Just sent this email out to teams:
Hi TRR 2012 Teams!
I hope you're all getting excited for the 2012 Texas Robot Roundup! We're looking forward to seeing you all in just 2 weeks. I know this email is long, but please read it carefully to find out about and share many valuable opportunities with your team and attending supporters.
Pay your Registration Fee - Online or by Check:
If you haven't do so yet, please send in your registration fee! Details can be found at
www.roubotroundup.org (the website is being updated this weekend as well). If you can pay online through PayPal, this option is now available. Payments should be made to the following account:
austincansbooster@gmail.com
Friday Night Team Social:
TechXsplosion, Team 2789 from Manor, TX, is hosting a social at TRR on Friday, July 27, at 7:00 PM. The goal of this social is to have a fun time with all the teams going to the 2nd Annual Texas Robot Roundup. Entry to the social is free, but during the social they will have jars around the room for donations to a local library that is in desperate need of books. They will be providing an assortment of desserts and punch to all the teams. Please RSVP here:
http://goo.gl/9AkYc
Win a FIRST Xbox! Win a Pizza Party for your team!
The new Microsoft Store in Austin will be raffling off a FIRST Xbox to one lucky team member! All team members will receive a raffle ticket at check-in. To see a picture of this special FIRST Xbox, head to the Alamo FIRST Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/alamoFIRST and while you're there, "like" the page! One team will receive a Pizza Party! We will draw the name of one person who has "liked" the page at the end of next week and their team will win the Pizza Party. Encourage your members, mentors, parents, sponsors, and supporters to "like" Alamo FIRST!
Mentor Recognition Award sponsored by National Instruments:
This year, we are beginning the tradition of recognizing an outstanding mentor at TRR. Nothing needs to be done by your teams in advance. When you check-in on Saturday morning, your team will receive a prompt and your students are asked to respond to it in a half page space regarding a mentor they wish to recognize. Entries will be read by a group of non-team affiliated judges.
TRR Trading Post:
Central Texas teams are pilotting a fundraising activity that we may open up to all participating teams in years to come. Throughout a portion of the day on Saturday, teams will be selling a variety of cool tech-oriented things like FIRST logo and recycled electronics jewelry and key chains, t-shirts, buttons, bristle bot kits, pictures in a carnival cut-out robot, and more!
VIPs/Invited Guests & Student Ambassadors:
If you have invited any VIPs or special guests to TRR, let me know so that they can be included in some special activities we're arranging for invited guests. Additionally, if you have any team members who would like to serve as student ambassadors to give tours to these guests and answer their questions about FIRST, Rebound Rumble, and more, please send me their names (in addition to your team number).
Special Tournaments & Canned Goods Drive:
In my last email, you should have received rules for the TRR Skills Challenge that will happen on Saturday. Let me know if you need me to send you the rules sheet again. Additionally, please remind your team to collect canned goods to donate to the host team (ausTIN CANs - 2158) food drive that will determine team alliance selection ranking for the Mentor Tournament. When you check-in at TRR, interested teams will be asked to sign your team up to compete in the Skills Challenge and Mentor Tournament.
Workshops, Presentations, & Meetings:
Throughout Saturday, attendees have a chance to go to a variety of workshops, presentations, and meetings designed to inform, support, and inspire your teams. We will have some very interesting speakers, a panel discussion from some of Texas' most competitive teams, workshops and presentations on robot design and how to create a business plan, and meetings for the Non-Engineering Mentors Organization and the Central Texas Robotics Alliance. Detailed overviews of each session will be sent out a week before the event.
At the end of next week, I will send out an email that will include attachments of some very important instructions and documents for your teams. Please make sure that this email address (robotroundup@gmail.com) is added to your address book if you haven't done so already so that my email doesn't end up in your spam folder!
As always, let me know if you have any questions. We look forward to seeing you all in two weeks!