Bag and Tag Events List

[JohnBoucher]

The list is up.
http://frcdirector.blogspot.com/2010...much-more.html


Interesting Hartford is on the list.

[Bob Steele]

I was under the impression that Fed Ex was not participating this year for shipping (except perhaps for the championships)

At events that are not bag and tag are teams obligated to ship their robots?

Anyone know what's up?

[R.C.]

I'm extremely happy that bag n tag events have been expanded.

Fedex is not participating?

-RC

[EricH]

I don't know if you all remember, but last couple of years FIRST went over the amount of shipping donated by FedEx sometime around Championship. FIRST had to pay the rest. http://frcdirector.blogspot.com/2010...ship-show.html

If FedEx's shipping donation has been lowered, or even if it stays the same, the expansion of Bag-and-Tag will reduce the hit to FIRST's finances by extending the time that the donation lasts.

[BrendanB]

Nice to see New Hampshire on the list.

[Dale]

Bill's Blog states that FedEx doesn't pick up at bag and tag events. If an out of state team were to ship their robot to one of these events in a crate how do they then get it to their next venue? Do you have to use Shepard or its equivalent? If there were a FedEx donation this year (fingers crossed) that would seem odd and very expensive.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by Dale

Bill's Blog states that FedEx doesn't pick up at bag and tag events. If an out of state team were to ship their robot to one of these events in a crate how do they then get it to their next venue? Do you have to use Shepard or its equivalent? If there were a FedEx donation this year (fingers crossed) that would seem odd and very expensive.

Try looking at Bill's Blog again. Particularly the following:

Originally Posted by Bill's Blog

New this year, FRC will be working with teams that have to travel long distances to attend events that are now Bag & Tag. (For example last year teams from Brazil and the UK attended the NYC Regional). The details are still in the works, but don’t eliminate a Bag and Tag event just because your team lives too far away to drive to the event. FRCTeams@usfirst.org will work with individual teams to arrange shipping to Bag & Tag events depending on your circumstances.

That's the second paragraph, right under the changes, emphasis mine.

Let's say that 330 is going to the Alamo Regional (just to pick a team/event). It's a good, solid 2-3 day drive. L.A. (330's home event) is not B&T, but Alamo is. 330 would contact FRC and get the procedure/shipping site. I'm guessing no bagging needed, provided that there is crate proof, but bagging would not hurt. Ship to Alamo via FRC procedure, ship to L.A. via FRC procedure (whatever that happens to be).

[Brandon Holley]

Originally Posted by JohnBoucher

The list is up.
http://frcdirector.blogspot.com/2010...much-more.html


Interesting Hartford is on the list.

Can someone repost the list here? Blogspot is blocked at work.

[Vikesrock]

Originally Posted by Brandon Holley

Can someone repost the list here? Blogspot is blocked at work.

Here you go Brandon

Week One
March 3-5, 2011
Alamo Regional - San Antonio TX
BAE Systems Granite State Regional - Manchester, NH
Finger Lakes Regional - Rochester, NY
New Jersey Regional – Trenton, NJ

March 4-5
Kettering University District – Flint, MI
Traverse City District – Traverse City, MI

Week Two
March 10-12
Greater Kansas City Regional – Kansas City, MO
Pittsburg Regional – Pittsburg, PA

March 11-13
New York City Regional – New York City, NY

Week Three
March 17-19
Arizona Regional - Chandler, AZ
Oklahoma Regional – Oklahoma City, OK
Sacramento Regional - Davis, CA
Seattle Cascade Regional – Seattle, WA
Seattle Olympic Regional – Seattle, WA

March 18-19
Detroit District – Detroit, MI
West Michigan District – Allendale, MI

Week Four
March 24-26
Autodesk Oregon Regional – Portland, OR
SBPLI Long Island Regional – Hempstead, NY
Washington DC Regional – Washington, DC
Waterloo Regional - Waterloo, ON

