Competition Overview
Introduction
The competitions are the culmination of all the hard work the team has done. They come in many flavors, from small scale 30 team scrimmages like Bash at the Beach at Lyme-0ld Lyme to the massive 500 team Championship Event in Atlanta. Regardless of the place, the idea is the same, as are the student roles and jobs.
At each, the competition always starts with practice rounds, followed by the regular matches. At the end of this period, the top seeded alliances are gathered for the alliance selections. The first seeded team gets the first and last pick, the second seeded team gets the second and second-to-last pick, and so on. After the alliance selections, the playoffs begin, with the classic playoff bracket, matching seed 1 with seed 8, seed 2 and seed 7, and so on. This continues until the Finals, the victor of which takes home the prize.
It is important to remember that while these events feature intense competitions, the ultimate goal is cooperation through friendly rivalry. To that end, be sure to maintain the tenets of Gracious Professionalism throughout the competition. This includes, among other things, showing respect to other teams, showing good sportsmanship, and the willingness to help others in need.
The Competition in a Nutshell
Roles
No matter the competition, there are always the same roles to be played. They are as follows:
- Pit Crew
Working in the pits (red), the pit crew is made up of 5-6 members of the team who are responsible for keeping the robot operational throughout the competition. Working in a confined environment, they must quickly and efficiently fix any problems and perform any maintenance necessary to keep the robot in peak operating conditions throughout the competition. - Drive Team
Working both on the field (blue) and in the stands (green), the drive team consists of four members of the team which together are responsible for the operation of the robot during the game. They are preselected prior to competition, and generally consist of a main team and a backup. The four members of the team include a first and second driver, a coach and a human player. The drivers operate the robot, the coach acts as the brain, while the human player performs the necessary human-aided function of the game. Drive team members also have certain roles at the beginning and end of each match: - Scouting
The scouting team operates both in the stands (green) and in the pits (red) in order to gather information on the other teams in the competition. They are responsible for providing the coaches and drive team with information and suggestions prior to matches, and also for helping in alliance selections. The team usually consists of seven members - a lead scout and six subordinates. - Spirit
The spirit team operates in the stands (green), leading the team in cheering during matches and also spreading the team's name throughout the stands through pins, bracelets and other objects.
