We are a rookie team this year and are looking for some hints and tips to creating the chairmans award. Anything you guys can suggest will be greatly appreciated and will recquire our gratitude.
There are a few things you need to do…
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Fill out the proper documentation.
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Create a very nice video about the team and how it works(helps a lot with the judges).
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Make your team appeal to judges.
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Do lots of community outreach.
There are probably more that I haven’t listed, but those are some of the ones that do not necessarily involve the robot and can be forgotten or overlooked.
Hope that helps!
I would say one thing that a lot of rookie teams miss on is talking to the judges at the competition. Make sure that you assign one team member as a PR rep, have him remain in the pit and actively engage the judges. He should talk about everything the team has done and try to sell the team to judges as best as he can. If you don’t do this it can be very hard to win any awards.
It is actually better if ALL students in your pit are confident enough to talk to the judges that stop by. This gives your team so much more flexibility! If the ONE student you have selected isn’t available when a judge comes by, you might miss out on the opportunity to tell your team’s story. And there should always be at least one student in the pit at all times.
Getting involoved in your community in any way your team can is very important. The judges really like to see that.
I’m sure you realize that as Rookies you are not eligible for the Chairman’s Award, but are preparing one to help with the Rookie All-Star Award. And it is a good idea anyway, as described in the Manual (copied below).
There are many examples of Chairman essays online that would help you. Check the CD-Media section. Our essay and posters we used (from 2007, which are a little dated now) is at http://moe365.org/chairmans_path.php
6.4.2 First-Year (Rookie) and NASA Grant Teams:
Because the Chairman’s Award recognizes sustained excellence and impact, not just a one (1) year team effort, it is not possible for a first year (rookie) team to receive this honor. FIRST does, however, invite and encourage rookies to develop a Chairman’s Award submission which may be evaluated by the judges determining the winner of the Rookie All-Star Award. This submission will document where the team started its FIRST journey and will also provide background for documenting the results of the team’s efforts – it will be a great way to start the team’s efforts to win the Chairman’s Award.
Rookie Teams: If you prepare a Regional Chairman’s Award submission, print a copy to give the Judges when they visit you at your Pit Station. Judges will not be viewing them online.
Teams receiving NASA Grants must provide a copy of this submission as part of the grant.
Jake, the FRC number in your profile is a veteran number?
There are also some hints in this thread: http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88211
My post on that thread has links to official call re: Chairman’s Award.