Who's Going to Nationals 2016?

[windu34]

Hi Everyone...

I go to a school in Illinois and our school places around 5-6 at state every year (which is in 2 weeks). In general, the top 4 teams all hire parents and other adults to help in all events, especially building ones. Is there any way for us to be able to get further this year? Most people on the team don't lack the work effort needed (maybe like an hour a day after school, probably up to 3-4 the week before state), but we always fall down in building events because we get very little help compared to the teams who use parents.

An hour a day is NOT enough effort. As a builder on my team which regularly attends nationals, it takes at least 3 hours a day and when 1 month to comp approaches, id up that to 5-6 hours. Builds require a lot of time to be done well because it is such a learning experience. My team has ZERO parent/coach helpers. EVERYTHING is done by students. For example, my team's robot arm built by my partner and I had ZERO help from any parents. We have won 1st at MIT, Cypress Falls, Florida Regionals, and Florida States (we'll see about nationals). Our coach's policy is to let the students do EVERYTHING and it is one of the reasons we succeed. When we run into high level programing/mechanical/electrical problems, we have no one to ask, we do the research and hit the forums and try to narrow down where we went wrong.

I don't know specifically about builds, but imo an hour a day for every member of your team from August to April can solidly get you a third place at IL B State, as long as that hour a day is spent doing useful preparation (in my experience, this is often almost as common as not preparing enough).

Overall, Id agree with Unome that everyone putting in an hour a day should get your OVERALL team 3rd place, but I doubt that's enough for a build to medal. Idk how competitive it is in your state though.

[DankMcIntosh]

DankMcIntosh (AKA Luke) from St. Joseph's Catholic School, Idaho in Meteorology, Road Scholar, and Mission Possible FTW

MC Rudini from St. Joseph's Catholic School, Idaho in Anatomy, Disease Detectives, and Mission Possible

(JoJoKeKe's main fam)

[DankMcIntosh]

An hour a day is NOT enough effort. As a builder on my team which regularly attends nationals, it takes at least 3 hours a day and when 1 month to comp approaches, id up that to 5-6 hours. Builds require a lot of time to be done well because it is such a learning experience. My team has ZERO parent/coach helpers. EVERYTHING is done by students. For example, my team's robot arm built by my partner and I had ZERO help from any parents. We have won 1st at MIT, Cypress Falls, Florida Regionals, and Florida States (we'll see about nationals). Our coach's policy is to let the students do EVERYTHING and it is one of the reasons we succeed. When we run into high level programing/mechanical/electrical problems, we have no one to ask, we do the research and hit the forums and try to narrow down where we went wrong.

I don't know specifically about builds, but imo an hour a day for every member of your team from August to April can solidly get you a third place at IL B State, as long as that hour a day is spent doing useful preparation (in my experience, this is often almost as common as not preparing enough).

Overall, Id agree with Unome that everyone putting in an hour a day should get your OVERALL team 3rd place, but I doubt that's enough for a build to medal. Idk how competitive it is in your state though.

Sorry to keep quoting this thread. Hey, we're all scientists, and we know that time spent has no direct linear correlation with placement. For meh friends in MisPo, you know that no matter the time spent, anything can go wrong. Bridges can break, Air Trajectories can blow up - Anything can happen at states. (Steps down from soapbox.)

[windu34]

Sorry to keep quoting this thread. Hey, we're all scientists, and we know that time spent has no direct linear correlation with placement. For meh friends in MisPo, you know that no matter the time spent, anything can go wrong. Bridges can break, Air Trajectories can blow up - Anything can happen at states. (Steps down from soapbox.)

Id have to disagree. The best way to eliminate chances of things going wrong is to test it. Of course you wont be able to completely eliminate all chances, but you can increase them in your favor. For example, the more you test a mission possible, the more likely a ball may happen to miss a switch. It only has to happen once and the more you test, the more likely it will happen and you will be able to correct for it.

[azuritemalachite]

Sorry to keep quoting this thread. Hey, we're all scientists, and we know that time spent has no direct linear correlation with placement. For meh friends in MisPo, you know that no matter the time spent, anything can go wrong. Bridges can break, Air Trajectories can blow up - Anything can happen at states. (Steps down from soapbox.)

Id have to disagree. The best way to eliminate chances of things going wrong is to test it. Of course you wont be able to completely eliminate all chances, but you can increase them in your favor. For example, the more you test a mission possible, the more likely a ball may happen to miss a switch. It only has to happen once and the more you test, the more likely it will happen and you will be able to correct for it.

Yes more work will decrease chances of failure or problems, but it will never eliminate it. You cannot avoid some circumstances completely by hard work.

Hi Everyone...

I go to a school in Illinois and our school places around 5-6 at state every year (which is in 2 weeks). In general, the top 4 teams all hire parents and other adults to help in all events, especially building ones. Is there any way for us to be able to get further this year? Most people on the team don't lack the work effort needed (maybe like an hour a day after school, probably up to 3-4 the week before state), but we always fall down in building events because we get very little help compared to the teams who use parents.

An hour a day is NOT enough effort. As a builder on my team which regularly attends nationals, it takes at least 3 hours a day and when 1 month to comp approaches, id up that to 5-6 hours. Builds require a lot of time to be done well because it is such a learning experience. My team has ZERO parent/coach helpers. EVERYTHING is done by students. For example, my team's robot arm built by my partner and I had ZERO help from any parents. We have won 1st at MIT, Cypress Falls, Florida Regionals, and Florida States (we'll see about nationals). Our coach's policy is to let the students do EVERYTHING and it is one of the reasons we succeed. When we run into high level programing/mechanical/electrical problems, we have no one to ask, we do the research and hit the forums and try to narrow down where we went wrong.

C division teams should be primarily student-organized, B-division, however,does not perform the same way. Parents and coaches are an important factor towards student motivation. You have to realize that 1 hour of studying/working gives different results for each person and you have to figure out what works best. Pure work and reading can get you places, but learn to work efficiently instead of purely working more.

[Unome]

learn to work efficiently instead of purely working more.

^yes. Best advice so far.

[sciolyFTW_aku]

I'm coming to Nationals as well.

[Jaol]

I'm coming to Nationals as well.

List your events too.

[sciolyFTW_aku]

I'm coming to Nationals as well.

There are in my signature, but my events are Anatomy and Physiology, Green Generation, Meteorology, and Mission Possible.

[_deltaV]

Florida, Boca Raton Community High School, Bridges, Wright Stuff, Chem Lab, Experimental Design