March 25-26
Ann Arbor District – Ann Arbor, MI
Niles District (TBD) - Niles, MI

Week Five
March 31-April 2
Greater Toronto East Regional - Mississauga, ON
Greater Toronto West Regional - Mississauga, ON
MN 10,000 Lakes Regional – Minneapolis, MN
MN North Star Regional - Minneapolis, MN
Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional – Hartford, CT
Silicon Valley Regional – San Jose, CA

April 1-2
Troy District – Troy, MI
Livonia District – Livonia, MI

Week Six
April 7-9
Colorado Regional– this date and location are still tentative
MI State Championship – Ypsilanti, MI
Virginia Regional – Richmond, VA

[JamesBrown]

I like the Idea of Bag and Tag, the only thing I don't like it that NH and CT are both bag and tag but Boston and WPI are not. I would have liked to see them all the same so teams could easily mix and match. It seems to complicate things a bit if you mix bag and tag and traditional shipping.

[JohnBoucher]

Originally Posted by JamesBrown

I like the Idea of Bag and Tag, the only thing I don't like it that NH and CT are both bag and tag but Boston and WPI are not. I would have liked to see them all the same so teams could easily mix and match. It seems to complicate things a bit if you mix bag and tag and traditional shipping.

Exactly. Should be interesting.

[Aren Siekmeier]

Originally Posted by JamesBrown

I like the Idea of Bag and Tag, the only thing I don't like it that NH and CT are both bag and tag but Boston and WPI are not. I would have liked to see them all the same so teams could easily mix and match. It seems to complicate things a bit if you mix bag and tag and traditional shipping.

Agreed. It's especially ineffective for teams going to a standard ship event, then a bag and tag, then another normal one. For example, 2175 is hoping (assuming funding and member availability) to go to Duluth Week 2, which is NOT Bag and Tag, then North Star Week 5, which IS Bag and Tag, and then Championships, which is obviously NOT Bag and Tag. The Bag and Tag event in the middle saves absolutely no shipping, just probably some drayage. In our case, it really doesn't make a difference that North Star is now Bag and Tag, unless we don't go to Duluth.

From my understanding, you pretty much have to bring in a bagged robot to a Bag and Tag event, unless you arrange with FIRST as a long-distance team to have it shipped. On the other hand, are you required to ship to regionals that are not bag and tag? It seems so, from the line

Teams will NOT be allowed to carry their robots in or out of any other events unless they receive special permission as outlined in
Section 4.5.9.

It seems that it would further FIRST's money saving in the shipping area if they allowed this, but perhaps it isn't feasible for other reasons (safety, etc.)

Also, from reading last year's manual, it looks like there are issues with back to back regionals that are not both bag and tag or standard shipping? Not that this applies to us...

[EricH]

Originally Posted by compwiztobe

Also, from reading last year's manual, it looks like there are issues with back to back regionals that are not both bag and tag or standard shipping? Not that this applies to us...

Other than getting the robot into/out of the crate for shipping... You have to have FedEx pick up the crated robot by the Tuesday after the B&T event and deliver it to drayage, which isn't a whole lot of time (1-2 days in transit). OTOH, you have to get the crate delivered to you and then open it, remove the bag, and haul that if the B&T event is the second one. Again, only a couple of days to ship the robot to where it needs to go.

[thefro526]

Oh, New Jersey is Bag and Tag.

I'm excited.

[Dale]

With the usual competition for slots at regionals when registation opens, I'd sure want to know in advance what kind of arrangements FRCTeams was proposing for a bag and tag event I was thinking of shipping to. There might be some arrangements we don't like the sound of or that don't work with our travel plans. I could imagine some venues where they would expect you to ship your robot to the corner of some donated warehouse, unpack your crate, rent a truck, bring the robot to the event and then reverse the process on the way out. Not our idea of fun!

Personally I think every regional should have a procedure for how inbound and outbound crate shipping works at their event published in advance. That way you could decide before using up your first choice regional pick if that was something you liked the sound of.