ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

looking at the event stats page anticipating registration i noticed something that wasn't there when i first looked at the page

name: GM/Technion University Israel Regional
venue: Haifa Sports Coliseum
location: Haifa, Haifa Israel
date:Mar 9-9, 2005
teams signed up: 0
open capacity:14

here is the link
http://www.usfirst.org/frc/public/FM...s.htm&-findany


now i need to convince my professors that taking a week off of spring quarter is a good idea......I WILL BE THERE!

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

I guess that puts an end to the rumors on:
Foreign Regionals
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=30158

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

yup...i am so excited, first i was doubtfull about israel but now i just need to figure out how to get there

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

WOW! Now that where I want to go for our third regional! SWEET! Thats one of the places I'd like to travel before I die.

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

With 14 spots available, I don't think it's going to be open for that long--unless they have a special arrangement for it, since it hasn't even been announced officially yet.
Though with the craziness that many school boards perpetuate surrounding out-of-country travel (Canada, even), how many schools would even be able to visit Israel? Another possibility--they're holding extra places for Israeli rookie teams. This isn't unheard-of, though it's unclear how big the event actually would be, or how many Israeli teams will compete.

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

but how many teams are actually in israel???? just wondering



but really yeah i don't think many school districts are gonna let their student go out of the country well at least i know my school district wouldn't-- sad to say after september 11, 2001 so many policies have changed-- we were almost denied to go to competitions in 2002 because of that day and that was one of our best years on the team so far-- if any team can actually go there i wish the best of luck and be safe plz

14 slots though interesting...

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

as far as i can tell from rumors and logic i belive there are goinging to be14 rookie teams from israel this year

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

There are 14 open spots because they ARE holding spots for Israeli teams.
:)

Wetzel

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

But depending on the game size...would 14 be enough to run elimination rounds. Pretending that Elininations are structured the same as they have been for the past few years...maybe there are ten Israeli Rookie teams...and they need 14 more from elsewhere?

Allison

EDIT: That was in Reply to Greg's Post

EDIT again: The one that's two above mine

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

With 14, only 2 teams won't get into the finals. That seems odd, but neat too. In other news, did you see one of the canadian regionals now has two fields?!?!?!?

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

The Toronto regional had 2 fields last year as well.

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

Traditionally, FIRST holds 10 spots. So, assuming that again, the regional will have 24 teams, which is enough for every team to be in the eliminations.

On the other hand, perhaps they are planning on 14 Israeli teams, and no US teams. Then they could run semi-finals and finals, with 2 teams left out.

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

A little bit of logic, folks.

a) The regional is not like American/Canadian regionals. It's only for one day, March 9th, unless this is a mistake made by FIRST.

b) Although there are some really well-funded teams (and more power to them for going out and getting that money in the name of FIRST!), how many will travel to a foreign country for only one day?

c) Now that FIRST has a regional outside North America, don't you think they'd want to spread FIRST throughout that other country? How well are they getting the message across if they have foreign regionals, but they're filled with American teams?

FIRST is taking a big risk. The stakes are high... but if this thing is successful, it could be huge.

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

in israel it would have to be 1 day only....from friday afternoon till sat night the whole country is shut down because of shabbat. figuring 2 days to set up and a day to clean up...i don't think it is a mistake

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

I highly doubt that all of the sudden out of nowhere 14 teams just sprung up in Israel.

It would be awesome, but I don't see it.

I think there will be a lot of people that want to go to the regional, but can't due to schoolboards and such

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

Well, the regional is on a Wed., so they could have it Tues, Wed., Thurs., and have the field and everything gone by Thurs. night. Of course, seeing as this is the first year for it, I'd think they run a small regional and just test the waters, and if it works, who knows what could happen next year!

As a side note, does this mean that the game will be very simple to setup, sort of like Zone Zeal? Remember, an entire field must ship to Israel and back in a week, unless they're using the fact that it's on a Wed. to give the field extra time to ship. Even so, I think they'd have to ship it air, and just imagine how much that would cost if we had a setup such as Raising the Bar.

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

Who says they play the same game?

and Cory, who says that the teams are already started?

