2009 FIRST Championship dates!
 

OMG! The robotics shop is still a mess....
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Greetings from FIRST,
We want you to be among the “FIRST” to mark your calendar:
The 2009 FIRST Championship will be held once more at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, GA, on April 16-18, 2009.
We have recently returned from our best FIRST Championship ever! This season's finale featured 340 FIRST Robotics Competition high-school teams, 108 FIRST Tech Challenge high-school aged teams, 82 FIRST LEGO League World Festival middle-school teams, 6 Junior FIRST LEGO League demonstration teams, and their mentors, teachers, families and FIRST fans.
The event was wonderfully attended by many of our sponsors, suppliers, and scholarship donors, along with hundreds of dedicated mentors, volunteers and team supporters. It was an extraordinary weekend filled with energy, teamwork, and gracious professionalism! Until you've experienced it, you can't imagine how much excitement math, science, engineering and technology can generate in over 20,000 attendees from all over the world.
To add to the excitement, FIRST was grateful to have Former President George H. W. Bush and Governor Sonny Purdue of Georgia speak at our Opening Ceremonies. Governor Linda Lingle of Hawai’i also attended for the entire event, supporting FIRST throughout the Championship activities!
If you've experienced it, you'll want to see more. If you've never experienced it, you really need to see what you're missing, so PLEASE SAVE THE DATE AND TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND ASSOCIATES ABOUT FIRST. Remember, viewing any of our competitions is free and open to the public. Schedules for upcoming events will be posted on our website at www.usfirst.org, as they are finalized in the late summer and early fall.
We look forward to seeing you during the 2008-2009 season,
FIRST

Re: 2009 FIRST Championship dates!
 

I would think that sets the kickoff as January 10. January 3rd (as confirmed later in the thread)
This has been edited given a confirmation of a January 3rd Kick off date shown later in the thread.


Ship would be February 17th then

Week 1 February 26-28
Week 2 March 5-7
Week 3 March 12-14
Week 4 March 19-21
Week 5 March 26-28
Week 6 April 2-4
Week off
Championships April 16-18

Of course this is MY conjecture for the dates.... they are not announced yet. This is now consistent with a Jan 3rd Kickoff

Re: 2009 FIRST Championship dates!
 

I wonder what they mean by once more, are they just meaning again or will the championships be somewhere else in 2010?

Re: 2009 FIRST Championship dates!
 

I'm not sure if it was just a typo, or you misread it. It's "once more", as in, "it will be held again" [at the Georgia Dome]. Not "one more" time, as in it's the last time. I don't think they were meaning that it's going to move.

Re: 2009 FIRST Championship dates!
 

From what I was able to gather in ATL, 2009 and 2010 were option years on the contract, when 2009 was signed that made 2010 the option year and the dates were secured. I do believe that 2010 is not a firm commitment and could be changed.

Re: 2009 FIRST Championship dates!
 

Tell em to move it to the MassMutual Center thats on the other side of the river.

Re: 2009 FIRST Championship dates!
 

I was able to talk to a couple of people from the planning committee while we were in ATL. They said that 2008 was the final year on the contract and that 09 and 10 were optional. They were looking for a central location, more convienent for everyone to get to. They really wanted to try and hold the Championships in Kansas City for 09', but it looks like they weren't able to get that done in time.

Re: 2009 FIRST Championship dates!
 

As much as I love your predictions, I know its probably not going to start on January 10th. :(
To have a week 6 regional and then actually 4 days later have to unpack at championships, its too close of a time frame. Also, based on the last two years of the NYC regional being Friday-Sunday, might actually be April 10-12, 2009.
I can see as they add more regionals, having a later CMP date, but with that already announced, kickoff will be January 3rd. No vacation for us again.

Re: 2009 FIRST Championship dates!
 

I am pretty sure the 2009 NYC Regional will be earlier next year.:]

Re: 2009 FIRST Championship dates!
 

these dates were listed on the GWCC's website calander 2 months ago,

looking foreard to atlanta again, and if they do move the championship somewhere, please mobe it to somewhere spirit airlines flies ($33 round trip from orlando after taxes...explain that one...:D !)

Re: 2009 FIRST Championship dates!
 

Rich,
With that being said, then when? :D
My students keep bugging me about NYC 2009!
We wouldn't be able to go anyway during weeks 4-6, since Hawaii is week 5.

Re: 2009 FIRST Championship dates!
 

I can confirm the January 3 Kickoff date.
FIRST has informed our Regional Director that the date is official.

School will be closed for us, so we may need to make special arrangements next year for our personal kickoff event.

Re: 2009 FIRST Championship dates!
 

Isn't there always at least one week from the last week of regionals (week 6) to Championships? At least that's what I have always thought. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Cass

Re: 2009 FIRST Championship dates!
 

That's interesting. The last time that Kickoff would have landed on the 3rd (2004) it was pushed back a week to the 10th. I suppose the addition of a 6th week of regionals plus the earlier-than-usual Championship date makes this necessary.

Re: 2009 FIRST Championship dates!
 

OMG!!!! If kickoff is the 3rd, that would be awesome!!

I have Jan 1st, Jan 2nd, & of course Jan 3rd off from work!!

Road trip before kickoff to get in some time on some (real) slopes snowboarding in NH!!!

Wooooooooo!!!!!

(Anyone want to recommend some ski/snowboarding slopes in the area of Kickoff?) :)