**FIRST EMAIL**/Thank You 2009 FRC Teams!

[Mark McLeod]

Greetings Teams:

What can I say? You Did It Again!And to our new and rookie teams, what a way to make your debut, You Did It! Kudos to everyone! Words cannot adequately convey my, and the entire FRC staff's, pride in, respect for and appreciation of your contributions toward making this past season such a success. In 2009 we introduced an all-new control system, developed a new field management system, piloted District Events, and grew the number of participating teams. Thank you for your help and congratulations on your success!


A lot of people helped make the season possible. We want to thank Show Ready Events and Sargent Productions for their part in bringing you 41 Regional Events and the FIRST Championship. Kudos go out to FIRST in Michigan for piloting 7 District Events this past season, and we can’t forget the outstanding efforts of the Regional Directors and Senior Mentors who worked hard all season on your behalf. And of special note, we want to acknowledge each and every one of our fantastic mentors and volunteers. Thank you all, we could not have done it without you!


We want to send a special congratulations to the 2009 Chairman’s Award winning team: Team 236, the Dominion Millstone Power Station & Lyme-Old Lyme High School, Old Lyme, CT, the Techno-Ticks! "Congratulations Techno-Ticks!"


Here at 200 Bedford Streetwe’re already thinking ahead to the 2010 season. We will be upgrading the 2009 Driver Station, introducing Java as an additional programming language option, and exploring additional options for the Kit of Parts. We thank you all for your feedback during the season, and want to remind you that Team Forums will be held by Regional Directors in select areas. If your Regional Director is not holding a Team Forum, and you would like to submit season feedback, send your input to frcteams@usfirst.org.


Please note the FRC Team Information Management System (TIMS) will shut down at the end of the month on May 29, so we can begin enhancements and upgrades for 2010. Please make sure your TIMS email information is correct before this date so you can continue to receive important news over the summer months. Remember, you can always access our email blasts online at: http://www.usfirst.org/community/frc/content.aspx?id=6616.

Finally, I want to acknowledge the challenging economic times and assure you we are working hard to find ways to keep FRC affordable without losing the elements that make FIRST special and unique. You should be hearing from your Regional Director soon to assess how your team is doing. We are collecting best fundraising practices and exploring new team sponsorship opportunities, all of which we’ll share in the near future. We can't promise the outcomes yet, but we assure you we will be working with you and for you in the coming months!

We thank you again for a FANTASTIC 2009 season, and look forward to having you with us in 2010.


Have a happy and safe Memorial Day.


Bill Miller, Director of FRC
Go Teams!