I was wondering what the first things your team does when the school year starts. Most teams have new students and want to give them an idea what the team is all about. Do you show them last years game? Fundraisers? Volunteering? What?
I personally think the first thing team should do with new members is take them to an off season competition, or have a introduction to the robot and the game.
This year most of the new members of our team will be helping host The Brunswick Eruption 3.0.
but at the start of the year we give them a breif over veiw of last years game and older members work with the newbies and they design a robot for last years game… then they see our robot… we also start our training for differnt team jobs reletivly early and get them working on robot stuff almost right away
Last year, our first two meetings (remember, we were teh rookies and were sans robot–and edubot, for that matter) were just a brief intro and the videos that FIRST has whipped up.
Past that, it was pretty much nailing down IFI-style C. We eventually got the robot to handle going forward n tiles, making a 90-degree turn, and then going o tiles.
This year, who knows?
When I was a student on 201, we always started the year with an informational meeting, then not too long after, the OCCRA season started. OCCRA is a local robotics league in Oakland County, MI. It’s sorta like a smaller version of FIRST, with no corporate sponsorship and student-built robots. It was always a great way to get warmed up for the FIRST season. We’d use it to train new members and new drivers, and it was an incredible benefit, come January, to have the new members already experienced in robot building.
our teams basically-- starts off by having a meeting with all the veterans and students interested in the team-- we have an informational meeting, introduce everyone and show when the meetins are-- the new rookies have a seperate rookies camp and veterans go to the pit and work on various tasks-- the rodeo up in orlando helps us out to show the rookies what we do and what a competiton is sort of like–they learn the game and even depends on situations they are given a chance to drive --thank goodness for robot rodeo it has helped a lot
When school starts we invite new members to our meetings and give a demonstration of the past years robot. From there those interested come to the next few meetings and we figure out what their interest are. From there the veterans help train the new members in a certain sub team. If a new member does not like the sub team he or she chooses we place them in a different sub team until they find one they like. A few weeks later with the remaining newbies on the team that have put in the time are asked to come to an off season event. Each veteran is assigned a group of newbies and help them experience what FIRST is all about. Those brave enough we let drive under the supervision of the last years driver and also who ever wants to be human player. And whatever gets broken during a match we let the newbies fix using their training from the weeks before, under the strict guidance of mentors and veterans. After the event those who liked the experience become members of the team, and often invite their friends to join.
As a general rule, we do an informal meeting, with bonding activities and some technical stuff and kinda introducing all the members to the various subteams and functions of the team. A lot of technical knowledge is taught during the first semester of the year and sometimes doing demos and stuff, but offseason comps are generally a lot of fun to bring newbies too. I promise to drag some to Sweet Repeat ^^.
For us the 2005 season sort of started just a month or so after nationals when we started having meetings for the next season.
Just yesterday some of us from the team went to the freshmen orientation to give them info on the robot and show it off to them. With in the first week of school we will have had our first meeting.
In a few weeks we will probably start work shops and continue that up till the kick off and also do other things in that time.
Most of the things that we do first when the school year begins are exhibitions. On the 16th of September, i believe, we have an exhibition at the Northrop Grumman Open House. We have done it for the past few years. From when it was TRW. That is how our new team members get to know our team. They go to exhibitons, workshops, just hang out with the team during meetings. They usually catch on pretty fast…the new season is to far away… 
. Can’t wait!
Our team usually has a meeting in early to mid September and calls all kids interested in joining. This year, we’re planning on getting the word out a lot more, 'cause all we usually do is announce it in the morning on the announcements, which no one listens to. 
So this year, we hope to get posters up, do demos after school and before school maybe, etc. At the meeting, we describe the game in the previous season, and invite them to come to the off-season competition we go to in October, Duel on the Delaware. Also at the meeting, we explain what FIRST is about, the schedule for January and February, and the competitons we will/might attend. It’s basically just an old-fashioned meeting. =D Let’s just hope we get more students!!!
