After discussing with some of the people on my team, we found that our health was extremely poor during our competitions. Sleep deprivation due to discussing thermodynamics and quantum physics until 2 o’clock in the morning. Our team woke up at 5 and went to bed between 12 and 2 in the morning. We ate at a pizza place for our two nights there. Lack of water was a major problem in our pit area. I suffered from continual nose bleeds due to dehydration. It would then dry and make my nose stuffy. I lost about 5-10 lbs but I was exercising in the hotel gym. I was just curious what other people’s health patterns were like during a regional?
There is definitly much sleep deprivation on my team during a regional. Oh well, that’s what the trip is all about, IMO 
And then, there’s the question of your health during the MATCHES… by the end of the weekend, my throat hurts sooo badly.
Although I can’t speak for our entire team, no one in my room suffered any type of health related issues. We usually went to bed between 12 and 3 am and woke at 6 to 6:30. We ate relatively well, Mc Donalds in the Morning, cook-out or venue food for lunch, and nice restaurant for dinner. We did, however average about 12 cups of water a day. At the hotel we would simply fill the coffee pot up with water and use it as a communitee cup, filling when needed. I would suggest drinking more water, not only will u not get dehydrated but it also detoxifies your body.
yea, between the sleep deprivation and the extreme dehydration, I was feelin pretty lousy by saturday.
I know that I suffered from dehydration during our regional, simply because I didn’t drink enough water. I had packed several bottles for the pits, but I just didn’t ever think nor did I take the time to pull one out and drink from it. I’d say that over two days, I drank a bottle and a half of water.
However, being able to go home since the competition was down the street (it’s actually closer to my house than it is the school) helped a lot. Eating home-cooked meals and getting to sleep in your bed was definitely a plus. I’m not sure that I’m getting the entire experience this way, but I really don’t need any less sleep than I’m getting currently. Six hours a night is low enough for me.
We also did some starving ourselves. I’d eat a light breakfast; usually I wouldn’t even finish that. Lunch would actually get delayed by a couple of hours from the planned lunch hour. Dinner was eaten at about eleven or midnight, but at home.
Speaking of sleep…
We would go to sleep anywhere between 1 am and 2:30 am ad wake up between 6:30 and 7:00 am. Our teacher got kind of angry that we all didn’t get very much sleep. But how can you when there’s the competition to think about?
After we got back everyone was so tired that like 2/3 of the team got sick. Oh, well.
One night we got the hotel to let us use the conference room to watch Friday’s matches and discuss strategy for saturday. We were up till 12:30 doing this. We had a very meaningful strategy meeting and apparently it worked (seeding third and making it to second round of semifinals) and we got to hook up the dreamcast for a little bit too.
See we’ve got this real cool guy (Avo) on our team and he is a real smooth talker. The hotel was going to charge us $240 for the conference room but he got it for us for free.
Unfortunately that night after the meeting our bathroom flooded so we were up very late waiting for some service and were very tired the next day.
After the trip everyone was just so tired that like 2/3 of the team got sick. Oh, well.
Sorry I got a little off topic but it’s all in the spirit.
All the above was the Phoenix regional. At LA last year it was so load in the place that I completely lost my voice by the end of Thursday (and I didn’t even do any cheering).
I had some problems with backaches and overall soreness, which probably is a result of sleeping on the hotel floor for 3 nights. Human players deserve better treatment!
I rarely eat. When I do, it’s a mass stuffing of hot dogs and junk food as quickly as possible to get back to the competition. i rarely sleep or walk during the days etiher.
It takes a few days for me to recover from these things.
As for my throat, I’m pretty sure I become mute for at least 3 days after these competitions.
After being in plays and musicals and losing sleep over theirs, competition isnt too big of a deal, maybe b/c i went to bed at like 11… that coulda been a small factor, i like my sleep. but yeah, i was feeling fine, until we lost, then i wasnt feeling so fine, no relation to my health
*Originally posted by Replic *
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As for my throat, I’m pretty sure I become mute for at least 3 days after these competitions. **
Replic: is that so bad?
