The time has come once again, and the eve of kickoff is upon us. We're all excited to see the game reveal and devise our strategies to win competitions. However, with build comes the trials and tribulations of the season. This post is intended to convey some helpful advice to make your season more comfortable and enjoyable.
1. Your health comes first.
When it comes to build season, the golden rule each and every year is to pay attention to your own health before all else. Build season can be stressful, it can be physically demanding, it can be tiresome, and it can be frustrating. The important thing is to recognize these feelings and to know your limits. If you need to take some time away from the shop, that is perfectly acceptable. Your overall wellbeing is more important than completing the robot or finishing awards submissions.
2. Don't forget about school
We all joke about the GPA drop during build season, and yes, school can become more difficult to keep up with because of your commitments to robotics. However, academic performance comes before FRC. Many teams have scheduled times that allow for schoolwork to be completed, and some unfortunately don't. It's important to stay on top of all of your classes and maintain your grades even during build season. If you begin to get overwhelmed, it may be best to miss some build sessions to keep your academics in order.
3. Be prepared for any sensory issues that arise
We get it, shops during build are loud and there's no existing workaround for this. It's important to avoid sensory overload, especially to the point of meltdowns and shutdowns. Be sure to have whatever you need to counteract sensory overload. You could have noise-cancelling headphones, your favorite stim/fidget toy, etc. It's also a good idea to designate a "quiet area" to go to when you get overwhelmed from all of the sensory input.
4. If you need clarification, ask
There's absolutely no shame in not understanding a concept or a process. This is especially important in large group discussions. Ask someone to explain something slower or more clearly if you can't keep up or understand what they're saying. It's better to ask a "dumb" question and know the answer than to simply pretend to know.
5. Incorporate everyone
In the action of the season, it can be easy to forget some members. The goal of every team is to properly incorporate everyone and retain its members for the next season. Ensure that there are few questions of who's doing what. Keep everyone engaged and contributing. This extends to discussions as well. Don't dismiss any input because of how poorly spoken it might be or who introduced it. Consider all perspectives and ideas equally, regardless of any factors beyond the effectiveness of the idea. Simply put, treat everyone with fairness no matter what.
-Zach, FRC Team 2197
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