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

I would assume that if FIRST is trying to make itself into an international competition (beyond Canada at least), I would assume they have everyone do the same thing. Plus the fact that they always say they have enough trouble coming up with one game, you think they'd be able to get Dave to make them two? :-p

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

Okay everybody, lets all calm down. Take one deep breath in. Hold it. Hold it. Now let it out...

Some comments,

1. 14 open spots does not mean there will be only 14 teams. It could mean that. Currently I see that there are only 5 open spots for the Detroit regional, yet for some reason I think there'll be more than 5 teams.

As stated earlier in the thread, regional hold spots for local rookie teams to get formed.

2. The whole March 9-9 thing. This is an educated guess on my part, but it seems to me that it would be impractical to hold a regional that runs on a Saturday in Israel. After all the Jewish Sabbath begins Friday evening at sundown.

3. 14 rookies teams in Israel being unlikely? I'd have to disagree. FIRST too smart to go through all the work they must have to even start planning this event, without having a large degree of confidence that they would be able to generate teams.

I look forward to seeing how this plays out. Until then, I'd just like to welcome Israel into the FIRST family.

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

Ever hear of seed money? :)

The listings on the website NO NOT include reserved spots. NASA grant regionals don't list 10 or so spots that are being held for NASA grant recipents. So perhaps 14 American/Canadian/Brazian teams will have the chance to goto Israel. Maybe the Brazilians will go there, they've already mastered the out of country travel bit.


Wetzel

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

There is also a British team who might go and who knows there may be more. As for getting 14 rookie teams, The Canadian regional had something like 30 rookie teams the first year. Even last year I believe that it was over 20 (please correct me if I am wrong).

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

I hate to think about how much it would cost to travel to Israel, let alone the fees for shipping the robots or playing field elements...

This could be very interesting indeed. I have no idea what FIRST is thinking. Aren't the new regionals announced in the summer? This is not only a new regional but a new regional in the Middle East. If anything warrants an announcement from FIRST, it seems like this would...but this is the first that I've heard of it.

Here's hoping that this pans out successfully...

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

I think they could. There has to be a bunch of robotic teams hanging around for the Trinity Robotics Competition. There has to be enough for them to warrant their own Israel regional.

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

This is really awesome! Just imagine students half way across the world trying to solve the same problems you are. This is one huge step in globalizing FIRST!

Can't wait to see how everything turns out!

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

I really hope no US team is thinking about going to Israel. I think it's a waste when the more well-off teams travel farther, and conseqeuently pay more, to attend a regional than they could have. If they really have this great excess of money, there are many, many teams who could sure use the help.

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

Not including shipping the robot, going to Israel is probably about twice as expensive as going cross country. Airfare to Israel can be found for under $500, expecially booked this far in advance (compare to around $225 for a cross-country flight), and hotels there can be quite cheap (I stayed in a very nice Jerusalem hotel that was walking distance from the Old City for the equivalent of $20 a night, and that included free breakfast and a rental car!).

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

That really is a cheap shot and teams who may be in that category you are referring to, aren't going to be very happy with those comments. Teams should not worry about how other teams spend their sponsorship money. If my team has a million dollars, I may chose to use it as I wish. I may use that money to [i]nspire my students in a different way than you do. Stop worrying how teams may chose to use their sponsorship money and how you [think] they should use it.

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

This is an attitude that shows up frequently that really bothers me.

If a team can raise lots of money, they have the right to spend it any way they want. Some teams use their excess money to generously help other teams. While other teams use this to benefit their own students. Both options are very noble in my opinion.

I for one hope many North American teams take the journey to Israel. It would be an inspirational trip for all, and it would help strengthen FIRST worldwide. That seems like a more than worthwhile expense to me.

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

Here is my guess. The Israeli's are forming their own teams. They already support many robotics teams. FIRST is supporting them by helping with the field, etc. The one or two top teams will then be heading to Atlanta. :)

One issue that I haven't seen raised anywhere yet re: the Championship is that Passover starts at sundown on Sat. April 23.

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

Point well raised Karthik and David Kelly. For once we seem to agree on something =). This situation has happened before on a variety of issues, from practice playing fields to sponsor's automobiles that a team can utilize. I think Karthik summed it up so I am not going to rehash it again. What I will do is leave open the suggestion, which if FIRST could do would be an incredible, incredible feat, and bring worldwide attention.

