**FIRST EMAIL**/Pre-Kickoff Updates & Reminders

FIRST General Forum
1

Greetings Teams:

As we anxiously await the New Year, we are also counting down the days until the 2010 FRC Kickoff! With January 9th, 2010 just around the corner, we have some Pre-Kickoff updates and reminders to share with you…with more to come!

Encrypted Sections of the FRC Manual

The encrypted sections of the 2010 FRC Competition Manual will be available for download early next week. We will include a link to download these sections in next week’s Email Blast.

In the meantime, please make sure your computer has the proper software by following the instructions for the 2010 Decryption Test found here: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/content.aspx?id=11570

Consent and Release Forms

All team members (students and adult contacts) attending a Kickoff are requiredto submit a signed Consent and Release Form. For full instructions on how to complete a Consent and Release Form please go to: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/content.aspx?id=8128

Surrogate Kit of Parts (KOP) Pickup Letter Deadline: January 4th, 2010

Remember, if your team is unable to pick up its KOP at the Local Kickoff selected, an alternate team may do so.

Surrogate KOP Pick Up Letters must be received at FIRST by January 4th, 2010 @ 5p.m. EST. We have provided a template for this letter here: http://usfirst.org/uploadedFiles/Community/FRC/Game_and_Season__Info/2010_Assets/Surrogate%20Kit%20Pick%20up%20letter%20template.pdf

Please send Surrogate Kit Pickup letters to:

FIRST
attn: FRC Team Support/Operations
200 Bedford Street
Manchester, NH 03101
Fax #: 603-666-3907

NASA Webcast and Cable and Digital NASA TV Information

If you are unable to attend a Kickoff, NASA will be webcasting and broadcasting the event. Full details on viewing will be available in next week’s Thursday email blast.

KOP Dimensions

Please make sure you have enough space available in your vehicle to accommodate the Kit of Parts. Quantities, dimensions and weight are listed below:

2 plastic totes, 27.5" x 16.5" x 12.5" each, one at 23 lbs, one at 38 lbs.

1 Long box, 36.5" x 8.75" x 5.75", 29 lbs each.

1 Rookie Box,24" x 16" x 12", at 27 lbs each (for Rookie’s only)

1 Bag & Tag box per team per Bag & Tag event, 14” x 14” x 14”, at 7 lbs each

1 battery/veteran team, 2 batteries/rookie team, battery is 7” x 7” x 3”, at 14 lbs each

1 FedEx Envelope/Registration packet

6 small separate items

Tip! Bringing a dolly can be very helpful.

2010 FIRST Mentor/Coach pins are now available in time for National Mentoring Month! To learn how you can receive your pin and personalized certificate, click here: http://usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/content.aspx?id=16081

With the 2010 FRC Season getting underway, be sure to check our 2010 FRC Season News and Email Blast page often! Now you can subscribe to our RSS feed which will automatically alert you when new content has been posted!
http://usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/emailblastarchive.aspx

Go Teams!

FRC Team Support

FIRST™ (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology)

200 Bedford Street

Manchester, NH 03101

Phone: (603) 666-3906 Fax: (603) 666-3907

http://www.usfirst.org <http://www.usfirst.org/>

2

6 small separate items

What could that be? Game pieces?

3

I’d guess some Rs-540’s or Rs-385’s. I forget what we got last year that wasn’t in the kit. Hmm, sensors?

-RC

4

The frame? Not 38" long?

5

Because of the way the corners of the AM kit frame are constructed, the C-channel pieces to construct a 38" square frame are less than 38" long. The Andymark page for the C-Channel says 35" long.

6

As referenced in Bill’s post earlier today, the Decryption Test is now online. The manual was offline for a short time this evening and now it’s back. This is NOT the 2010 manual, merely a way to ensure that everyone can open the manual when it is online.

http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/content.aspx?id=11570

7

Michigan teams, remember that these FIRST consent forms are not valid. You’ll need to have the specific FiM ones for both Kickoff and your events. You can download that here.

6 small separate items…6 items that need to be sorted…all right. Bring on the recycling game. Cardboard, aluminum, plastic, styrofoam, paper, glass.