[BB]: News and News

[ATannahill]

Posted at 11:41.

Good Morning Teams,

Keep an eye out. Sections 4 and 5 of the 2010 FRC manual will be posted very soon.

New in Section 4 Robot Shipping:
We need your help to make the FedEx donation stretch as far as possible so we don’t exceed the total and have to pay extra like we did last year. What can teams do? Keep your robot crate as light as possible. Freight shipments are charged by weight, so the fewer pounds FRC teams ship this year, the further the FedEx donation can stretch. You can make a difference by carrying that extra toolbox in your car rather than shipping it in your crate, or deciding to pack 1 drill rather than 2. Every little bit helps!

As part of this effort, FRC has decided to raise the overage fees for teams whose crates are heavier than the 400 pound limit. We hope that this will provide even more incentive to keep crate weight down and not have FRC exceed the FedEx shipping donation. Pack carefully.

New in Section 5 Awards:
We won’t be using FIRSTAwards.org anymore. Instead, Team Main Contacts will assign up to four students in TIMS as Award Submitters. The student Award Submitters will then be given access to the award submission section of the new Student Team Member Information System. The site opens for submissions at noon EST January 12, 2010 and closes at midnight EST February 18, 2010. Decide now who’s going to be responsible and make sure your Main Contact gets their names into the system.

Plus, there’s a new Coopertition Award. All the details are in Section 5

News on the FRC Staff:
Late last week we bid farewell to Neil Rosenberg the FRC Engineering Manager. Neil had a positive effect on FRC during his three years with us and will be missed. We wish him and his wife the best as they move to North Carolina to begin the next phase of their lives.

We’re looking for a new Engineering Manager and have had several inquiries from the first community. The position is posted here

25 days until the 2010 Kickoff
See you there!