FIRST robotics hard work...

[shah269 0]

Wow this is hard work. My organization provides grants to schools who wish to enter the FIRST robotics world so I always knew it was lot of work but I have never been a coach or actually built one from the ground up. I'm usually the guy who comes in every other week to help specific mechanical problems or I find engineers and scientists to help out. You know kind of like the "cool" uncle!

Long story short, teachers and administrators reach out to us however this time a great group of kids broke the mold, took initiative and reached out to us to support them instead of waiting for their teachers to approach us for funding....how do you say no to that?

So we did :)

Unfortunately things got nutty and well they lost their classroom and their instructor support :(

And by the time they reached out to me for help they had only 14 days to build.....we worked our buts off and in was the sponsor mentor and coach. A students family donated their living room dining room and kitchen and by the grace of god they had a small machine shop in their garage.

Long story short today Crushinator 3000, though she had some serious issues and I had some issues getting the robot to pass inspection and some amazing help from the other teams.....she rolled on the field.

And we came in second to last :)

The kids were very happy and I have lost my voice.

The best part. Most first teams are....well.....non athletic kids. My team of 7 ( most teams are 25+) was made up of 6 varsity athletes and the team leader the person who reached out to my organization Kim

So I think my kids though lacking a star wars type robot scared most of the kids because they were physically bigger a d louder....well i know i was louder shouting our orders to get the robot ready to roll!

But it was all in good fun and again I'm very proud of them.

So if you have the time and energy....help out your local team

Life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay.

The only thing that falls from the sky is birdshit and fools!

[Squeak 17]

where's the video, and dont say no one shot any?

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[1969912 0]

Good on you for doing things like that!

"Once we got to the point where twenty/something's needed a place on the corner that changed the oil in their cars we were doomed . . ."
-NickDG

[shah269 0]

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where's the video, and dont say no one shot any?

I'll have a photo for you guys later.

I just hope we weren't too...."rough and loud" that we can go to the next competition at the end of the month.

I was very loud and over the top...as always...screaming at my kids to get off their buts and organize the tools or help me carry stuff or if they didn't they would be utilized for target practice or be beaten with carbon rods.
And my kids being jocks were equally loud and crude with each other.

At one point I looked over and two of the meet heads were using the batteries to do curls to impress the nerdy girls.......my kids....can you tell!

and in a sea of civilized petite cerebral folks....yeah we were like a bull hopped up on monster in a china shop!

But I'll post a photo as soon as I have one!

Life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay.

The only thing that falls from the sky is birdshit and fools!

[kallend 2,148]

I'm a judge for the Illinois regional contest.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[skyjumpenfool 2]

google "First Robotics" the website shows this years challenge. Great event!! Very expensive, and it doesn't need to be. Example... check out the MTEA supermileage challenge. http://www.mtea.net/supermileage/smhome.htm

Birdshit & Fools Productions

"Son, only two things fall from the sky."

[shah269 0]

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I'm a judge for the Illinois regional contest.

That's great Im sure it's hard work and very rewarding to see what the kids come up with....though i have to say some appear to be more parent built than kid built.

But I'm done I'm never ever going to step in as the coach, the mentor, lead builder, main money guy and administrative problem solver.

I got too wrapped up and when the kids would goof off while I was bleeding into the robot modifying it on the fly getting to pass inspection I did flip and scream and yell a bit to get them off their asses and help me out instead of just sitting there looking at me run back and forth from the robot to the tool box.....not a professional or adult thing to do and I do regret it...and i'm sure i'll get a nasty gram from the organization for it.

But for the record im done. It was fun but I learned my lesson if the school and the majority of the parents show up and lend a hand from day one sure ok. If not then......it's just way too much work and too stressful for one person to wear all of those hats and to take care of the kids and to organize all the money and do the majority of the building.

Yet all is not lost, since the kids got their robot on the field and did manage to land a few shots the school...next year will offer more than just busing and money processing. They are going to offer a coach and a place for the kids to build.

So my job is done.....and now I'm 100% sure I'm never ever going to have kids of my own. I'm just not patient enough. I can only deal with them for a few hours at a time.


ps
Funny thing though, i did get an email from every single kid saying sorry for not helping me out when I was the only one working on the robot getting it fixed to pass inspection. Good kids, great kids......but....i'm never doing this again!

10 evening build....and wear all those hats at once.....no way no how i'm done!

Life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay.

The only thing that falls from the sky is birdshit and fools!

[nanook 1]

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I'm a judge for the Illinois regional contest.

That's great Im sure it's hard work and very rewarding to see what the kids come up with....though i have to say some appear to be more parent built than kid built.

But I'm done I'm never ever going to step in as the coach, the mentor, lead builder, main money guy and administrative problem solver.

I got too wrapped up and when the kids would goof off while I was bleeding into the robot modifying it on the fly getting to pass inspection I did flip and scream and yell a bit to get them off their asses and help me out instead of just sitting there looking at me run back and forth from the robot to the tool box.....not a professional or adult thing to do and I do regret it...and i'm sure i'll get a nasty gram from the organization for it.

