Kickoffs?

[Clark Gilbert]

While sitting here on my computer i was wondering what type of kickoff people will be attending.....




(even poll right now....very interesting *11-6-01*)

[David Kelly]

we are sending an engineer and a teacher to manchester. the rest (or most of us) will be attending the remote kickoff there in K-Town. I may have to stay overnight there in K-Town at my uncles so i can get a good seat

[Pamela]

I'll be at the real kickoff in ManchVegas... I'm very excited, yay for being a volunteer!!!!

[Christina]

Well, we're sending 2 teachers to Manchester. I don't know what ever happened to the NYC kick off, but I think they are going to set up a TV at the school ('cause the gets NASA TV) and have the students watch the kick off from school. I will be going to kick off as the Long Island Regional Representative and I think Michael is going to try to volunteer at the kick off.

~Christina

[Andy Baker]

Originally posted by David Kelly
the rest (or most of us) will be attending the remote kickoff there in K-Town. I may have to stay overnight there in K-Town at my uncles so i can get a good seat

It's early and we don't have our Kokomo Kickoff Registration page set up yet, but, we're not going to have room for entire teams. Our capacity is at 300 people.

The number of people attending per team depends on how many teams attend. Right now, 18 teams have told me that they are coming. I'm guessing that number will grow to as big as 30. Of course, local teams will be here. Even team 34 from Alabama sent an email, saying that they want to come to Kokomo. We're getting ready.

One of the reasons that team 45 is able to do this is due to our new team partner: Ivy Tech State College. Ivy Tech will be hosting the Satellite Broadcast portion of the Kickoff (they also do MUCH more for our team). After the Satellite Broadcast is over, we'll break for lunch and then check out the playing field at a different location in Kokomo.


Andy B.

[Ken Leung]

Originally posted by Andy Baker


After the Satellite Broadcast is over, we'll break for lunch and then check out the playing field at a different location in Kokomo.

Andy B.

Will there really be a whole playing field with everything set up at that remote kick off? I am asking because as far as I remember, remote kick offs won't be having a whole field set up... and maybe some field objects...

Who is going to build that field and make sure everything is identical, and make sure no teams get to see it in advance before the Manchester kick off show off their field? I just know that teams will be say, "well that's how the <object> looked like at our kick off! we even took measure with a tape measurer!", when the two fields have little different specs... I am really surprise that FIRST is doing this.

Well, maybe it is possible to do it over here in California kickoff now that another remote kick off get to do this...

[Andy Baker]

FIRST will be coming out with a clarification on the issue of playing fields at remote sites next week, from what I'm told.

They are trying to work out the details on this issue so that no teams have any advantage.

We are still strongly pushing to have a playing field for the Kokomo Kickoff, but we're just not sure how it's going to happen.

From what I heard, FIRST's stance has been that they are not providing fields to the remote sites, but if the remote sites can get someone to build the fields, then it can happen.

So, yes, we are still planning on having a field built for the Kokomo Kickoff... and no, we have no idea what it looks like.

Andy B.

[A. Leese]

My team sends a teacher and an engineer to the main kickoff while the rest of the team watches it on NASA TV that Saturday at one of the schools. It's always worked great and lets us all talk together that afternoon over pizza about the new game w/o having to wait and read it all online.

[mnkysp6353]

My team is going to be all over the place. We are sending a teacher and engineer to manchester, x students to a remote kickoff, and the rest who dont want to wake up at 5AM can go to our school to watch it. We are getting a satelite stream provided by the school. We then will all meet back at the school for the "PLAN". I personally would like to have a remote kickoff at our school. We could host all of the teams in Socal, our auditorium seats 2,500 and has all of the things we need for a remote kickoff. But my teachers thinks that this is not a good idea and think that i am crazy. So i guess there is no remote kickoff for our school

[gniticxe]

I think we're sending two engineers to the manchester kickoff while the rest of our team gets the NASA feed in one of the DuPont meeting rooms. Afterwhich we start the infamous QFD process.... Just thinking about last year's kickoff (my first year) is getting me excited again....44 days left!!

[Dan 550]

Ah, kickoffs... Two of the teachers from 550 are going to NH, while the team (seems like just two guys) will be going somewhere to watch the NASA feed. Right now, we're a wreck, because the team has realy fallen apart...

[Ken Leung]

OK.... I just got plane tickets to Manchester, New Hampshire for January 3rd and return on January 6th... So I suppose I am going to the main kick off this year...

I am assuming I will have some place to stay while at there... maybe with other volunteers~?

I know not everyone will be going to manchester this year, but I am looking forward to it anyway. After all, for me, meeting the rest of the people can only happen once or twice a year...

This time, I will be prepared and bring a camera with lots and lots of film/memory!!! I guess I am now a reporter or some sort. Interesting how mechanical engineering is supposed to be my major...

Hope to see you all over there!!!

And if not, let's still have a great year anyway. Maybe I will see you at Florida....

[Kyle Fenton]

I thought that all people at the kick-off and kick-off seminars/ceremonies had to be 21 or over. I remember this was in an e-mail last year, when they said "NO Students" in big bold letters. I thought they also said, no alumni/adult advisor under the age of 21 is eligible to attend the kick off. So I would check with FIRST before you go.

[Pamela]

You can volunteer at kickoff if you're younger, thats how i got to go last year! Also if people need a place to crash while they are in NH I live 15 minutes away from kickoff if you don't have any place to go I'm pretty sure my parents wouldn't mind. If I can't have oyu here I know lotsa people who live around here and could find you a place just let me know..... Does anyone know if Kate is having people agian? That was cool last year so i hope she does!

[Ken Leung]

Originally posted by Kyle Fenton
I thought that all people at the kick-off and kick-off seminars/ceremonies had to be 21 or over. I remember this was in an e-mail last year, when they said "NO Students" in big bold letters. I thought they also said, no alumni/adult advisor under the age of 21 is eligible to attend the kick off. So I would check with FIRST before you go.

Well, I considered this earlier, and I didn't thought there was any trouble because I heard the 21 years old rule no longer apply. But either way, the 21 years old rule was important because they served alcoholic beverages at Dean's party... and I won¡¦t want one of those anyway. Other than that I don't think they really care either way.

A lot of bay area teams aren't sending any advisors to Manchester, and I just decided to be a team rep of one of the team I will be working with. I won't be taking up spaces of other people, and the manual and related material will be sent to the California remote kick off anyway.

And, as far as I am concern, all I am going to do is hang out with the rest of the volunteers, not go to Dean's house, see the game and field, and maybe go to some of the workshops... I am really more of a reporter this time, taking millions of pictures of the place and plan to share them with the west coast teams who won't be going.

I think I am going to be both team rep AND volunteering. No harm done.