3 Varsity Team

A varsity team is generally the principal team representing a school. Varsity teams take dedication and commitment to learning, building skills, and regular attendance.

3.1 Varsity Team Benefits

For 190, the Varsity Team will be those financially supported to attend official events and able to fill key team roles during the season and at events, including but not limited to task leaders, sub-system leaders, drivers, pit boss, strategy manager, coach, etc.

• For High School Students:
  • Anyone meeting the Varsity Standards will be partially or fully-funded to attend all team events. This includes transportation, airfare, and lodging.
    • We ask that families who can afford to support part of the cost of their student travel do so, which allows us to priortize limited funds to those students who are unable to afford it. The full cost to travel to the World Championship is typically $1000 per person.
  • We do not want cost to be a barrier to anyone’s participation in the program, which is why we strive to fund all students whenever we have sponsorships that allow it. If your family is unable to afford to pay anything towards travel, please contact Colleen privately and it will not be an issue.
  • The Mass Academy Director has final say in the ability of any student to attend any event with the team, and may rescind permission to attend at any time for academic or behavioral considerations.
• For College Mentors:
  • Anyone meeting Varsity Standards will be partially-funded to attend all team events. This will include no more than 100 dollars towards each district event and no more than 500 dollars towards the World Championship. Amount of funding available each year will depend on the number of mentors, number of students, and overall team budget.
  • Full funding for college mentors may be awarded depending on the number of eligible and interested mentors, their roles, and their need. There will be no public distinction between those with partial or full funding.
  • We do not want cost to be a barrier to anyone’s participation in the program, so if the requested contribution represents a significant financial hardship, please contact Colleen privately. She will work with you to allow your continued participation. In the same vein, if you are able and willing to pay the full cost of your attendance, doing so will enable other team members to receive funding.

3.2 Varsity Team Requirements

In order to remain a Varsity Team member of FRC190, everyone is expected to meet the following Varsity Requirements. Everything listed below is the MINIMUM requirement. Everyone is encouraged to participate above the minimum, which will reflect positively on role selection.

• Work Hours
  • You must be marked Present for at least 85% of the work hour sessions of PRE-SEASON.
  • You must be marked Present for at least 85% of the Monday and Thursday work hour sessions of IN-SEASON.
  • You must be marked Present for at least 85% of the Saturday OR Sunday work hour sessions of IN-SEASON.
  • Note: 100% participation in PRE-SEASON equates to ~6 hours a week. 100% participation in IN-SEASON equates to ~16 hours a week.
• Forms
  • Register online with firstinspires.org. This includes the FIRST Consent and Release form, NEFIRST Consent and Release form which are separate from any team permission slips.
• Grades
  • All are expected to balance their team responsibilities with their school work. School should be considered as a first priority, even before robotics.
  • For MAMS Students: Team Leaders will maintain close and regular contact with the Mass Academy Director about the academic progress of students. Continued participation in the team based on academic progress is at the discretion of the Mass Academy Director and Faculty.
  • For non-MAMS Students: Students must have no grades below a ‘C’ for all progress reporting periods. If your grades are suffering due to robotics, Team Leaders will have a discussion with you about whether or not you can remain a team member for that season.
  • For WPI Students: As adults, you are expected to model positive behavior for the team, including prioritizing academics when needed. While there is no specific requirements to maintain status, academic failures in an attempt to improve robot success reflect poorly on the team to the WPI administration.
• Outreach Requirement
  • Actively participate in at least one team robotics demonstration.
  • Volunteer for at least 6 hours at an on-campus robotics event hosted by the Robotics Resource Center.
  • Participate in the technical documentation/awards writing/presentation process, if applicable for that season.
• Off-season Event Requirement
  • Everyone is required to participate in at least one off-season event during the pre-season. These events allow everyone to learn about competitions and try out various roles at these events.
• Sustainability Requirement
  • Must bring at least one prospective team member (student or adult) to a team meeting, event, open house, or other team activity to introduce them to and encourage them to join our team.

3.3 Competition Roles

Competition Roles will change year to year, and previously holding a role will not guarantee placement in the role in future years. Key competition roles may only be filled by Varsity Team members.

Some roles are only for students and others for mentors. Other roles are open to either. Some team members might hold multiple roles at an event or a split role.

3.3.1 Roles for Core Leadership

• Team Operations Leader - Overall responsible for the team and their performance at the event. Consulted on all decisions to modify the robot, course of action, etc. They oversee match planning and manage the enforcement of team roles and expectations. They are primarily responsible for ensuring the team is working towards a common goal.
• Team Support Leader - Responsible for the overall health and well-being of the team. They manage schedules, team meals, and all activities outside robot and on-field execution. They are an advocate and resource for all team members in supporting their positive experience.
• Robot/On-field Execution Support - Responsible for overseeing robot repairs and maintenance, monitoring on-field performance, and working to identify issues before they happen. Support robot repair and maintenance with Pit Crew.

3.3.2 Roles for Students

• Driver/Operator - Responsible for the on-field operation of the robot. This includes not only controlling the robot, but loading and unloading the robot, setting up the driver station, and coordinating on field with other teams and volunteers.
• Human Player - Responsible for interacting with game pieces and the game as described in the game manual. This includes loading and unloading the robot, setting up the driver station, and coordinating on field with other teams and volunteers.
• Pit Boss - Responsible for the overall management and maintenance of the robot and pit. They oversee all team members assigned to the pit, managing who does what work, and keeping order. They manage the execution of pre- and post-match checklists.
• Technician - Responsible for aiding the drive team in moving the robot to and from the field, setting it up, and going through checklists. Most commonly this is the Pit Boss or someone else assigned to the pit.
• Strategist - Responsible for working with the Lead Strategist to use scouting data to develop match strategies and negotiate those with alliance partners.

3.3.3 Roles for Mentors

• On-field Coach - Responsible for managing the Drive Team and the execution of strategy on the field. They act as an alliance coach while supporting our team. During the pre-season and build season, they manage driver practice, driver/HP tryouts, and advise on robot design and control from an on-field perspective.
• Lead Strategist - Responsible for aggregating data from scouting to formulate and negotiate strategy along with the on-field coach and strategist.

3.3.4 Roles for Students or Mentors

• Pit Support - Mechanical - Responsible for robot repair and upkeep, including but not limited to process pre- and post- match checklists, doing preventative maintenance on the robot, doing repairs, and ensuring the robot is mechanically ready to compete every match.
• Pit Support - Programming - Responsible for programming maintenance, including but not limited downloading match logs, monitoring for potential issues, and making improvements and updates if needed by the drive team.
• Pit Support - Pit Maintenance - Assist in maintaining the pit space as a clean, presentable, and maximum efficiency space. Maintains a system to track borrowing of tools and materials by other teams and our team. Supports the management of battery usage, charging, and performance tracking. May aid in robot maintenance when needed.
• Scouting Manager - Responsible for developing and maintaining the scouting system used by the team and any collaborative scouting efforts with other teams. Must ensure the data collected is timely and useful, and provide it efficiently to the Strategists. Responsible for coordinating alliance selection with the Lead Strategist.
• Scouting Support - Responsible for watching matches, collecting scouting data, and inputting it correctly into the scouting system. Aids Scouting Manager with aggregating data and providing meaningful and timely information for team matches.
• Herd Helpers - Responsible for aiding other teams at the event if needed and requested.