Organizing your Team - Planning Training

Why Participate?

KnightKrawler missed the first year, but has participated every year since with 2 robots. The students love the MinneTrials and are adamant in their desire to continue to participate every year. MinneTrials has easily become the most valuable fall training we have ever undertaken. MinneTrials perfectly simulates a regular build season, but with lower stakes and easier challenges that are perfect for students new to FRC.

MinneTrials impacts Build, Programming and Media subteams, but has the most impact on Build. In previous years, KnightKrawler’s build training has had all students create something out of standard robot construction materials, often aluminum and polycarb. We have made bumper brackets, lamps, and different aluminum structures following technical designs. Minnetrials lets students make a functioning robot, experience a mechanisms design and prototyping process, and creates the pressure of a deadline for a looming competition.

Organizing your Team

KnightKrawler divides the team into two teams (Red and Blue). The division of the team is not random. Returning students are selectively divided by leadership to distribute skills and experience as evenly as possible. Likewise, new students are divided to evenly distribute build, programming and media students between the two teams. Although the new students have only been with the team for a couple weeks prior to the start of MinneTrials, some consideration may be given to organizing students to avoid personality conflicts, separate students who may be a distraction for each other, or any other needs that might encourage better outcomes while students adapt to the expectations and behaviors for our robotics team.

The Roles Mentors and Captains Play

While there is no requirement for how your team operates for MinneTrials. Most teams use MinneTrials as a way to train new students. A common approach is to have returning students act like SubTeam Captains. Have Captains act like Mentors. And mentors try to give only enough guidance to keep the students engaged and working toward some type of success (learning, confidence, fun). This is the structure that KnightKrawler follows.

Building fall training around MinneTrials.

Fall training has always been a struggle for KnightKrawler. Finding projects and tasks that provide a meaningful experience, while building necessary skills has been a challenge. Minnetrials has accomplished these objectives in ways previous training had not.

KnightKrawler meets for 2-3 weeks prior to the start of MinneTrials. KnightKrawler has delayed the start of our MinneTrials season for several days (after manual release) to ensure we have adequate time for introduction to concepts and tool training. Pre-kickoff training includes tool training, introduction to the design process, and hands-on prototyping experiences.

After MinneTrials kickoff, students will experience the full breadth of a regular season build and programming process. All students will participate in a game manual review, game analysis, strategy analysis, game play simulation, and brainstorming robot concepts.

Build students will participate in initial robot design, prototyping, final robot construction and wiring. Programming students will complete robot code for mechanism control and some will write autonomous code. Media students will use photos and videos to document the fall season on social media and create reveal videos for each MinneTrials team.