Frequently Asked Questions - Schools

1. I'm a teacher and my school doesn't have a BEST program, what should I do?
2. I'm a student and my school doesn't have a BEST program, what should I do?
3. How much does it cost to participate?
4. How do I get mentors for my school?
5. How much time is required?
6. We destroyed our ..., how do I get a replacement?
7. How do I get my rules question answered?
8. Do I need to build a field?
9. What tools should I have for building the robot?

1. I'm a teacher and my school doesn't have a BEST program, what should I do?
   discuss the program with your school administrator and your shop teacher to make sure that you have their support (it'd be great to have your shop teacher participate in the program as well)
2. I'm a student and my school doesn't have a BEST program, what should I do?
   Get some of your friends interested as well.  Most teams have at least 5-10 students (although we seen them as small as 3!).  Then, talk to your science, math, industrial tech, or other teacher that you think might be interested/willing to start a program at your school.  If your not sure which teacher would be helpful, talk to your school administrator and have them contact SA-BEST.  If you can't get the interest going at your school, contact SA-BEST yourself, and we'll try to get you on a team at another school that already has a program in place.
3. How much does it cost to participate?
   Just your time.  SA-BEST provides the kit materials needed to build the robot.  Most teams try to build a mock-up of a portion of the game field and this may cost $20 to $100. Often teams use scrap shop materials and junk borrowed from their parents' garage and do the mock-up for free.
4. How do I get mentors for my school?
   SA-BEST will do it's best to provide mentors for your school, but you can also look to parents for support.  Many parents have the skills needed to GUIDE the students through the development process.
5. How much time is required?
   Teams will typically meet from 4-10 hours per week for the first few weeks.  Once they are sufficiently behind and begin to panic, they will meet more often and for longer periods (for example: most of the day on Saturday and Sunday the last few weekends before the competition).  It's best to have at least two teachers, and three to six mentors to share this load.
6. We destroyed our ..., how do I get a replacement?
   SA-BEST has a limited number of replacement parts for the returnable portion of the kit. Contact the kit person for these items.  Most of the expendable kit items can be found at the local hardware or lumber store; these parts you'll have to replace yourself (contact the kit person, if you're having trouble locating an equivalent part).
7. How do I get my rules question answered?
   The only place to get official answers concerning rules interpretation is via the Best Robotics Inc (BRI) web site (www.bestinc.org) Q&A page. But, before you ask your question, please read the existing Q&A first.
8. Do I need to build a field?
   No, you don't need to build an entire field, but you will probably want to construct a few key elements of the field. This will help you develop a solution to playing the game. The key elements of the game field can typically be constructed (or simulated) without spending a lot of time or money.
9. What tools should I have for building the robot?
   Take a look at this list; it should give you a good idea of where to start.