Minnesota FIRST Robotics accepted into MSHSL

[ehochstein]

Minnesota State Fairgrounds - August 25, 2011 — Recognizing the importance of science and math extracurricular activities, the Minnesota State High School League announced today that its Board of Directors has voted to partner with FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in supporting robotics competitions. The announcement was made by Executive Director Dave Stead at a news conference on the grounds of the Minnesota State Fair in conjunction with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Day at the Fair. [U.S. Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota is also scheduled to make some comments at the announcement news conference.]

In Carousel Park outside of the Grandstand today, schools, organizations and companies showed how to engage in STEM after school. Hands-on activities and interactive demonstrations entertained and educated Fair fans. Information about future employment trends and educational opportunities in STEM fields was available. There were also robot competitions involving FIRST high school teams from Minneapolis Washburn and Woodbury's Math and Science Academy, as well as Courage Center, in the Education Building at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m.

Each day, up to four FIRST Robotics Competition teams will test their current year's robot against unique, obstacle-course-like trials inside the Education Building (Cosgrove Street). All FIRST Robots are on display throughout the fair, and competitions are scheduled at 10 a.m., noon, and 2 p.m. Here are the teams that will be competing:

Aug. 26 – Wayzata vs. Stillwater Area vs. Cretin-Derham Hall of St. Paul; Aug. 27 – Minneapolis Southwest vs. Roseville Area vs. Park of Cottage Grove; Aug. 28 – Visitation of Mendota Heights vs. Mahtomedi vs. Minnetonka vs. Minneapolis Patrick Henry; Aug. 29 – Dunwoody Academy of Minneapolis vs. Eagan vs. Prior Lake; Aug. 30 – Edina vs. New London-Spicer vs. St. Louis Park; Aug. 31 – Irondale of New Brighton vs. Cass Lake-Bena vs. Hutchinson vs. Chisago Lakes/North Branch; Sept. 1 -- Bloomington Kennedy vs. Lakeville South vs. The International School of Minnesota (Eden Prairie); Sept. 2 – Chaska/Chanhassen vs. The Blake School of Minneapolis vs. Burnsville; Sept. 3 – St. Anthony Village vs. AGAPE/St. Paul Highland Park vs. Southwest Christian of Chaska; Sept. 4 – Centennial of Circle Pines vs. Marshall vs. Fairmont; Sept. 5, FIRST Robotics Competition Championship.

This new partnership will make the FIRST Robotics Competition, which has 131 teams throughout Minnesota, more mainstream in Minnesota's high schools by giving it the status and statewide cohesiveness of other popular extracurricular activities. In a broader sense, it will help FIRST to realize its vision of a world in which young people dream of becoming our future science and technology leaders.

Minnesota is well poised to make FIRST Robotics Competition a mainstream program because it has the fourth-largest state contingent of teams in the nation and hosts the largest of the more than 50 FIRST Robotics Competition regional events. This event consistently fills Williams and Mariucci Arenas on the University of Minnesota campus with a combined total of 123 teams.

In its partnership, the League will promote the FIRST Robotics Competition among Minnesota high schools, support a state championship for which teams qualify at FIRST Robotics Competition regional competitions in March, and provide teams the same prominence of other League activities within their schools.

The FIRST Robotics Competition is a high school level program of FIRST, a 501(c)(3) educational non-profit based in Manchester, New Hampshire. Dubbed a “varsity sport for the mind,” FRC combines the excitement of sport with the rigors of science and technology. Under strict rules, limited resources and time limits, teams of 25 students or more are challenged to raise funds, design a team “brand,” hone teamwork skills, and build and program a robot to perform prescribed tasks against a field of competitors. It's as close to “real world” engineering that a student can get. Volunteer professional mentors lend their time and talents to guide each team.

