FRC Team Email Blast Feed
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Bill Blogged - Two Places at Once
Monday, February 20, 2012
Two places at once
Good Afternoon Teams,
The week zero events in Nashua, NH and Suffield, CT went well this weekend. In Nashua, the FRC Engineering Staff were able to test both a standard competition field and the emergency radio system (Operation Bondé). Bondé worked flawlessly, we just have some tweaking to do to make sure radio distribution goes smoothly in the unlikely event we encounter a hostile wireless environment during competition.
Below is a picture of what we believe to be the first Coopertition Bridge balance of the year. The teams both have red bumpers, however 2067 was on the blue alliance when this match took place. The high score at Nashua was 42-32. Quite a few teams were able to score in Auto and there were a number of matches that ended with two robots on alliance bridges.
While the FRC staff and local teams were enjoying week zero, FRC team 359 Hawaiian Kids and FTC team 5159 BuffnBlue gave up their Saturday to help me present at the Hawaii Council of Teachers of Mathematics spring conference. The students were well spoken and made quite an impression on the teachers in attendance.
I was able to track down the Hawaii Regional Field that is kept in Honolulu during the off season. It’s in a storage container below.
I also had the pleasure of meeting with Don Kunitomo Manager of Terminal Operations at Matson Navigation. I thanked him for all that Matson does for FIRST and FRC.
Don’t forget. Tomorrow is Stop Build Day. Operations is still getting calls from teams who are unsure what happens then. Please spread the word. On Stop Build Day, stop building, bag your robot and start preparing for your first competition event. If teams have questions, encourage them to reread this.
1 day until Stop Build Day
See you soon! -
Important Email Blast-Website, Chairman’s, Woodie Flowers and Dean’s List Award Submission Deadline Extended to Friday, 2/17/12 at 12 PM ET
02/16/12
Greetings Teams:
Due to a technical issue with TIMS and STIMS, we are extending FRC award submission deadlines to Friday, 2/17/12 at 12 PM ET for the Website, Chairman’s, Woodie Flowers and Dean’s List Awards.
Please have your team’s designated award submitter(s) login to their account to submit your team’s award(s) by the extended deadline.
We are very sorry for the inconvenience.
Go Teams!
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Email Blast-Award Submissions Due Today @ 12 pm ET~Robot Stop Build Day 2/21/2012~FIRST Robotics Conference- Call for Proposals~FIRST Scholarship Update~FIRST Technical Advisor~FIRST Future Innovator Award
02/16/12
Greetings Teams:
Deadlines:
Award Submission (via STIMS)
- Website Award: 02/16/2012 @12 Noon ET
- Chairman's Award: 02/16/2012 @12 Noon ET
- Woodie Flowers Award: 02/16/2012 @12 Noon ET
Award Submission (via TIMS)
- Dean’s List Award: 02/16/2012 @12 Noon ET
ROBOT STOP BUILD DAY IS TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21st
Is your team ready? Have you:
- Read the Bag and Tag FAQ document?
- Located and printed the Robot Lock-Up Form?
- Called or emailed Team Support with any questions/concerns?
For everything Robot Transportation, please refer to Section 5 of the FRC Competition Manual.
2012 FIRST Robotics Conference- Call for Proposals: FIRST is seeking presentation proposals for the ninth annual FIRST Robotics Conference. 45-minute workshops on topics of interest to FIRST Robotics (FRC), FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) and FIRST LEGO League (FLL) teams, coaches, mentors, students and prospective leaders will be accepted. The deadline to submit is 2/17/2012. For the submission form, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/89vj2hm. For full details, please visit: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/firstplace/workshops-and-conferences.
FIRST Scholarship News – February Update: Find out about three new FIRST Scholarship opportunities for 2012 and about LOTS of scholarships whose deadline dates are fast approaching! Also read messages from some of our FIRST Scholarship Providers. http://www.usfirst.org/sites/default/files/uploadedFiles/About_Us/Scholarships/2012_Assets/FIRST_Scholarship_News_2-14-12.pdf .
