[thefro526]

Good Afternoon Teams,

I’m blogging early this week because I’m getting on an airplane this evening in my never ending quest to bring the latest technology to FRC. Frank, Kate and I are heading out to explore new technology for 2015 and beyond. If we come up with anything interesting, I probably won’t be able to tell you about it until the kit of part reveal in 2015. Cross your fingers. Things could get interesting.

The GDC met this past weekend and rocked the workshop. It looks like we have the concept for the 2013 game. Because of some monumental elements that you can’t see until January 5, 2013 we had a great deal of fun thinking up game names that you will never hear from me. We have a ways to go before the game is ready, but that was the whole point of pushing so hard this year to get a year ahead. The 2012 game is in the final stages and we now have almost a full year to test, tweak and tidy up loose ends on the 2013 game. My thanks to the long suffering, hardworking, hysterically funny members of the GDC who got a little punchy after a full weekend locked in the basement workshop at headquarters. I promise there will be more coffee ice cream at the October on site meeting.

Looking forward, now is as good a time as any to ask ourselves if the existing FRC award structure is supporting our mission and values. To that end, I would like team member/mentor input. Please encourage everyone you know in FRC to complete this survey by Wednesday, September 28th at noon Eastern time.

Marketing is looking for FRC team members who have repurposed items in constructive, unique or amazing ways to feature in an upcoming national publication. Please send marketing@usfirst.org a photo and brief description of your creation by this Wednesday, September 21st and if we choose to include your design we’ll be in touch for more details.

Does your team have new mentors this year, or do you know about an FRC team with rookie mentors? Please let them know about the upcoming Senior Mentor call “FRC Mentor Orientation 101”. Senior Mentor Mike Henry and expert Mike Siegel will answer questions about team organization, member recruitment and team registration this Thursday 9/22 at 7pm Eastern time. Call 1-866-951-1151 and use conference room number 7052714 that night to participate.

The National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) is now accepting applications from young women in the US and Puerto Rico in grades 9-12 for the NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing, which recognizes young women at the high school level for their aspirations and achievements in technology and computing! .

109 days until Kickoff
See you then!

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