**FIRST EMAIL**/Critical Deadlines/Kit & Kickoff Preferences/Bag & Tag Exemptions/Dea

[Mark McLeod]

**FIRST EMAIL**/Critical Deadlines/Kit & Kickoff Preferences/Bag & Tag Exemptions/Dean Kamen's Water Purification Device/Ask an Expert Call/2013 Mentor Certificate of Appreciation



Greetings Teams:

Critical Deadlines:

· Thursday, 12/06/12 at 12 PM (noon) ET: Regional event registration closes; Championship registration closes.
· Thursday, 12/06/12 at 12 PM (noon) ET: Kit & Kickoff registration closes (please find more information on Kit & Kickoff preferences below).
· Friday, 12/07/12: Payment deadline for initial regional event registration.
· Friday, 12/07/12: Bag and tag exemption request deadline (please find more information on bag and tag exemptions below).
· Thursday, 12/13/12 at 12PM (noon) ET: Deadline to submit Safety Animation submissions (via STIMS).

“Kit and Kickoff Preferences” (in TIMS) is where you indicate how your team wants to pickup/receive the Kit of Parts (KoP) and where/if your team plans to attend Kickoff. Please note the following before making your selections:

1. Picking up your KoP at a Kickoff will save your team shipping costs;

2. If your team chooses not to attend any Kickoff, the KoP will be shipped to your Shipping Contact and your team will be responsible for the shipping costs. Teams that choose to have their KoP shipped can expect to receive it sometime during the week after Kickoff. International teams should be aware that delivery date will depend on customs clearance;

3. Your team may attend more than one Kickoff. For example, you can send members to the Kickoff in Manchester, NH, while others can attend a Local Kickoff in your area. However, you must indicate only one Kickoff for KoP pickup.

Surrogate Kit Pickup Option:

If your team is unable to pick up its KoP at the Kickoff you registered for in TIMS, and you do not wish to incur shipping charges to have it mailed, an alternate team may pick up your KoP at that Kickoff. You must provide FIRST with an authorization letter, signed by your team’s main contact, on school or sponsor letterhead in order for us to release the KoP. You can find a template for this letter here: http://tinyurl.com/cy6kkfr.

Fax the letter to Team Support at 603-666-3907 no later than 5:00 pm ET on 12/31/12 or send a hard copy to FIRST, Attn: Team Support, 200 Bedford Street, Manchester, NH 03101. The letter must include the following:

1. Your Team Number and the Kickoff pickup location;

2. The name and team number of the representative picking up the KoP;

3. Provide a copy of the Surrogate Kit Pickup letter to the team representative picking up the KoP for your team. This representative must bring the letter to the appropriate Kickoff.

Bag & Tag Exemptions: If bringing your robot to a competition event presents your team with a substantial hardship – for example, if your team needs to travel a great distance or cross an ocean to get to your event - you may request a bag and tag exemption by sending an email to: frcteams@usfirst.org.

In your request, please include as much detail as possible to support why an exemption is required. Please use the subject line: Bag and Tag Exemption Request, Team XXXX, with your team number in place of “XXXX” in your email. Exemption requests must be submitted by Friday, 12/7/12.

2013 NASA Grant Recipients: The 2013 NASA Grant Recipients have been announced. For more information, please visit: http://robotics.nasa.gov/events/2013_sponsorship.php.

Dean Kamen’s Slingshot Water Purification Device: Dean and his Slingshot water purification device are being featured in a short film by FRC Game Design Committee member Paul Lazarus. The film was entered in a competition designed to highlight big ideas – and we can help this big idea get the recognition it deserves by voting for it online! Check out the details here: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprogr.../blog-11-15-12.

Ask an Expert Call: Join FRC Logistics Manager Carla Proulx and Senior Mentor Teri Benart for the Ask an Expert call “FRC Robot Transportation”. The call will be taking place on Wednesday, 12/5/12 at 7 pm ET. You can find details on all of this season’s Ask an Expert calls here: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprogr...nce-recordings.

2013 Mentor Certificate of Appreciation: Please be sure to invite all of your FRC mentors to your team’s TIMS record so they can receive their 2013 recognition certificate and pin in January during National Mentor Month. In order for team mentors to receive their recognition items, they must be registered as a mentor in TIMS by Friday, 12/14/12.

Go Teams!