**FIRST EMAIL**/TODAY is Robot Ship/Lock-up Day!

[Joe Ross]

Greetings Teams:

Today is Robot Ship/Lock-up Day! All teams are required to ship or bag their robots by the end of the day today. For Bag and Tag teams: the rules don’t require the robot to be secured by a certain time of day, so as long as this is done by 11:59PM, in your time zone, you are in compliance.

“What if I am unable to ship/lock-up my robot today?” We recognize that some teams may not be able to ship or bag their robots today due to circumstances beyond their control, for example, if a school is closed due to inclement weather. Teams in this situation must make every effort to ship or bag their robot as soon as possible after the circumstance causing the delay has cleared. Teams in this situation must also send an email to frcteams@usfirst.org, explaining the reason why they can’t ship or bag their robot, and certifying that no work was done on the robot after 2/22. The email must come from an adult who is not directly affiliated with the team, such as a school administrator, and must include the sender’s phone number in case we have additional questions.

New for Bag and Tag Teams: Also for Bag and Tag teams: We have received several requests to allow teams to use more than one bag to secure their robot and mechanisms. After careful consideration, we have decided we will allow teams to do this. We strongly encourage teams to use a single bag if possible, however, if you feel you need to use a second bag for ease of transportation or other reasons, you may do so. The second bag also must, of course, be secured with a security seal, and be logged on your Robot Lock-Up Form. It would be best to list both bags on a single Lock-Up form to make tracking easier.

New for Traditional Event Teams: In an effort to make Robot Ship Day confirmation easier, we have added a new section in TIMS which allows you to upload your FedEx pro number so we can confirm your robot was shipped on or before 2/22. To locate this section in TIMS, please do the following:

· Log in to TIMS
· On the FRC Dashboard page, Click “Edit” under Teams I Can Administer
· On the Team Summary page, scroll down to the Robot Shipment field—click “Edit/View”
· Click “Edit Details”
· Enter your pro number and click “Finished”
· This information must be entered before March 1st, 2011

Go Teams!