(Btw the 101 things gave me inspiration for this question.) I’ll go first. I wish I had known to bring more than one spare battery. I know this isn’t a necessity, but with how fast they die, and with the rush of the tournament setting it can be hard to make sure you always have a charged battery if you only have two. Luckily one of our sister teams thought to grab all of our schools batteries last second so we were able to use those.
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That my confidence of the robot my team built would be shattered in an instant 
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Winning is one part of the competition, but having fun is also a part. Don’t feel down if you don’t win. Use it as motivation to get better.
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101 things
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That my driver didnt read the game manual and almost got us disqualified
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That my driver didn’t read the game manual and got us disqualified
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that my driver read the game manual and got us disqualified
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That people would be building their robots… at the competition.
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A simple auton is not that hard
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Hehe laughs in not building robot at tournament and slowly backs away and hides in corner
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i don’t have any time to program the robot, so the competitions and the night before the competitions are the only time i can program.
a little trick if you have to program at a comp, bring your own antistatic mats and field elements, the practice field is always full
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How often stuff breaks.
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Many EPs simply won’t allow you to do that. There’s just not enough space.
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Some things that I learned quickly:
- A packing checklist really cuts down on forgotten items
- Similarly, it is helpful to have a post-match checklist of robot maintenance so that you are ready for your next match
- The robotics community is full of kind, helpful people who are happy to lend you a part, or help troubleshoot a problem
Have fun!
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If you find a screw or nut on the field, search all over your robot because loose screws suck. Replacing them in awkward spots sucks a lot.
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Happens on the job, too. At my last company, our maintenance guys were notorious for leaving a spare nut or bolt on the floor around a piece of equipment they just repaired. It always left you wondering if it was safe to start the machine or not…
But it’s a good practice to clean the practice field before you test out your bot. Also, you’d be surprised how much hardware referees collect on the field, not knowing what 'bot they came from. After a match, take a quick look for dropped parts, then make sure they aren’t yours.
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What skills was and how important it is.
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Better communication
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“Don’t worry Zach, your sister team will carry you no matter what”
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