"i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th

[EricH]

Originally Posted by gblake

Sound great except that I would recommend starting VRC or FTC teams for those ages.

Depends on the age of the Scouts in question.

If it's a Cub Scout pack (8-10, IIRC), FLL would probably be a good fit. Webelos, too (10-11 years old).

But if you've got a Boy Scout troop (11-18), or a Venture crew (16?-21), then VRC, FTC, or possibly FRC would be the way to go.

[DonRotolo]

Originally Posted by rsisk

A lady walks in, her first question: "Are those FIRST robots?"

Very cool.
Yes ma'am, they are.

[Karibou]

Originally Posted by EricH

But if you've got a Boy Scout troop (11-18), or a Venture crew (16?-21), then VRC, FTC, or possibly FRC would be the way to go.

Venturing starts at 14 (or 13, if they've completed 8th grade). Still at the age where they've outgrown FLL.



Way to go, rsisk.

[Walter Deitzler]

Originally Posted by EricH

Depends on the age of the Scouts in question.

If it's a Cub Scout pack (8-10, IIRC), FLL would probably be a good fit. Webelos, too (10-11 years old).

But if you've got a Boy Scout troop (11-18), or a Venture crew (16?-21), then VRC, FTC, or possibly FRC would be the way to go.

Venture Crew is 14-21

[dag0620]

By Scoutmaster I'm going to assume you meant regular Boy Scouts, and not Blue Loops or Green Shirts.

In that case you could go either way. I know in my troop the younger guys wouldn't quite ready for FTC yet however with the older boys the FLL ship has sailed.

If you did mean a Cub Scout Pack, FLL all the way.

As for Venturing, Obviously FTC, but honestly with funding I could see FRC. Unlike CS and BS, Venturing allows much more freedom with program and what one chooses to focus on. I could see a Venture Crews entire January February Program being based in FRC.

Either way good luck to that unit interested in starting a team. As a Scout myself, I can entertain the fact that many leadership and people skills I've learned in Scouts have come in mighty handy with FIRST.

Yours in FIRST and Scouting,

[Walter Deitzler]

Plus we see so many FIRST girl scout team (i.e the Space Cookies) it would be nice to also see some boy scout teams.

[Molten]

Am I the only one that gets chills reading this thread and realizing the impact of what is happening?

[rsisk]

Originally Posted by Molten

Am I the only one that gets chills reading this thread and realizing the impact of what is happening?

What do you mean? Good chills or bad?

[Molten]

Originally Posted by rsisk

What do you mean? Good chills or bad?

Good. I just get the feeling that what we experienced might have had great historical relevance. The sheer reach that this had and the impact that it might have made. Its really awe-inspiring really. It will be amazing to see the number of new teams next year and compare it to normal annual growth(which was always large). We had a roughly 14% growth in the number of teams in FRC last year. How much growth will we see this year? I wouldn't be surprised if it hits 30% just reading these stories. We all have something to look forward to.

Jason

[Travis Hoffman]

Originally Posted by Molten

How much growth will we see this year? I wouldn't be surprised if it hits 30% just reading these stories. We all have something to look forward to.

Jason

More teams can be a blessing...but also a curse. *Ducks and Covers*

Are we veteran FIRST folks ready to take on the added challenge of ensuring all new rookie teams expected to jump out of the woodwork are given veteran attention prior to them arriving at their first competition?

Cuz if not, I'm definitely not looking forward to seeing an even greater number of teams show up at their first event ever completely overwhelmed and underprepared. I also do not look forward to the additional stress such situations bring to the event volunteers and veteran teams who try to support rookies on the fly.

Spending a few hours of vet team time during build season ensuring a rookie's frame is within legal dimensions and their wiring is up to spec and speaking with their mentors on what to plan for ahead of and at competitions can really enhance a rookie's level of inspiration at an event.

Heading into an event with more confidence than trepidation equals more inspiration. Veterans assisting rookies BEFORE competitions makes the event more stress-free and enjoyable for EVERYONE!

You don't have to be on-site to provide support. Choose an appropriate radius of outreach from your team's location - find all rookie teams registering within that zone. Contact them - get connected via Skype and other online means. Check in with them at least once a week. It works even better if veteran teams coordinate their rookie support efforts with other veterans within their region. In checking with other vets, you might even find that the vet teams in your area would benefit by working together to help EACH OTHER out!

Think of the benefits a little more effort from veterans up front can have on the FIRST organization. In addition to making sure new teams start out in the "right-sized" FIRST program for their resources and capabilities, let's all make a greater effort to reach out to rookie FIRST teams as early and frequently as possible. I think then the quality of output from rookies may start creeping up to match the quantity, the quality of competition at events will correspondingly improve due to a more competitive field, spectators and sponsors will then be more excited and enthused by what they witness on the field and in the pits, and on and on and on.