FIRST was founded by Segway inventor Dean Kamen in 1989 to inspire America's young people to pursue future careers in science and technology by creating the same levels of fun, recognition, and celebration that students experience from participating on major high school athletic teams. The FIRST Robotics Competition has 2,072 teams nationwide and completed its 20th season in 2011. Minnesota's FIRST Robotics Competition has grown from just two to 131 teams during the past five years.

The Minnesota State High School League is excited to start celebrating STEM!

Congratulations to all FIRST teams in Minnesota! This bodes well for all of us!

http://www.mshsl.org/mshsl/index.asp

[Jon Stratis]

Lets not forget to also thank those responsible for this! The amazing growth of Minnesota teams over the past 6 years wouldn't be possible without all the amazing work and support put in by FIRST employees and volunteers here to match sponsors with schools and spread the word of FIRST throughout the state. Those same individuals brought us the "Double Regional" mentioned in the article, and this past year a third regional in the state (Duluth) - making us one of 4 states with that many regionals this past year. Now they bring us a State Championship...

Personally, I'll love having the chance to be up against the best in the state. All too often a team will go to one of the regionals and do well... without knowing how teams are doing across the street in the other regional. In fact, some teams in the state have likely never seen each other in a regional! I'm incredibly hopeful this will help pull the state-wide FIRST community even closer together.

[Alpha Beta]

Congrats to Minnesota. How does this news affect teams from out of state who want to travel to regional events in Minnesota? Will there still be regionals, or is the state moving to a Michigan like district system?

[Alex.q]

Originally Posted by Alpha Beta

Congrats to Minnesota. How does this news affect teams from out of state who want to travel to regional events in Minnesota? Will there still be regionals, or is the state moving to a Michigan like district system?

I don't know many details, but I we aren't going to a district model (our state tournament will be after the world Championship unlike Michigans). I think that the MN regionals will somehow be used to determine which MN teams go to the tournament, but will stay about the same for registration and qualification for Championships in St. Louis.

Of course, I could be wrong, so if someone knows more than me, let me know because I'm kind of wondering too. Does anyone know if we are going to be under the MSHSL rules(meeting times, fundraising, etc)?

[Bryan Herbst]

I'm excited to see what changes this brings to regionals and other competitions in Minnesota.

A huge thank you to the entire MN FIRST team for the work they put into this!

[Trent B]

I am intrigued as well to see what does actually change and see this "state championship"

Because of the nature of FIRST I am sorta confused how much MSHSL can actually do without interfering besides promoting.

[keehun]

While I am very excited, I am also very reserved in expressing excitement because of the perceived threat to the open innovation and red-tape-free environment the teams have been able to grow under. I am very glad MSHSL is recognizing FIRST, but I hope that the red tape they throw for the athletic departments will not be applied to FIRST as it will add a lot more headache to strapped teams in Minnesota

[staplemonx]

Well Done

[Jon Stratis]

Originally Posted by Alpha Beta

Congrats to Minnesota. How does this news affect teams from out of state who want to travel to regional events in Minnesota? Will there still be regionals, or is the state moving to a Michigan like district system?

From what I've heard (which could change at any time), it won't affect out of state teams at all. Regionals will operate the same as they always have. The only difference is Minnesota teams will earn "points" based on some criteria, and the top X teams in points make it into the State Championship.

Originally Posted by keehun

While I am very excited, I am also very reserved in expressing excitement because of the perceived threat to the open innovation and red-tape-free environment the teams have been able to grow under. I am very glad MSHSL is recognizing FIRST, but I hope that the red tape they throw for the athletic departments will not be applied to FIRST as it will add a lot more headache to strapped teams in Minnesota

What red tape are you worried about? I didn't grow up in Minnesota, so I don't really have experience with MN athletics...

