**FIRST EMAIL**/Returning to Weekly E-Blasts/Buy Pool Noodles NOW/FIRST Senior Mentor

[Mark McLeod]

Greetings Teams:

Is it September already?! We hope that everyone had a great summer, and that you are as excited as we are for the upcoming FRC season!

Return of Weekly Email Blasts: Please note that after Labor Day, we will return to a weekly email blast schedule in an effort to keep you well-informed on the latest FRC news. Be sure to check your inbox each Thursday for the FRC email blast, and don’t forget that we always post email blasts to the 2011 FRC Season News and Email Blasts page: http://usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/...starchive.aspx. You can even subscribe to an RSS feed to receive alerts when this page is updated!

Opt in to the Email Blast: In the past, the email blast has automatically been sent to only the main and alternate contacts of each FRC team. One of the improvements we made to TIMS over the summer is a new ‘opt in’ feature that allows any team contact listed in the TIMS system (Shipping, Scholarship, Mentor, etc.) to ‘opt in’ to receive the email blast. Additional team contacts may opt in when they accept a team contact invitation, or by checking off the appropriate box when editing their user profile. Main and alternate contacts will continue to automatically receive the email blast—sorry, main and alternate contacts cannot ‘opt out!’ For more information about other improvements made to TIMS, please click here: http://usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/....aspx?id=17759.

Buy Pool Noodles NOW: The Game Design Committee (GDC) has determined that the robots will be required to have bumpers in 2011, and urge you to buy pool noodles now while they are still in season. To learn more about what the GDC is cooking up for the 2011 season, check out Bill’s Blog: http://frcdirector.blogspot.com/2010...odles-now.html.

FIRST Senior Mentor (FSM) Call, September 9th @ 7 p.m. EST: The first FSM call of the season, Choosing a Competition, will take place on Thursday, September 9th @ 7 p.m. EST. The call will cover tips and suggestions for successful planning and travel, and will be hosted by FSM Nate Knauss (New Jersey and Philadelphia), with special guest, Frank Merrick (FRC Deputy Director). For call-in information, please visit: http://usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/....aspx?id=17850.

Go Teams!