Without bringing too much information about politics and the current situation in the middle east into play, it would be absolutely beautiful if FIRST could somehow arrange a "peace" or "unity" tournament with teams from Palestine, Egypt, Turkey, or other primarily Islamic countries in the region. I am positive that there are other initiatives like this going on, not with robotics but with education and various grassroots groups, but FIRST has a real opportunity on its hands. If it were to earmark funds from various corporate sponsors, and approach, or be approached by a team from one of those countries, it'd be a perfect opportunity to show yet again that GP has a role to play that is not just within the FIRST competition. Imagine if that were pulled off. This is a huge dream at the moment, but the unity and stability of the region could be improved if some sort of exchange program was set up. Obviously there are huge logistical problems, but without going too much into detail about politics and the like, just imagine.

"I have a dream..."

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

I have to say that this is probably the best way they could spend the extra $1000 in the registration fee. Kudos to FIRST.
It would be very interesting if they could get some Arab teams to come to Israel, but to me it seems highly unlikely. Maybe an Iraq team sometime in the future when things settle down.

Nevertheless, Shalom to our brothers and sisters in robotics over on the other side of the globe.

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

Wow. So I have a couple of comments to make about all this stuff....

First, I can't help but think that a Israeli/Palestinian team would be really, really difficult to pull off even though it's a very inspirational thing to do. Plus, programs like that have been tried before and have only met with limited success. I know it's a horribly negative comment to make in these forums, but I think it would ultimately just be a publicity stunt. Real change in the region is going to have to be a much much broader effort.

But enough politics... my second comment is that US teams travelling to Israel are going to have a seriously uphill battle. Travel costs aside, there is the problems of getting permission from school districts and parents to allow their kids to travel to a region that is not the safest in the world where they will stick out rather seriously. Plus, there's the question of getting the robot into the country, which probably isn't as cheap or easy as shipping it around the US. And all of your tools will probably have to go with your robot, as I don't think you'll be taking them with you on the plane. So that's pretty tough.

Really, though, I'm bothered by this because it's a small regional in an area with no current teams. So FIRST is funding teams in Israel, plus an expensive regional for said teams plus a very small number of other teams. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, FIRST has raised the first regional entry fee by 20%, discouraging rookie and poorer teams here in the States. One can only wonder how FIRST can afford this if they've already had to raise prices to break even already.

Don't get me wrong, I realize FIRST is doing this to inspire people worldwide. I just question the logic of an organization that does something like this when it's already having funding woes and growing pains at home.

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

[quote=Kevin Sevcik]

Really, though, I'm bothered by this because it's a small regional in an area with no current teams. So FIRST is funding teams in Israel, plus an expensive regional for said teams plus a very small number of other teams. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, FIRST has raised the first regional entry fee by 20%, discouraging rookie and poorer teams here in the States. One can only wonder how FIRST can afford this if they've already had to raise prices to break even already.

QUOTE]

Who ever said FIRST is funding teams in Israel?

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

Well perhaps not FIRST itself, perhaps just a FIRST sponsor or someone else that could be funding teams in the rural US. or in inner-city schools. or in Mexico or Brazil. or in some other place that's less well off than most people in Israel.

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

Man this is great news! An overseas regional!

FYI, I think that GM sponsors the Israel teams, since it's called "GM/Technion University Israel Regional"

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

Oh, but there ARE teams in Israel. If you refer back to one of the speeches from Mr. Lavery last year during a regional, I think it was the VCU Regional but I'm not totally sure, he mentioned that there were going to be teams in that country.

FIRST catches a lot of undeserved flack for issues that people have no clue as to what they are talking about. FIRST raising fees to fund the Israel teams? Thats an insane idea.

For those of you that do not already know, FIRST is already quite established over across the pond with the FLL. In-fact, there are FLL teams in USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Turkey, United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden, China, Korea, and Japan. If you don't believe me, look for yourself.

If the FLL can work on the other side of the world, why can't the FRC work the same way?