FIRST® Virtual Technical Advisor: Do you need help with your robot? Do you have technical expertise and want to help a team? We have the solution! FIRST Virtual Technical Advisor is here to help! Sign up to give/find support from anywhere in the world! https://my.usfirst.org/FIRSTPortal/Login/Virtual_login.aspx.
FIRST Future Innovator Award: Do you have an innovation inspired by your FRC season experience you think is worthy of recognition? Apply for the FIRST Future Innovator Award, presented by the Abbott Fund! Submissions must be received by noon EST on 3/16/12. For more information on the award, please visit: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/future-innovator-award.
Go Teams!
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Bill Blogged - How are you feeling?
Thursday, February 16, 2012
How are you feeling?
Good Morning Teams,
If you have that feeling you’ve forgotten something, online award submission closes TODAY at NOON EST. If you haven’t submitted for the Website, Woodie Flowers, Chairman’s or Dean’s list Awards yet, (the first three submissions happen in STIMS, the last submission happens in TIMS) the clock is ticking.
If you are concerned about getting everything done by Feb 21st, Stop Build Day, re-read [R26] “FRC teams may bring a maximum of 30lbs of Fabricated Items to each competition event to be used to repair and/or upgrade their Robot at the competition site. The Operator Console and any Battery assemblies are not applicable.” Although your team must bag your robot on Stop Build day you may keep your battery and continue to work on up to 30 pounds of additional items plus your Operator Console. Decide now what you want to keep out, then focus on getting your robot running and ready to ship. You can schedule team meetings after Stop Build day in order to build the Operator Console and work on the final 30lbs.
If you are feeling pretty good about the shape your robot is in, be sure to run through the robot inspection list BEFORE you bag your robot.
For those of you who’ve been calling Operations and asking about drayage, if you were granted an exemption to Bag & Tag, Operations will contact you with your drayage information as soon as we have the information to share. If you didn’t apply for and receive an exemption to Bag & Tag, you are responsible for transporting your robot to every FRC competition event you attend in North America, except the FIRST Championship in St. Louis.
5 days until Stop Build Day
See you soon! -
Bill Blogged - Packing my Bags
2/14/2012 Bill Blogged - Packing my Bags
Good Morning Teams,
I’m tying up loose ends and packing my bags in preparation for a whirlwind trip to Hawaii. No, this isn’t a vacation tucked in the busiest time of the FRC year. I have the honor of being invited to speak about FIRST at the Hawaii Council of Teachers of Mathematics spring conference in Honolulu and since I’m making the trip anyways, I’m doing my best to tuck as many FRC related side trips in as I can.
Matson Navigation generously transports the FRC game specific elements of the competition field, plus the game pieces, trophies, pins, medallions and a host of other essential components of the Hawaii Regional from California to Hawaii at their own expense every year. I’m looking forward to visiting with them and thanking them for their contribution to the Hawaiian event.
In addition, Matson Navigation graciously stores the basic FRC competition field from year to year in one of their warehouses. Our FTA and the field set up volunteers take very good care of it, but since it isn’t returned to HQ every summer like the other FRC fields, no one on the FRC staff has had the opportunity to examine it closely in over three years. I’m trying to schedule a visit while I am there.
There are 36 FRC teams in Hawaii, including last year’s Chairman’s Award Winning Team, Team 359 The Hawaiian Kids. As you know, I travel to FRC competition events every season, but I’ve never been to the Hawaii Regional so I don’t get the opportunity to hear about FIRST from the point of view of our Island teams very often. I’m hoping to be able to talk with one or more of the teams while I am there.
I have a few other visits scheduled with potential donors and sponsors, but I won’t bore you with those plans here. I’ll be in touch with the FIRST HQ throughout my stay on the islands and have absolute faith in the FRC staff to continue moving forward while I am away. I’ll let you know if anything of interest pops up.
Aloha!
7 days until Stop Build Day
See you soon!
