Inventioneers World Festival Tip #3
Shine on Your Own
Shine on Your Own
Keep your coaches at arms length. It’s more important than ever to show the judges that your team did the work, not the coaches. If you need to make some hardware or software adjustments between rounds, make those changes as a team. Consult your coach for general guidance but by now you should be confident enough for your team to make the changes.
Even though "We do the work. . ." is a top FLL Core Value, we have seen many coaches overly involved at the World Festival level. It is disappointing for teams like ours and yours to see teams where the philosophy is win at all costs - even if the kids have to stand back and let their coach call the shots. The judges see that happening in between judging sessions and remember those teams during scoring.
When we were at the U.S. Open in 2009, having the coaches be hands-off was an actual rule. Coaches were not allowed to be near or touch the team's computer/robot in the pit area or during the competition day. We actually thought that worked out well.
To sum up- celebrate your team's accomplishments even if things don't go quite as you had hoped. Ask your coach to be your biggest cheerleader and you'll get the full World Festival experience - you'll "have fun", which is the most important FLL Core Value!