It disappoints me every time somebody accuses FIRST of doing something, or not doing something, that has no backing to it. Don't bash FIRST for what you do not know.

We should applaud FIRST and be optimistic and not pessimistic about working in Israel and other parts of the word. This is a HUGE step in changing society and [i]nspiring students across the world.

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

I seriously doubt that the teams attending the Israel regional will have to pay any less than the teams attending one in north America. they're going to be paying $6000 (or their monetary equivalent).

also, it seems as though your saying that the teams "at home" are more entitled to support than others. but if this is the case, where is FIRST's "home"? north America? the US? new Hampshire? Manchester?

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

I'm trying to say that I think FIRST could better pursue its stated goal of inspiring students and changing the culture by putting its money in places besides Israel. There are many other places in the world that are pretty bad off that could benefit from a program like FIRST and whose students could benefit from the inspiration and possible scholarships that FIRST could bring. The only real reason for FIRST putting money into Israel is because it is high profile and will make people feel better about what FIRST is doing. Again, I'll note that there are many countries like Mexico, Ecuador, Brazil, and others that already have FIRST teams and could benefit greatly from increased FIRST support. I just think there are better places FIRST could be focussing its efforts.

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

Alisha Wallenstein was a student on team 116 before I was on the team. I believe she is part of, if not the driving force behind FIRST being in Israel. She came back as a mentor on team 116 for the 2002-2003 season and that's how I met her. Her drive to bring FIRST to Israel is not because it's high profile. I'm not 100% sure if her job took her to Israel or if it was family or personal, but one thing I know she took with her was her love of FIRST. If there were more people like Alisha, FIRST would be everywhere.

Heidi

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

the thing with the school board is i think that its not really up to them i think i remember hearing that after 9/11 absolutely no out of country trips.
i dunno this may only be for Florida so correct me if I'm wrong.

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

Wow. After reading through several of these messages, I think that a new HTML tag needs to be developed that has the effect of clearly marking text with flashing colors that correspond to the two tag values "Pure speculation" and "I actually know what I am talking about, and have facts to back it up." Then it needs to be retroactively applied to this whole thread. I am sorry if this comes across as a harsh negative statement, but a few of the posts really have me grinding my teeth right now.

Anyway, let me try to clear up a little of the confusion and incorrect information. The following items are facts -

- A private, multinational corporation is providing funding to establish 12-14 new FIRST FRC teams in Isreal for the 2005 season. I will not confirm who they are (that is their job, if they choose to do so). They are doing this through the use of their international office in Israel and local resources that are dedicated for use within that country. In other words, they are not diverting resources away from potential teams in the U.S. or any other country.

- At least one of the teams is planned to be established at a Palestinian school.

- FIRST is not funding the new teams, or the new event. They are helping with administrative support for the new event and providing information to the new teams, just like they do with every other team and regional competition.

- NASA is not funding the new teams or event, but is provinding some support for both through other mechanisms.

- The new regional competition event will be held in a compressed format, in 1-1/2 days (1/2 day set up and practice, 1 day for qualification and elimination rounds and awards). The event is scheduled to complete in time for shabbat. To make this possible, the event size will be severely limited and some changes in format are being considered.

- Under current plans, the Middle East Regional will be open to the 12-14 new Israel teams ONLY for the first year. Registration is not open to teams from outside the Middle East. This may change later, but that is the current plan.

- The increase in registration prices for the 2005 FRC competition and the existance of the new teams in Israel are completely unrelated events. Anyone who attempts to tie these two events together is completely mistaken and just making up their information.


-dave

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

I wasn't aware of this, and that definitely is an inspiring story. It'd be nice if there was some press release or explaination somewhere. At any rate, I agree that it's great that other people are so enthused about FIRST and are trying to spread it. I'm just questioning the decision to hold a brand new regional in a foreign country with a small number of teams that are all rookies. There are 4-5 more veteran teams in South America, so a regional could just as logically be held there.

EDIT: I'll stop now as Dave has cleared all this up very well. I hope I haven't offended him or anyone else too terribly.

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

Thanks for clearing that up Dave. We realise that you didnt have to release all that information to us, but I appreciate that particularly because you did, to avoid any more speculation. Thats great news about the Palestinian team as well.

