Event schedule for non-FIRSTer?

[petek]

Josh,

A quick brief on what is happening which might not be clear from the public agenda:
Thursday is practice day
First thing in the morning everybody rushes in. It's kinda like a tidal wave, only multi-colored.
The robot crews finish any unpacking that didn't get done Wed., fix anything that they didn't get done at their last regional and play a few practice matches to work the bugs out. If they're having problems, they may be there late (the pits close at 8 PM). Ask about their robots - they love talking about their robots! Ask about how their team fits in their school and what they do on the team. They like to talk about that stuff, too. Take lots of pictures of people talking about their robots. (You can find lots of pictures of robots on the web, so take pictures of people, pit decorations and stuff that's harder to find - and will mean more down the line).
The scouting crews lose their voices and wear holes in their sneakers checking out all the other teams in their divisions.
Team members get ready for presentations to the judges and try to unload some of the buttons and handouts they're carrying around.
Everyone meets up with old friends and make new ones.
Friday is when things get serious
Go to the opening ceremonies. Take lots of pictures of the crowded stands.
Go to the pits and talk to the teams some more. Now they have their qualifying schedules and know what teams they'll be playing with and against. See the teams strategize.
Try following a team or two for a couple of hours to see how they fair and how they deal with problems. Wear your feet out walking back and forth between the dome and the pits. Snap a few of the frisbee games along the way.
Watch how everyone goes on their best behavior when the nice folks in the blue shirts come by. They're the judges. More photo ops of students telling the judges about how neat their robot is, etc.
Check out the the teams with lots of spirit in the stands (More Kodak moments). Check out the Lego League competitors from around the world (hope you brought a lot of memory and batteries for the camera). And comfortable shoes. Don't forget to check out the Vex teams and their competition - they make up for their smaller size with big ideas and enthusiasm. Seriously, check out the Vex robots and be amazed at what they do.
Saturday is intense
If you thought people worked, cheered and played hard on Friday, you ain't seen nuttin. By Saturday morning qualifying most of the teams and their robots are working about as well as they can and the on-field action starts getting very serious. Lots of scoring, lots of defense and lots of cheering from the stands. Good thing you have lots of empty memory in the camera, right?
By the end of qualifying in the morning, the teams are schemeing and strategizing, jockeying to be chosen or figuring out who to choose for the eliminations in the afternoon.
After qualifying wraps up, the top teams pick their alliance partners for the afternoon eliminations. Once these selections are made, there will be lots of groups of driving teams gathering in each others pits and wherever they can find space to figure out how they'll play against their competitors.
There will be some great matches played in the eliminations. Epic struggle kind of stuff, with extra matches deciding ties, brutal defense and some great scoring. But don't forget to watch the people - the faces and gestures of the driving teams, the fans in the stands screaming and the intensity of the referees.

I hope that helps a little to prepare you for a three-day long pep-rally-to-end all-pep-rallies. If you can, follow RoboMom's invitation to help set up - it will be a great experience and may open a few doors for you. And by all means, get to know some of the other nice folks who offered to take you under their wings and let them show you around. One great thing about the Championship is that there is never enough time, so there's always lots more to do and people to meet the next time!