Part #1: Starting a Team | SUMMER ROBOTICS: Tips and Tricks for Your Team

The summer is a time for our team to lie low for a while. We finished our season with our final competition, and the next season's game release is not until the fall. During this "off-season" (though I don't think it's really an off-season, but more of a non-competition part of the season because there is still a ton of stuff to do), the team plans for the next season. This is mostly administrative work like budgeting and goal setting and stuff like that, so it wouldn't make for a very exciting blog. Instead, we are going to continue our weekly blog posts with little tips and tricks that we have learned throughout the season that may be helpful to any of the other FIRST Tech Challenge or robotics teams getting started out there. Our goal is to inspire you as much as possible and sharing these little bits of experience usually gives some of the most useful information that nobody tells you. We hope you enjoy this Summer Robotics series and all the advice we have to offer. We will continue to post every week of the summer until the season release with a different topic of tips.

This week's post is all about the start-up process. If you aren't aware, this past season was the first season that Batteries Not Included competed in FIRST Tech Challenge, so as rookies, we are quite familiar with what it takes to get a team off the ground.

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Tip #1: Have a list of people that you would like to join

This includes team members, coaches, and mentors. When you want to start a team it's a good idea to have a group of people that will back up your proposal to your school, parents, etc. Be sure to ask these people first if they would be interested in supporting your movement for a team. Our team started with one student's idea, a couple of her friends, and a few teachers to back her up.

Tip #2: Do your research

Before you dive all into starting an FTC team, make sure you know what an FTC team involves. Look closely and carefully at the FIRST website for things like budgetary requirements, participant limits, and the nature of competitions. These things are all important to know before you start up a team. For, example you can't make a team out of the 30 students in your calculus class because that's too many students for one team.

More information about starting a team and some of the requirements for teams can be found on the FIRST website at https://www.firstinspires.org/

Tip #3: Make sure everyone is dedicated

A team can't be a team if they aren't dedicated to spending their time doing activities related to FTC. FTC requires a lot of time commitment including regular team meetings and time outside meetings for other activities, research, etc. If the people you know are interested in robotics, but they may not necessarily have the time to commit to the team, then they probably aren't a good fit for FTC.

Tip #4: Tour a competition and a team in your area

Taking a tour of a local competition is a great way to really know what you're in for with starting a team. Have a team at the competition guide you through what is happening and explain what FTC is all about.

Another great way to get a sneak peek into FTC is to tour a team that is local to your area. Teams are almost always willing to show you around and inspire you to start an FTC team. Ask if you can tour their workshop or workspace or attend one of their meetings to get a glimpse of the nature of FTC.

Tip #5: Gather as much advice as possible

Seek advice from potential coaches and mentors, so if your uncle is an engineer, ask him how FTC would be a benefit to your education and career. Feel free to reach out to some of your STEM teachers at school or other people you know who have a passion for engineering and robotics. They may not be able to give you advice about the FIRST Tech Challenge in particular, but they certainly will have a valuable input.

The most important advice you could receive is from other teams. FTC teams are always willing to share their experiences and advice on how to create a new team. Ask around your area and see what teams are doing and how you might fit into the equation and start your own team. The good thing is you've already started on this tip. The advice that Batteries Not Included is giving this summer is a great step to starting a team and working your way through a rookie season.

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Be on the lookout for our next blog post with more tips and tricks next week about choosing roles on your team. We hope you enjoy this summer robotics series and put some of these tips to good use with your FTC team.