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

yes..... thanks dave

if it goes well this year i'm hoping there will be some other teams in europe spring up and maybe even a european final..... or even in england :ahh:
its a pretty good thing unless it goes totally wrong or something and something really bad happens

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Kelly This is an attitude that shows up frequently that really bothers me. If a team can raise lots of money, they have the right to spend it any way they want. Some teams use their excess money to generously help other teams. While other teams use this to benefit their own students. Both options are very noble in my opinion. I for one hope many North American teams take the journey to Israel. It would be an inspirational trip for all, and it would help strengthen FIRST worldwide. That seems like a more than worthwhile expense to me.

I should have expected a response like this... I'd like to remind you of several facts.

• David Kelly, this was not intended as a "cheap shot" at you at all. I'm not even really sure how it could be a shot at you.
• This was purely my opnion and I'm not sure why my opinion should make you so angry. I am far from any position of power, outside my team, in the FIRST community.
• In almost any case I can imagine a team absolutely cannot spend it's money however it wishes. Though most teams probably get funding without signing any contract or having any official statement explaining how the money is spent as would be done in a large non-profit organization, teams either imply, or even state verbally the intended use of the money. Unless someone can explain how students will get a better experience that is worth paying probably 2-3 times the normal cost to go to a regional, then I don't agree, it is ethical to use other people's money to go to Israel.

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

What?!?

First, DK did not say it was a cheap shot at him, it was at the teams who you aimed it at. They are fourtunate enough to have amazing sponsorship, they obviously have earned it our a sponsor(s) would not be pouring thousands of dollars into them. They have no responsibility to give this money out to any other teams.

Second, most teams that get large amounts of money from big sponsors are required to spend it how the sponsor wants, either on travel, registration fees, parts, labor or other things like that and have to show this to the company. Also companies that provide a large amount of funding to teams usually also provide mentors and the money comes through the company directly, so it is monitored. I doubt a team just gets handed a briefcase full of money and is not bothered about it any longer. And even if it isn't monitored that closely, why couldn't a team spend their money how they like, as long as it is FIRST related and not for personal reasons. If a team wants to buy a team vehicle and they have the money for it, go for it. Its the team's money.

And how would traveling halfway across the world into a different culture not be worth the extra money? It is a once in a lifetime experience...

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

Wow. That is really generous of that corporation. It's pretty cool about how FIRST is becoming truely international. When you are sixteen, seventeen, and even older than that traveling halfway across the world is not a a once in a lifetime opportunity. You'd be really fourtunate to get a chance but you have all life to go across the world. Now if you were traveling to Antartica that would be a differnt question.

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

I'll make a quick reply in support of Max. FIRST's stated goal is to reach as many students as possible to inspire them. Presumably to be engineers or scientists or something. So there's two issues here as I see it.

First, effective use of money. Sponsors are allowed to use there money however they want, as are teams. I think Max is just questioning the ethics of using 2-3 times as much money on a small group of students vs. spreading that money around a bit more to inspire more students. If you don't feel like spinning off a second team or funding one that's down on its luck, you could sponsor and mentor FLL teams or BEST teams. So there might be better ways to spend the money in some people's opinion.

Second, yes visiting Israel would be a once in a lifetime experience. I'd even agree that it'd be worth it enough that I'd foot my part of the bill so my team could go there. However, I don't know that life changing cultural experiences are really a part of FIRST. Life changing experiences in engineering and mentoring and such, yes. I don't really see how visiting Israel would encourage many kids to be engineers or scientists, though. Maybe politicians or world leaders so they could help solve the problems in the region, though.

So, I have to agree that teams are mostly allowed to spend money however they'd like. I just think that some ways are more conducive to achieving FIRST's goals:
"FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is an multinational non-profit organization, that aspires to transform culture, making science, math, engineering, and technology as cool for kids as sports are today."

EDIT: Right on Adam! Where do I sign up for the 2020 Antarctica regional? Won't even need to bring the Freeze-it for the motors.

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

No one was suggesting that these teams were going outside their sponsors wishes. When I said that a team can spend the money any way they wish, it was implied that the sponsor was part of the team. This is way it has been on every team I've been a part, i.e. the sponsors have a deserved, large chunk of influence on major team decisions.

