Greeting Teams:
Attending a Bag & Tag Event this season? Make sure you are familiar with the process! You can find a comprehensive guide for Robot Transportation in Section 5 of the FRC Competition Manual, and we’ve also provided further details about transporting your robot to a Bag and Tag event here: http://tinyurl.com/285chyu.
Senior Mentor Call TONIGHT @ 7 PM EST: The next Senior Mentor call will take place tonight, Thursday, December 9th @ 7 PM EST. The call topic is Bag and Tag Best Practices, and the call will be hosted by Kathie Kentfield, FIRST Senior Mentor; and Frank Merrick, Deputy Director, FRC. A call outline, as well as call-in information is available here: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/content.aspx?id=10124.
Critical Deadline Approaching: Does your team need special shipping support for your Bag & Tag event? If so, you must inform [email protected] by December 15th. As a rule, all Bag and Tag teams must bring their robots IN and OUT of their event venue. If you write in and ask for an exception to this rule, and we decide your team has a good reason for SHIPPING your robot to a Bag and Tag event, we will try to find someone or some place near the event that can accept the delivery of the robot and store it securely until FRC has access to the venue. Finally, we will try to arrange for the stored robot to be delivered to the event. As you can imagine, this will take some serious planning to set up, so PLEASE only ask for this “special delivery” option if you ABSOLUTELY need it. As always, the sooner you let us know, the better! (Tip: You can typically rent a U-Haul truck for as little as $19.95/day…this could be a great alternative option!) Thanks for your cooperation.
Looking for more information about your local Kickoff? You can find logistical information about the local Kickoff you will be attending here: http://usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/content.aspx?id=10406.
FIRST Choice opens Monday, December 13th: The FIRST Choice system will open next Monday for “window shopping.” Teams will not be able to select/order parts until after Kickoff. For more information about the ordering process, please visit: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/content.aspx?id=18619.
Consent and Release Forms: If you haven’t done so already, please consider which 2011 FIRST Consent and Release form your team members will be utilizing this season. Remember, electronic Consent and Release forms “cover” individuals at all 2011 FIRST competition events (students and their parents access the electronic form in STIMS adult mentors in TIMS). If anyone on your team opts to do the hard-copy Consent and Release form, the form must be presented at BOTH the Kickoff event, and your initial Competition event. Full details on the process can be found at http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/content.aspx?id=8128
Print your Team Roster! No matter which method you choose (electronic or hard-copy), you MUST print off your Team Roster from TIMS and bring it with you to your Kickoff, and your initial Competition event. To print your Team Roster:
- On the Team Summary page, scroll down to the “Student/Roster” field.2) Click “View” next to Team Roster.3) Click Printable Roster.4) If you have any students/mentors who are providing hard-copy forms, please write in their names on the printed roster and attach their consent and release forms.For more information about the 2011 Consent and Release Form, including FAQ’s and a helpful Process Overview, please visit: http://usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/content.aspx?id=8128.
Go Teams!