It seems that there is a little confusion between refs, judges, and inspectors these days. So, to clear this up (and help out the rookies who haven’t been to an FRC event before), here is a list of key people and how to identify them quickly.
Teams
. The competitors, who wear brightly colored shirts, scream like crazy, and bring robots. Without them, there would be no competition. - Referees.
Volunteers who ensure game rules compliance on the field. They wear black-and-white striped shirts, similar to the ones in football. - Judges.
These blue-shirted volunteers decide who gets what award. It’s a very good idea to talk to them. - Safety Judges.
Volunteers who monitor safety in the pits and on the field. They award the safety awards, hence the “Judge” title. Their green polo shirts are easy to spot. - Inspectors.
Volunteers who make sure each and every robot is in compliance with the rules. They wear “Crew” T-shirts. - Other crew.
More volunteers who do everything from field-reset to making sure that everyone has safety glasses in the pit to making pit announcements. They too wear “Crew” T-shirts. - FIRST Staff-type People.
The FIRST Technical Advisor (Vest with “FTA” on the back), Regional Director, and similar people do all of the background work at the event itself. Their dark blue shirts blend in at least a little bit, which fits their behind-the-scenes role.Regardless of what they do, each of these people volunteers at least two–and in most cases, three–days of his or her time to help you compete. Please take the time to thank them for coming to the event. And call them by the correct title for the event. (Yes, some individuals fill multiple roles at different events.)
To all the volunteers, no matter what you do–THANK YOU!
There’s (at least) one category to add: people in brightly colored Hawaiian shirts, or baseball/football/hockey jerseys, with funny hats, painted hair, bald heads, kilts, clown noses, etc. These brave souls are your MCs and Game Announcers. They bring the show. Some leap, some wail, some stand on their heads – they all wave flags, point at drive teams, and generally get everyone fired up.
Oh, and if you come to St. Louis you’ll see Robot Inspectors sporting black vests over their Crew shirts – this makes it easier for teams to find one of them in a hurry.
All of you are right. I was thinking of the ones that the teams will be immediately interacting with.
Ambassadors do wear red shirts. All volunteers/VIPs/media personnel wear name tags with position/company/news company.
Oh, and Richard–you should have seen Blair’s Saturday entrance to San Diego 2007. He didn’t plan that…but he went along with it. That’s one of the best I’ve seen. (Hey, it got the crowd’s attention!)
Also note that Head Refs wear bright yellow shirts this year, with very thin black stripes. If you have concerns or questions about the rules of the game, talk to them. Most other refs won’t/aren’t allowed to even talk to teams.
Also, call them bumblebees. They love it.
Referees are allowed (in fact, encouraged) to interact with anybody before and after matches. You may even see some refs walking around the pits on Thursday. Feel free to approach them with anything, even just to banter about the game. If you broach a topic beyond their jurisdiction, they will probably ask you to speak to the head ref instead, but don’t let that discourage you. Referees are people too, and they’re trying to have just as much fun at the event as you are.
> Steve Wozniak: Identifiable by his Nixie-Tube watch
> Bill Gates: Identifiable by characteristic hair doo and glasses (which haven’t changed in years)
> Dean Kamen: …Segway.
I love the championship. All these people came by our pit and visited in 2006! (And to think, I didn’t even know who Steve was… :o )
The VIP/Media are good people to talk to. They normally don’t have a uniform but will have a nametag with (obviously) their name and what group they represent. Chat them up! Sometimes they know FIRST, and sometimes they don’t.
Also, don’t forget.
Me: Some form of FIRST/Team shirt (usually). Name tag. Tiara. Big smile. LOUD voice.
FIRST Senior Mentors: The FIRST Senior Mentors may be visiting FRC Regionals and other FIRST program competitions. Say Hi to us! We will most likely have a FIRST shirt on of some kind, and a white nametag in addition to our lanyard name badge.
VISTAs: Also may be found at FIRST events; the AmeriCorps VISTAsprovide a variety of services to FIRST programs.
Now, call me ignorant, but Libby, what exactly IS the tiara for/where did it come from?
Team 1676: Black shirts, bright yellow “sunburst” with white lettering on front, white sponsors’ logo on the back. Look for our mascot- he looks like a chef and the apron is covered with buttons.
[humorous side-note]And if you can’t find us, ZARA WILL FIND YOU! [/humorous side-note]
(Yes, some individuals fill multiple roles at different events.)