I'm glad that you're fortunate enough to know that these opportunities will always exist for you. Unfortunately this is not the case for many people. Many people spend their entire lives not knowing the beauty and the wonders of Europe, Asia, and the rest of the world, let alone step foot on an airplane. For many people going on a sponsored trip like this when they are young is a once in a lifetime opportunity. This rational has been used by many teams in making travel plans.

I think the best way of summing up my point is, there are various ways FIRST help impact the lives of young people. We all have our opinions on how money could be best spent, but in the end teams are free do to as they please. Teams that work so hard to make a difference in the lives of their students, deserve better than to be slammed for "wasting" money that could be "better" spent.

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

Antartica Regional?

Pfft. FIRST has already broken international boarders, by this time next year, FIRST will have moved to another contienent. So what's the next step? Not another continent, that'd be boring ;-).

That being said, I'm waiting for the Mars Regional. Dave, you listening? :-p

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

When they are young yeah I would agree that it is a once in an lifetime oppurtunity. If you come out of FIRST with the right goals I don't see why it has to be a once in a lifetime oppurtunity (Especially if you become an egineer ). A lot of careers requires a person to travel. Hey you will never have to worry about anything overheating. Just ask Dave how nice it is. Im pretty sure he's been there before. It had to be a Freudian slip.:)http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/pi...gle&picid=1937 Nah. The moon would make a far better choice. At least then you would still be able to control the robot with basic radio signals. Of course shipping would be astronomical. This gives me a cool idea for the FIRST competition. Make a five second delay (don't know the real number off top of head) to simulate a robot on the moon.

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

Fair enough, I didn't know that was implied.

I don't think exposure to the wonders of the world and its cultures is really in FIRSTs mission statement. That is the mission statement of many other non-profit organizations that do provide such trips. There are in fact a number that cater specifically to Israel.

I hardly think stating my opinion that it is wasteful is "slamming" anyone.


Oops, I guess I misread that one, but I still don't understand how it was a cheap shot against anyone.

I should have been more clear. I was only suggesting sponsoring a less fortunate team, there are many other possibilites. Help a lego league (or more than one), start another team in the area, enter more robotics competitions, etc.

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

Could the corporation possibly be General Motors? I believe that they meet the qualification of "private, multinational corporation," and there is an an Israeli branch of the company. A bigger clue, though, would be the fact that the regional is listed as the "GM/Technion University Israel Regional" on the FIRST website.

I know that we're not going to get an answer from Dave or from anyone who works for FIRST, but I'd like to see if anyone else here on CD has reached the same conclusion as I have. It seems obvious to me, but that might not be the case for everyone else...

If it turns out that this is the case, I would love to become involved in whatever way possible. It wouldn't be very hard for the American GM teams to mentor the Israeli teams and to offer assistance through the internet. We would be able to help build the team with what we've learned in our short existence, and the experience itself would be more than enough reward for any time and energy that was spent helping the Israeli teams.

Again, this is just speculation on my part. Dave doesn't have his flashing text tags yet, so I'll have to do the best that I can to make it clear that I know nothing.

Here's hoping that we find out which corporation it is soon. I'm very, very curious... :)

(As always, I speak for myself. My opinions are not those of GM or of anyone else on Team 818. I don't want to get anyone in trouble...)

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

Folks, let's try to keep this thread on topic. If someone wishes to discuss sponsorship moneys etc, please start another thread. I was enjoying the topic that this one started with.

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

on a back on topic note i called first yesterday asking what volunteer positions are going to be available at the regional and got a message saying they are still figuring out what they need...i really hope i get to go to this one...


if not for the robotics, just so i can enjoy the best falafel on the planet

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

not to burst anyone's bubble, but as i was perusing the FIRST web site today, i was checking to see who was signed up for MWR and i noticed that the Israeli Regional had been closed with no teams signed up

http://www.usfirst.org/frc/public/FM...s.htm&-findany
check for yourselves, is this just a glitch or is the regional simply not going to happen?

