetzel
A friend of mine once told me some great advice in having and keeping a girfriend (or even a boyfriend for all you girls in FIRST) while build season is upon us.
A) If you date on the same FIRST team make sure you are not on the same sub team. ie: Drivers should not date drivers, and what not. Tension on the field can lead to tension off the field. (Not a good thing!)
B) If you date a member on another FIRST team keep the relationship between the two of you on a different level than the relationship between your teams (if one exists). ie: No picking your gf or bf’s team in the finals just to get some brownie points with them. Compete in the competition to have fun and to maybe win, but if that means picking another team over your gf or bf’s team then so be it. No hard feelings should be held on either side.
C) If dating outside of FIRST, make sure they understand your commitment level in the program. ie: You have no life for 6 weeks basically, and the only Valentine you are giving out this year is yet another gift (part) to your robot. 
(Just kidding on that Valentine’s comment folks. Don’t forget and/or ignore the signifigant other. It’s a very bad thing!!!)
C2) If dating outside of FIRST and they are also in a program (sports, extracurricular, etc…) or were at one time, then they should realize how important the program and the team is to you. Choices should not have to be made between the two, but a middle ground of time spent with each can be achieved. It just takes some nice schedule shifting at times.
For all those who see the 6 weeks as a time to become a hermit to the “outside of FIRST world”, never fear. The weekends can offer some hope and hey… you have all day at school to socialize as well.
Good luck to all with the build season, and also the socializing scene.
The skills you learn in FIRST can and will equate to your socializing skills.
Dont forget, you may not know what a 1/4-20 screw is or what it even looks like, but at least learn how to socialize when in FIRST.
That is one of the skills you will need your whole life to be successful.
If I may add a couple of suggestions to Elgin’s excellent advise:
D. Whether or not your significant other understands FIRST, your relationship will wither if you don’t find a way to connect regularly. Let them know you’re thinking of them every day - text, call, or touch - and get a card, flowers or trinket for them regularly.
E. Set a Date Night and don’t miss it. You’ll probably be a more productive member of your team if you get away from it once a week anyway!
I got married on January 5th, at 6:00 pm, had a nice little reception at our house, and then was at school to shepherd my minions… er… students to kickoff at 7:15am the next morning! :yikes:
That’s how you keep your significant other during the build season!
In this case, put ‘LOTS of’ in front of Pete’s - cards, flowers, trinkets - advice.
And, to add, don’t be grumpy. No one is allowed to be grumpy during build. Did you know that? 
She has track practice the same time I have shop, so…
Same here.
Make sure never to bail out on times you do plan with them outside of your team; this is especially important when your significant other has their birthday right in the middle of build season!
Yep, get 'em involved… this works for the mentors too… it’s what Eric did with me, and now I spend more time doing robotics stuff than he does…
And if FIRST isn’t right for the person you are dating you’ll have to find balance between the two, something you can both be happy with. It’s easy to say if she really likes/loves you she’ll be glad you found something that you enjoy to the point of deliriousness, but emotions are funny things and it’s easy to get hurt/jealous when your boyfriend/girlfriend spends more time with a mess of motors and metal than with you. Like it’s already been said, find a way to let her know you’re thinking about her, build season, that crazy time demanding aspect of FIRST only lasts 6 weeks, a relationship that’s strong should easily be able to weather that, if not, maybe it just wasn’t meant to be.
Heidi
never having been spoken for during the build season, i can’t claim to know too much about making it work. i would, however, suggest forgoing sleep for the six weeks, and using that extra 6-8 hours a day to get your homework done and make some kind of contact with your siginificant other. be sure to change the shock pads each day, though, because as the season wears on they’ll dry out from jolting you awake more and more frequently.
Well,
To solve the possibilities of this problem, follow a simple method to retain that significant other:
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DON’T FORGET HER/HIM!! Worst possible thing you can do, for if you keep a good contact going with them, you will both be happier.
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Take a night off a week. This goes two fold, firstly it keeps them knowing you are still there and secondly, it gets you out of the pit and into the real world.
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Eliminate other distractions. During the off season, you may play video games, go to the movies every night or some other activity. Remove it from your schedule if at all possible. For me, it was my lame job selling chicken.
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Try and bring them into the shop one night. They will either see how great FIRST is and join up or they will notice how much you work and give you a new found respect. Win win.
Remember, FIRST is a great opportunity that will get you ahead in the long run but don’t forget about the short run either.
I seriously think that dating within the team is already a bad idea. A really bad idea. What if something happens? A break up or something. Then it will be awkward until one of you leaves the team. Also, it looks really crappy when we have team members cuddling in the stands and giving us uneeded PDA.
now, if i date a girl on a different team, like say, 1547 for example, can i cuddle in the stands with her? and what about those PDA’s, when is too much? surely a calm little peck on the cheek is fine…
It’s not up to me what you do 
I’ve had a few unhappy experiences in the past when team members would rather spend their time making out with their partners than help the team out by scouting.
I don’t mind partners being next to eachother or anything. The best would be to not have any idea in my mind that those two people are dating.
Everyone’s suggesting all of these fancy plans but all I do for the FIRST season season is let her know I still love and care for her. In some cases (I know it’s hard) you just need you sit down with her and tell her that you love her. Tell her about the FIRST season. Ask her if she wants to join. If she doesn’t then just make sure to get the message across to her that you’ll just be busy, you haven’t forgotten about her. Make your efforts to come out of robotics to see her known. And for heaven sake DO NOT LET HER SEE THIS THREAD. If she’s the right girl for you, she’ll understand. It’s only 6 weeks out of 52, how bad can it be?
Agreed. Dating inside a team is a recipe for disaster. ESPECIALLY during the season.