–Dori
We usually start off with some fund-raising and some mini-regionals. We try to get as many new students to go as possible so they get a taste of what they’re getting themselves into. After that it’s time for more fund-raising and by then it’s already time for the kick-off.
We have interviews for the new team in May. Students (evven returning ones) have to apply and we have interviews to talk about the season, what they learned and what they hope to learn. Interviews include prospective new members also - they just get easier questions!
Everyone is expected to help with the IRI, and thet gets the new members involved in an exciting event. We also use the IRI to experimane with new drivers and HP’s. Our ‘just graduated’ seniors try to find other roles and let the new team start to gel.
In August and September, we wil invite freshmen to apply and have interviews for them and select some to be a part of the team. We start having meetings a few times a month in September, and hopefully go to a fall tournament.
We also encourage everyone, especially new members, to go to the training / info event that Kokomo does in the fall.
Not only do we do Northrop’s open house, we have team meetings at both schools for new members. I really wish we were able to do some sort of robotics pep rally or something. We also do another exhibition at the AIAA Expo.
Our team, going into it’s second year, does not hand-hold. We have no (engineering) mentors, and no formal education in anything we do beyond highshool physics classes (which some of us haven’t taken yet.) So the bulk of our knowledge is derived from experimentation and RTFM. We don’t really introduce new students to anything, they are expected to ask questions and learn along the way.
I’m glad we don’t have engineering mentors, as it would “cramp our style” 
After all, professional engineers know The Right Way To Do It ™ and if we knew that we’d be deprived of the educational experience of screwing up. :yikes:
We do agressively try to recruit people, but only if they are serious. We don’t want a team that has more people cheering then building, because that defeats the purpose of FIRST, IMHO. :ahh:
Basically after everyone had a chance to sign up for the team… we set up a meeting where the newbies get to meet the veterans… then since florida has the offseason comp. in oct. (robot rodeo) we take newbies to rodeo and let them have a feeling what FIRST is about… we let them get a hand on where veteran’s supervises. also take them into pits show them how all the machine works and basically train them… under some junior/senior veteran’s supervision they learn through their first two years and then take control of the team one the team loses it’s veterans… 
While I applaud the fact that your team can work without mentors, I think you are missing a big part of the FIRST experience. Engineers and other technical mentors bring a wealth of knowledge to a team, and can help you learn far more than you will on your own.
Just take a look at so many other fields - Apprenticeships in so many trades, doctors that must do years of study under another doctor before going on their own, understudys in the arts, and so on. If this method of learning was not effective they wouldn’t continue.
You should take a look at the other threads that describe some of the experience and background of FIRST mentors . There is a lot of knowledge to be shared.
I really encourage you to recruit some professionals to your team - you won’t regret it.
PS - if someone wants to ‘discuss’ this issue more, please start another thread or look for one already running. Let’s keep the thread on the original topic - “Your Team’s First Events”. Thanks !! 
We take the whole team (or whoever wants to go) to the Kettering Kickoff which is usually rather early in the year, and the Sweet Repeat which is in October. That way they can see what FIRST competitions are all about. It was kind of nice, we won both last year! <cocky grin> Just kidding, no need to be cocky about anything.
We also hold Monday meetings every week where we do all kinds of things. Before last season, our lead engineer taught a class in C programming, some people built a new cart, and we prototyped our new transmission and chassis design. We also had one meeting where we sorted all the nuts and bolts we had in cups all over. It was boring and tedious, but it kind of helped strengthen the team because we all just sat there and talked.
There’s also OCCRA, but last year was our first year and it was mosly the veteran team members that built the robot. Who knows what it’ll be like this year.
Errm, nobody’s posted…
Usually team 84 throughout the summer will attend as many community and sponsor events as possible. To get out and show the 'bots, to show appreciation, and to hopefully gain more interest. A post-, pre-, season competition schedule is usually filled with PARC, MD Fair, and Ramp Riot. However, I think a possible trip this year to Summer Frenzy (York) is on the list.
… Relocation is in store for this year. Due to consolidation of schools in build school (1 of 5ish school districts)… currently scrambling to find a new build site.