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

I found this moderately strange:

Suddenly the total number of slots seems to have gone from 14 to zero....I hope the regional didn't get cancelled! :confused:

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

Something tells me that FIRST is handling signups for the regional through a different method than North American teams. Or perhaps the fact (if I read Dave's post right) that it's just Israeli teams led FIRST to close off registration to keep from confusing teams over here.

Whatever it is, I'll bet it's administrative.

Re: ISRAEL REGIONAL OFFICAL!!!
 

Speculation: Sounds like the 14 spots are for the 14 Israeli teams and FIRST didn't want any other teams get the idea that they could sign up for it.

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*bing*bing*bing*

We have a winner. Would you like the yellow, blue, or green colored bear? :p <- Sarcasm and speculation

I have a feeling we won't hear much about this regional until Kick-Off, then even those living under a rock in the FIRST Universe will hear about it. <- Speculation

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OK Once again i think what Dave said before should be brought back up, i think theres only a hand full of people here with true facts about this event so please don't post stuff saying that the event is dead or isn't going to happen or anything else like that if you really have no clue. It just isn't the right way to go around, so please just wait for an update about this from a true source like FIRST or Dave.

Just a thought to chew on...
~Mike

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I think speculation is fun. Besides, there no damage being done by it, at least that I can see. I think after Dave said what he had to, to clear up the misconceptions and the such, he got his point across, and released more information than any of us could have expected. I think any speculation after that is purely in good fun. I also think a regional even in Israel is great. On a personal note, I would be kinda afraid to travel to Israel, but thats just me. I think thats probably because of the large amount of News filler I'm fed each day, and how they only show the negative things. I am very interested in watching this as it progresses. Just my $.02. I don't think anyone has to bite anyone else's head off. Its one thing to preach Gracious Professionalism, and another thing to be a gracious professional.

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There's now ten teams in Isreal.

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Where did you get this? Is it on the usfirst web site?

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http://www.usfirst.org/frc/map/FMPro?-db=team%20events.fp5&-lay=web&-format=team_list.htm&event=IS&event%20year=2005&st atus=registered&-sortfield=team%20id&-max=all&-find

Hey we have an Israeli sister team, hello 1001269!! :)

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This is amazing and impressive. Curiosity is killing me - how did this come about? Who got this done? Wow.

Andy B.

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I find it kinda odd that FIRST gave the Israeli teams seven-digit team numbers, especially when the last four digits (which I presume would be entered on their OI) correspond with currently active teams. (According to this post, all but one of the four-digitified numbers are registered for 2005.)

This has me wondering about the longevity of the Israel program, since these numbers are drastically different than the current numbering scheme. (I figure that FIRST has quite a few seasons until they will have to do anything drastic on the technical side for team numbers. The current IFI gear will handle up to 4096.)

Or will Israeli teams perhaps be renumbered before the season begins in earnest?

This might be a non-issue that'll sort itself out, but I'm just curious like that.

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Billfred,
If I remember correctly, rookies have 7 digit numbers until they actually register for a regional. Maybe FIRST just hasn't updated yet?

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Something I just noticed is that the regional has Pilot at the end of it. So perhaps the Israeli Regional is just a test to see if starting up a complete FIRST program on another continent works. We don't even know at this point if they're competing with the same challenge the rest of us are.

Matt

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This is wicked awesome. To be honest, I was expecting Singapore to be a more palatable country for FIRST to go into (with it's recent push to create a center of bio-technology in the country paired with a govt that's hugely influential in the school systems)...but just like fundraising, you never know where that gold mine will hit.

Looks like Israel is the place. I can't wait!

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Truely inspiring. Since I already know I will not be able to go, they could at least have a live webcast of the event. :p

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All the Israeli Rookies got their four digit numbers.
1573 - 1582

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Dean spoke today at the Robonexus convention in Santa Clara. While I didn't hear it (I can't stand most of his speeches), my mother did, and this is what she told me:

While Dean was waiting to give his speech at Nationals this year, Ariel Sharon (yes, that's the PM of Israel) called him and told him that he wanted to discuss bringing FIRST to the Middle East.

Dean and Sharon met sometime after this, and Sharon told him that teaching children about history had obviously not worked--fighting still continues, the same mistakes are made, and that he wants students to learn about science and technology, the ways of the future.

