Team Forum

[Madison]

There are many team forums this year.

[FotoPlasma]

$1 says it'll be at San Jose State University...

[dez250]

i have a question about this, since you brought it up maybe you Maddie can answer it for me. What if a person like you or a person not involved with a team wanted to attend one, could they attend still?
~Mike

[Alaina]

Sounds like fun.

[sanddrag]

The LA one will most likely be at CSUN. If that doesn't work out, then it will be at Clark Magnet High School. That's what I hear from sources.

[Madison]

Originally posted by dez250
i have a question about this, since you brought it up maybe you Maddie can answer it for me. What if a person like you or a person not involved with a team wanted to attend one, could they attend still?
~Mike

Traditionally, the team forums have only been open to two adults from each team, as things were with kick-off.

With the advent of the regional kick-off, more students were allowed to attend. I don't know if it's safe to assume the same will be true of the regional team forums, however.

[Ken Leung]

As said on the FIRST site:

"Registration
Please note that each team is allowed to register two (2) adult representatives for one (1) forum. You may not register for multiple forums. The deadline for registration is May 29, 2003. To register, use the Team Information Management System."

2 adult representatives for one forum.

Team forum is lots of fun. In the past, we were able to make a lot of good changes to the FIRST competition because the teams are willing to take their time to go to these forums, and talk to FIRST about their concerns, and suggestions.

Keep in mind that FIRST are aware of, and understand a lot of the problems in this season. So, when you go to the forum, don't spend too much time telling them what the problems are, instead, provide constructive criticism and suggestions for how to improve the situation, then move on to another topic.

There are many issues in FIRST that should be talked about, and I see the team forums are between 5:00 PM and 8:30 PM. With only 3 and a half hours, I would suggest that teams do the following things before they go:

Get together with other teams around your area a before hand, and talk about the different issues you want to address. Make sure everyone is on the same page on the different topics, so when talking to FIRST, your voice is a unified one showing that most of you agree on the topic and want something done about it. This is much better than 20 different teams voicing different opinions about the same topic, and nothing will ever get done.

Come up with a list of things before hand, and make copies for all the teams, and use it as a "strategy sheet" at the forum. That way, you will have a way more organized forum, and a productive one.


Other than that, have fun, and take advantage of this 3 hours to really talk to the FIRST staff about your concerns. Trust me, they listen to what you have to say. Be smart and concise in when you talk to them, and you will get what you want.

[Matt Leese]

For those who, like me, are curious as to where Hill, PA is, please realize that it doesn't exist. FIRST is missing the fact that Upper Darby High School is located in Drexel Hill, PA.

Matt

[RoboMom]

Anyone have the inside word on when these will be starting this year? I'm trying to schedule a trip around the date for NH.

[KathieK]

According to FIRST, the dates will be announced by the end of this week on their website. I believe they are looking at the beginning of June, but the dates have not yet been confirmed.

If anyone on CD has any impact on this process, my suggestion is to plan these dates early and post them on the calendar along with all the competition dates and deadlines. In some cases, flights and hotels must be reserved. At the very least, we are busy during this time of year with graduations, weddings, etc. etc., not to mention the fact that many of us meet year-round now and have other FIRST activities we are trying to fit into our schedules!

[RoboMom]

Originally Posted by KathieK

If anyone on CD has any impact on this process, my suggestion is to plan these dates early and post them on the calendar along with all the competition dates and deadlines.

I second that. This happened last year too, where I wasn't able to make the 2 hour drive each way to attend the closest forum (in PA) because of scheduling conflicts. I was hoping to attend the one in NH this year, but I've given up trying to plan around this at this late date.