[rsisk]

Originally Posted by Travis Hoffman

More teams can be a blessing...but also a curse. *Ducks and Covers*

Are we veteran FIRST folks ready to take on the added challenge of ensuring all new rookie teams expected to jump out of the woodwork are given veteran attention prior to them arriving at their first competition?

<snip>

I know this doesn't solve the problem of a huge influx of teams, but FIRST just doubled the number of Senior Mentors they have in the field. Hopefully that will improve the attention all the new folks will be getting.

[Lavapicker]

I see the good this show and all the work Will.i.am has done for FIRST this year and I know you can't show everything in a TV show like this but I was Very disappointed not to see any mention of 359. I thought for sure we'd see a shot of them on stage getting the award with a short bio of why they got it. Chairmans is the highest award in FIRST since its not about how well we do year to year in competition but how our programs impact our students, community and the world which we all know is more important in the long run than who got first place. That should be the message we get out there to people looking in, even on a "short" recruitment show like this. I think someone dropped the ball on it. They showed bio's from other teams and the impact FIRST had on their students but not the Championship Chairmans winner which is the definition of impact? What happened? Glenn and the gang at McKinley's 368 led the way in Hawaii where I believe we now have the highest percentage of schools with robotics programs in the whole United States. I believe every single team in Hawaii was helped at some point by Glenn. Perhaps if we were a bigger State it would have made the show? Glenn, his team and their story would have been an inspiration to a lot of people out there. I don't want to talk bad about his school (sorry Glenn but people need to know) but His very small school is in a very poor, rural and remote part of the Island and yet he has built a powerhouse program in a place where there was very little going on before him. Again, He accomplished what this show was hoping to accomplish.

[JaneYoung]

Originally Posted by Lavapicker

I see the good this show and all the work Will.i.am has done for FIRST this year and I know you can't show everything in a TV show like this but I was Very disappointed not to see any mention of 359. I thought for sure we'd see a shot of them on stage getting the award with a short bio of why they got it. Chairmans is the highest award in FIRST since its not about how well we do year to year in competition but how our programs impact our students, community and the world which we all know is more important in the long run than who got first place. That should be the message we get out there to people looking in, even on a "short" recruitment show like this. I think someone dropped the ball on it. They showed bio's from other teams and the impact FIRST had on their students but not the Championship Chairmans winner which is the definition of impact? What happened? Glenn and the gang at McKinley's 368 led the way in Hawaii where I believe we now have the highest percentage of schools with robotics programs in the whole United States. I believe every single team in Hawaii was helped at some point by Glenn. Perhaps if we were a bigger State it would have made the show? Glenn, his team and their story would have been an inspiration to a lot of people out there. I don't want to talk bad about his school (sorry Glenn but people need to know) but His very small school is in a very poor, rural and remote part of the Island and yet he has built a powerhouse program in a place where there was very little going on before him. Again, He accomplished what this show was hoping to accomplish.

I've heard it said that the show is the 'hook' to catch the attention and interest of those who haven't heard of FIRST.

To me, 359 makes for excellent bait and is the fish that could be shared with millions. To add, 359 and the other HoF teams can teach the ignorant and unaware - how to fish. They do it all the time - with or without a boat. To add, they know which ones to keep and which ones to throw back. To add, they provide excellent recipes for preparation of the fish and providing an enticing and fulfilling meal, scaled to size and seasoned for direct impact.

Not sure how such an opportunity was so incredibly missed but it sure was.

Jane

[Carol]

I agree that showing the CA winner would have added a powerful segment to the show. But, as pointed out earlier, the teams were probably selected BEFORE Championships and close to their home base. (I add probably because none of us know for sure and stating it as a fact is dishonest.) Since CA wasn't awarded until Friday night, there wouldn't have been time to do much more than a brief segment.

The producers should have been told of the importance of the CA award, so they could have at least mentioned it. But again, the producers, like most people exposed to FIRST for the first time (no pun intended) focus on the gee-whiz aspect in order to get people interested, and to stop them from changing the channel.

[JohnBoucher]

Originally Posted by Molten

Good. I just get the feeling that what we experienced might have had great historical relevance. The sheer reach that this had and the impact that it might have made. Its really awe-inspiring really. It will be amazing to see the number of new teams next year and compare it to normal annual growth(which was always large). We had a roughly 14% growth in the number of teams in FRC last year. How much growth will we see this year? I wouldn't be surprised if it hits 30% just reading these stories. We all have something to look forward to.

Jason

I hope and pray that this has a very positive impact on FIRST. I hope it leads to sustained growth. Growth has to include sustaining veteran teams. FIRST needs to keep it's core. Mark McLeod's chart of mean team age is flattening out. I would hate to see it trend down.

If we get 30% growth from this, who is going to tell them how few rookie teams get to go to Champs? I hope they join for the right reasons.