Apparently Dean suggested something about a regional in Tel Aviv, but Sharon said he wanted it to be a Middle East regional, not an Israeli regional (ie: Palestinians and Israeli's)

I believe she also said that all 14 teams were from Israel, and no US teams would be able to attend, but I may just have heard that from someone else.

I think it's extremely awesome that they want to make this a truly Middle East regional, and try to break down some of the barriers between the Israeli's and the Palestinians. I also heard (elsewhere, this is 100% unconfirmed) talk of a Palestinian team.

I didn't hear this with my own ears, so if my mother turns out to be a massive liar, it isn't my fault ;)

Cory

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Look again - they've been given real numbers.

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Mostly right, but it was Shimon Peres, Nobel Peace Prize winner, not Ariel Sharon, PM. And I don't remember him mentioning anything specific about the 14 teams or who could attend.

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dave lavery mentioned on page 4 of comments that one of the teams included would be a palestinian team =)

"- At least one of the teams is planned to be established at a Palestinian school."

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man sounds like fun... Our school would never ever let us go there... too bad... its good that we are getting more regionals outside the US so it can be an actual World Championship...

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Hello to teams 1573 - 1582, and a hearty welcome to FIRST. :)

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Would the winner of the Isreali regoinal be eligible to attend the championship?

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I don't see why they wouldn't be. Funding may be a different issue however.

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I think he was getting at the fact that they're all rookies, so they might have an "unfair" advantage over teams not at an all rookie event (I don't think so, but I guess it's all up to your own interpretation), by qualifying for Nationals through a win. I would like to see them be allowed to go.

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As mentioned earlier, the championship falls on Passover. I'm Jewish and I'll be at Championships, but I'm gonna have to make special arrangements. I do hope an Israeli team is able to make it to Championships, because as many international teams (kudos to Brazilians and Canadians and French and British teams and anyone else I've forgotten) have shown us, such a commitment is definitly a gift to FIRST. I am under the impression that there are now 11 Israeli teams? A user from Israel mentioned this in a separate thread.

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Hello everyone !

I'm from Israel and this year my school is taking part in the first contest for the first time. I'm really excited about it and from what i hear it's a great experience I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun and that we can learn a lot from this competition.

anyway, i want to comment about all the rumors I've heard here. yes, General Motors is sponsoring the Israeli regional event and NASA is also helping.
From what I know, which is a 100% certain, the Israeli teams will have the same challenge as the north American teams and the winning Israeli teams WILL go to the championship in Atlanta.

From what I know so far, there is no Palestinian team in the Israeli regionals and there probably won't be any Palestinian teams this year. this year they will be only 11 (and possibly 12) Israeli rookie Teams. The twelfth team is having troubles finding a sponsor and will probably not attend the 2005 regional. And I'm sure they won't be any teams from north America.

and about this quote:
I'm almost positive Ariel Sharon didn't say that, neither did Shimon Peres. but i don't want to turn this into a political discussion.

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Welcome to the competition Gal :)

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11 teams, nothing special really...

btw gal ata nishma yoter faltzani mimeni

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Actually, 11 teams in a space where there were none in April is a massive feat. It's rare to have that kind of growth anywhere, really.

Consider South Carolina. We've got six rookies for 2005, and our state is about four times as big as all of Israel. (It should be noted, however, that we have only about 2/3 of the population--judge how you like.)

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But it's really less of a growth, more of an unleashment.
This is the first year FIRST is "allowed" in Israel, so a few teams joined the first year.
Next year will probably have the same amount of teams, more or less.

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Hey Gabrielova! (It's simon)
Welcome to all the Israeli teams. I might be moving to Israel next year, so it's good that I will have a team to join there.

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Any plans for a FIRST seder? Several years ago my son helped organize one in Florida.....It would be nice to do one in Atlanta, especially since with our travel plans, we're there for both nites.

Jon Mittelman
Mentor
Team236

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Jon, you might be interested in this thread: http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=31405

:)

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Thanks...caught the thread.....we can organize a seder in one of the downtown hotels if someone can get a count of the people interested....

Jon