But for the record im done. It was fun but I learned my lesson if the school and the majority of the parents show up and lend a hand from day one sure ok. If not then......it's just way too much work and too stressful for one person to wear all of those hats and to take care of the kids and to organize all the money and do the majority of the building.

Yet all is not lost, since the kids got their robot on the field and did manage to land a few shots the school...next year will offer more than just busing and money processing. They are going to offer a coach and a place for the kids to build.

So my job is done.....and now I'm 100% sure I'm never ever going to have kids of my own. I'm just not patient enough. I can only deal with them for a few hours at a time.


ps
Funny thing though, i did get an email from every single kid saying sorry for not helping me out when I was the only one working on the robot getting it fixed to pass inspection. Good kids, great kids......but....i'm never doing this again!

10 evening build....and wear all those hats at once.....no way no how i'm done!

I don't know if you wouldn't want to do that again. But I am impressed with your efforts and your contributions. Good job brother.

_____________________________

"The trouble with quotes on the internet is that you can never know if they are genuine" - Abraham Lincoln

[shropshire 0]

For some reason this just reminded me of the Robot Hand episode of the Big Bang Theory.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[wmw999 2,588]

Getting kids, particularly teenagers, to do something, is a learned skill. Ask any parent of teenagers. And not everything works, either

That said, the approach in a situation like a competition is generally one of "if you don't do this, I'm going to let you guys fall on your ass -- you have to do the work, not me."

And then follow through.

Once you're not emotionally invested in their project, but instead in the team, it gets only marginally easier , but definitely less stressful for you. And yes, you do have to be willing to let them fall on their ass and be disqualified. And the parents have to back you on this.

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[shah269 0]

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And yes, you do have to be willing to let them fall on their ass and be disqualified

I couldn't let that happen...these are my kids!
Yes I had to grab their shirt and pull their head out of the robot so they would not die, and yes I had to scream at them to stop soldering each other to the table and I nearly lost it when I looked up and all 7 were just standing there drinking monster while I was doing all the work needed to get the robot on the field......but I love these kids!

I'm spending this evening writing letter of recomendations for all of them! So letting them fall on their buts....just something I could not let happen!

I just wanted them to get on the field and see that all the hard work they put in pay off...

And after I lost my voice due to me raisign my voice....and cutting my self so that I bleed out about half my blood......the robot passed inspection and got on the field.

It wasn't the best robot but it did do something!

Will i ever do it again?

Well maybe but most likely not.

I think the nail in the coffin for me on this program was when I was lectured by the pit judges.

Yeah I shouldn't have blown my lid but hey I'm the only adult with a team of 7 kids, and i'm standing infront of you with a ripped shirt and bloody fingers, metal shavings sticking out of me running on 4 hours of sleep....how about asking where the parents are?

Here is my team, yeah they drove me nuts but....they are good kids!
http://www.mrhayden.net/photos

Life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay.

The only thing that falls from the sky is birdshit and fools!

[wmw999 2,588]

Particularly if you get them in their first year, it's perfectly alright to let them fall on their butts -- it's only a HS competition, and there's always next year. The lesson learned that preparation can, in fact, hurt something you care about is one that is never forgotten.

That's something that lasts your whole life. Parent's (and teachers') jobs are to protect kids from life-affecting consequences, and help them learn from the lesser ones, so that in the future they can avoid life-affecting ones.

That means that a C or a D because of missed homework in 5th grade is perfectly OK (and it really is from a long-term consequences point of view), if the kid cares about the grade. It's a consequence that matters to them, and they'll learn. Now -- would I let a late-breaking team taht came to me fall on their butts? Probably not

I judge science fair most years; it's fun, and yeah, you can really see parent's help in some projects -- but you can also see parents' influence in projects that are entirely the kid's (e.g. parent is a research biologist -- just the exposure at home raises the bar).

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[shah269 0]

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Now -- would I let a late-breaking team taht came to me fall on their butts? Probably not

Wendy, same here!
There was no way no how that my kids were not going to get on that field!
If i had to take parts off my car to put on that robot it was going to get on the field!

Life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay.

The only thing that falls from the sky is birdshit and fools!

[wmw999 2,588]

But you see -- one of the lessons that they learned is that people can believe in them. another is that people who believe in them will pick up some of their slack.

Gotta balance those lessons.

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[shah269 0]

Yeah i'll pick up their slack but im not going to do it quietly.....there will be some increase in the volume of my voice!

But they got it, the second they, the kids stood up and took charge and did all the hard work.

I just sat there and smiled.

Life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay.

The only thing that falls from the sky is birdshit and fools!

[wmw999 2,588]

Quote

I just sat there and smiled.

When you can do that around teenagers, you're usually doing something right

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[shah269 0]

Yeah I just wish i could have not flipped my lid and gotten angry at them for not helping out on day one.

But it was their very first time at something like this so they froze up. But now they are doing better.

Life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay.

The only thing that falls from the sky is birdshit and fools!