[Aren Siekmeier]

Originally Posted by keehun

While I am very excited, I am also very reserved in expressing excitement because of the perceived threat to the open innovation and red-tape-free environment the teams have been able to grow under. I am very glad MSHSL is recognizing FIRST, but I hope that the red tape they throw for the athletic departments will not be applied to FIRST as it will add a lot more headache to strapped teams in Minnesota

This is exactly what has made me wary. I participated in 3 MSHSL sports in high school (Cross Country, Track and Field, Nordic Skiing), and I can attest to the ridiculous rules and regulations that have been instituted just because there are people who will take advantage of the situation because they are so crazy about the sport. The blunt way I like to say it is "stupid rules are for stupid people." But unfortunately this doesn't exempt the rest of us from having to follow, and quite frankly they would not be conducive to the growth of a program.

I think FIRST is blessed by a relative lack of these kinds of "stupid people" due to the competition model, culture, ethos, etc., so we hopefully don't have much to worry about here. Also, I get the feeling that robotics will be treated more like band, choir, debate, theatre, and other non-athletic extracurriculars, because no matter how much FIRST tries to mimic the sports model, robotics is not a sport.

From what I've heard, the MSHSL will be pushing for more support of the mentors/teachers heading the school teams (i.e. stipends), and will also be sponsoring/organizing this "State Championship" event, which I'm looking at as the first large, permanent off season event in Minnesota. (We've had others in the past, but they've moved around, the dates are usually different, and there hasn't been as much manpower behind the organization of them). I'm mostly just wary of the extra bureaucracy we'll have to deal with.

[dag0620]

Congrats to all the teams in Minnesota.

I gotta agree with Kehun, while this is a fantastic oppurtunity, hopefully more red-tape doesn't get added.

[ehochstein]

Originally Posted by compwiztobe

From what I've heard, the MSHSL will be pushing for more support of the mentors/teachers heading the school teams (i.e. stipends), and will also be sponsoring/organizing this "State Championship" event, which I'm looking at as the first large, permanent off season event in Minnesota. (We've had others in the past, but they've moved around, the dates are usually different, and there hasn't been as much manpower behind the organization of them). I'm mostly just wary of the extra bureaucracy we'll have to deal with.

This is what I have heard as well, this information of course being limited. Talking to the instructor and administrators at the school district I mentor for I know that MSHSL provides stipends for sports, and other activities. So one could rightfully assume that it would do the same for a Robotics Team. Although I believe that MSHSL will charge an entry fee for students to join the program at their high school, at least when I was in band that is what happened.

I wonder if this also means that super-seniors will no longer be allowed to participate in the program, I believe that is a MSHSL policy. They don't want those robotics nerds cheating by sticking around an extra year

[laurenlacy]

While I see the concern for red tape, etc; I can also see it from the perspective of someone who was on an early MN FIRST team. We had huge struggles with our school district to be recognized as a legitimate student organization, I was called into the principal's office for violating the school attendance policy (the only classes I missed were due to illness or competition travel), and a wonderful veteran FIRSTer friend of the team ended up calling our school superintendent to try and impress upon him that FIRST was actually worthwhile.

Fast forward to today... this recognition will help these teams with the support offered by the MSHSL, show administrators the legitimacy of FIRST, allow for friendly competition within the state, and hopefully better support the teacher/mentors who help the teams so much!

Congratulations!

[gyroscopeRaptor]

The sponsored idea for a state championship in the offseason has been thrown around since the double regional wrapped up, and from what I know of the plan that was written up then is that the team's first regional in MN would be given points ranking similar to Michigan's system but with less emphasis on awards and more points given to seeding. Then, the top 30 or so teams would be invited to an event in the off season that would be held over 1 or 2 days to determine the state champions.

Do note that the plan could be completely changed between now and next season.

[Bryan Herbst]

From what I have heard, FIRST will be handled similarly to marching band, dance, concert band, orchestra, choir, and drama; all of which are MSHSL-sanctioned activities.

Most of these are not as restricted as the MSHSL sports are. They are in a different class of MSHSL activities with different regulations. I am not sure exactly what the differences are, but I never felt as though the league hampered any of the other activities at all.

EDIT- You can find the fine arts rules and regulations here on their website.