FRC Blog 21 May 2014

[Rosiebotboss]

2015 FRC Registration Payment Due Date Moved
Blog Date: Wednesday, May 21, 2014 - 12:49.2015 FRC Registration Payment Due Date Moved

At the 2014 Kickoff, we encountered some challenges in making sure all teams received their kits as expected either at their Kickoff location or via MySite shipment. In some cases, teams were missing major sets of Kickoff Kit items, such as entire totes or drive bases. Missing major sets of items like these did not happen to a high percentage of teams, but when something like this does happen, it’s obvious this can significantly impact a team’s schedule and their ability to be successful. A task force was formed, led by Toby Clarke, FRC Program Manager, to review these issues and come up with an action plan.

Among issues such as winter weather delays and heavy holiday freight loads, leading to delivery uncertainties, it was also noted that kits were being delivered between Christmas and New Year’s day, when many Kickoff location facilities have limited staffing and little time to correct for issues before teams arrive for Kickoff. Also, our volunteer Kickoff Coordinators are stressed during this period, when many have other plans, to ensure all is ready for the big day.

In addition to putting better quality controls in place before kits are shipped so we can prevent issues from occurring in the first place, we want to give Kickoff Coordinators more time to review their shipment for any missing totes or drive bases, so corrections can be made before teams arrive. This requires we ship the kits earlier, which in turn requires us to move the Registration Payment Due date to November 24, 2014. This is approximately 11 calendar days earlier than in previous FRC seasons.

We recognize fundraising is a challenge for teams, and we do not make this decision lightly. However, we believe this change will help ensure all teams have the best possible start to their build season. We wanted to be sure to tell you now about this change so you have plenty of time to plan accordingly for the upcoming season. Currently we do not plan to make any other changes to the traditional registration schedule starting in September.

Frank



http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprogr...yment-Due-Date