*Originally posted by Dirty Harry *
**I had some problems with backaches and overall soreness, which probably is a result of sleeping on the hotel floor for 3 nights. Human players deserve better treatment! **
I know I had sleep on the floor too, Harry and I was the pit coordinator. I wanted a bed but then another person would have had to sleep on the floor. Not something I like to see happen.
I am always a wreck. Not only do I not get any sleep, I usually get somewhat dehydrated. The heavily sanctioned pit area rules on beverages, the high cost at the venues and the continual work on the robot do not allow for great hydration at an event. However, I forget about all of those things and have a great time!!!
*Originally posted by Dirty Harry *
**I had some problems with backaches and overall soreness, which probably is a result of sleeping on the hotel floor for 3 nights. Human players deserve better treatment! **
Sounds like you need to get over yourself and learn to share a bed. <grin>
Yeah, at cross country meets, I declare to my roommates that I’m sleeping in a bed, no matter what. Usually, one of them just either concedes and splits a bed, or they have to flip for it or something.
However, when sharing beds, make sure EACH PERSON HAS THEIR OWN SET OF COVERS. I’ve had a horrible horrible experience whereby the other kid kept rolling over and taking the top layer of covers and I ended up with a cold the next morning.
We had to sleep four to a room while the beds looked like they were just large enough for a single. We were able to get cheap rooms in the Hilton Towers ($99) which wasn’t bad just that the number of people per room was.
We got about 6 hrs of sleep each night. One of my firends had a lot of trouble sleeping though. She has trouble sleeping in strange places & then couple that with having to share a bed. But overall it wasn’t too bad. We were all eating pretty light though. Continental breakfast in the morning, sandwhiches around noon (we certainly couldn’t afford to buy concessions), & then whatever restaurant we decided on at night. But we made it. Kristin
*Originally posted by codeoftherobot *
**After discussing with some of the people on my team, we found that our health was extremely poor during our competitions. Sleep deprivation due to discussing thermodynamics and quantum physics until 2 o’clock in the morning. Our team woke up at 5 and went to bed between 12 and 2 in the morning. We ate at a pizza place for our two nights there. Lack of water was a major problem in our pit area. I suffered from continual nose bleeds due to dehydration. It would then dry and make my nose stuffy. I lost about 5-10 lbs but I was exercising in the hotel gym. I was just curious what other people’s health patterns were like during a regional? **
Last year at IRI we stayed up all night watching movies. Most of the people slept except for a few of us. In the morning I took about 8 advil and drank a few dews. I was ready to go.
I usually got 4 or 5 hours…got home at 11-12 ish…posted on CD…did homework…slept at 1 or 2…got up at 5…wait…that’s less than 4 hours…and I can’t count…wow…sleep deprivation is worse than I thought…
But usually, my health isn’t that great after regionals…but I never get sick.
In general… the team usually stays quite healthy… me on the other hand… between no sleep… and my nerves causing me to not eat… I am not too well come Saturday night. I usually loose 5+ pounds a competition. I do however, drink plenty of water while I am there. My biggest issue is stressing over everything too much… but oh well… six competitions under my belt as driver… and I will never learn. 
i always sleep for like 2 days after a first competition…it takes alot out of you…i usually got about 6 hours of sleep, and tried to drink alot of water…
we ate so much junk food, we had burger king for breakfast twice and then this really good place called the origianl pancake house, and lunch we had panera!!! woo hoo! go national science foundation grant! Diner was always much better then the rest…we went to ed debevics and ran into the huskies…talk about a loud diner…(it was all in good fun) i just feel bad for anyone in the resturant…
but over all first competitions take alot out of me…
I have yet to meet anyone who doesn’t have an ailent at competition story. Seems like everyone gets sick at some point during competition. But if you think about it the FIRST season is in the middle of cold and flu season so its not that odd. I went to the 2000 Nats with a broken ankle. It was actually a blessing because I got freshman to carry my bags and milked it for all it was worth from the disney staff. As for sleeping on the floor, just ask your advisor to room you wish underclassmen. That way you can get a bed. If your a freshman bring a sleeping bag.