Help winning the rookie award at nationals

[rsisk]

Rookie All Star Award

This award celebrates the rookie team exemplifying a young but strong partnership effort, as well as implementing the mission of FIRST to inspire students to learn more about science and technology

This is the description of the Rookie All Star award from the Award documentation on the FIRST web site. It is also the criteria the judges look at when determining who among the 54 rookies teams at Championship best fits this description.

Your job is to convince the judges that visit your pit why your team best fits the criteria above. Your time with the judges is short, so you need to convince them quickly that you are RAS material.

First, have a single page bullet point list of things your team has done that coincide with the description above. Make sure your team name, number and logo are at the top of this single page. Make sure you include objective measures of how you are RAS material. Facts and numbers are important. Print it on distinctive paper so it stands out in a stack of papers, use your team colors, or print it on bright yellow paper. Make sure to have enough copies of this single sheet to hand to every judge you talk to. 2 at a minimum. Give this to the judge when you the time is right, but definitely before they leave your pit.

Make sure everyone on your team is prepared to talk to the judges when they come by your pit. Once again, your time is short and you need to be prepared to get your message across quickly. The judge will ask some questions, but you can also control the conversation so you address what makes your team RAS material. Be sure to get the info to the judge in the most efficient manner you can, no long rambling stories that have nothing to do with why you are RAS material. Practice this with each other before you get to St. Louis.

Offer the judges a button or some other small token to help them remember your team. Buttons are good because they can be worn and don't have to be carried and have your team name/number on it. You are one of 54 teams that will be visited for RAS, anything you can do to help them remember you is critical.

Now, the next question is what have you done to make you RAS material? What have you done to inspire students to learn more about science and technology. This can include students on the team, or students outside the team. Any special training? Outreach to other groups like girl/boy scouts, other students in the school? What programs do you have in place to promote FIRST? What partnerships have you developed in your rookie year? Have you reached out to business in your area to partner with them to build your team?

One thing to remember is the RAS award is not based on robot performance, although building a successful robot could be included as an accomplishment in the sense that your students have learned important engineering skills. Let the judge know how you came up with your innovative design, how you make decisions, how you structure your team, and how you develop these skills with your team members.

So now you and any other of the 54 rookie teams in St. Louis that read Chiefdelphi have a pretty good idea of how to prepare for RAS. You need to add the special 3553 touch that will make your team stand out.

Good luck!