NE FIRST Things FIRST - Week of January 19, 2015

Out to New England FRC teams...

NE FIRST Things FIRST

Week of January 19, 2015

Help NE FIRST & FIRST Get Ready for Recycle Rush!

NE FIRST and FIRST HQ are looking for two groups of volunteers to help get ready for the season:

NE FIRST

NE FIRST uses the PODS system to move the equipment and supplies throughout New England for the competition season. On Saturday, Feb. 21, we will be preparing and loading the PODS for this task. We will once again be dividing the supplies into road cases and loading those into the appropriate PODS. To accomplish this in a timely manner, we will need the help of 25 to 30 volunteers. PODS loading will take place in our facility at 400 Woodland Ave, Bloomfield, CT. If you are interested, please email Scott Heaton at sheaton@nefirst.org.

FIRST

FIRST is looking for Field Reset volunteers to help with the Week Zero event. Volunteers will be needed on Saturday, Feb. 14 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Merrimack High School in Merrimack, NH. Contact Hannah Foust at hfoust@usfirst.org if you are interested in helping out.

Annual Pre-Season Scrimmages

Suffield Shakedown

On Saturday, Feb. 14, the annual Suffield Shakedown scrimmage, hosted by FRC team 176, will be taking place at Suffield High School in Suffield, CT from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Practice rounds start at 9 a.m. and competition starts at noon following the Opening Ceremonies. Additionally, a Non-Engineering Mentor Organization (NEMO) meeting will take place from 10 a.m. to noon.

There are still a few spots available for Suffield Shakedown. Registration is $150 and spots are reserved first-come, first-served. To reserve a spot, contact Linda Horn at lindarhorn4h@gmail.com.

Week Zero

Week Zero, the annual scrimmage hosted by FRC team 166, will take place on Saturday, Feb. 14 at Merrimack High School in Merrimack, NH. The schedule is below:

7:30 AM - 8:30 AM Load In

8:30 AM - 9:00 AM Opening

9:00 AM - Noon Practice

Noon - 1:00 PM Lunch

1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Official Matches

4:30 PM Closing

5:00 PM Load Out

All spots for Week Zero are filled, but spectators are encouraged to attend as the event is free and open to the public.

"Behind the Design" Authors Documenting 2015 Robots

Would your team like a chance to be a part of the next book about FRC robots? FIRST will be documenting the 2015 competition season with a book titled "FIRST Behind the Design: Modern Design, Manufacturing and Control of Robots."

Five FRC teams will be featured for each of the six chapters to show how these concepts can be applied on FRC teams. Teams that are interested in submitting material to be considered for publication are encouraged to thoroughly document the team's design process with photos (350 dpi resolution) and a narrative of the team's experience.

Interested teams should email FRCBook2015@usfirst.org with their contact information to receive more information. The original post can be found on the FRC Blog.

Media & Technology Innovation Award

The information for the Media & Technology Innovation Award was added to the FRC Administrative Manual in a recent update. Be sure to keep track of the latest updates on the Competition Manual page!

For this award, teams are asked to develop a marketing strategy complete with rationale for digital channels/devices to disseminate content. Digital media still includes websites, but can and should be augmented with digital media for disseminating content including social, viral (low/zero budget and homemade content spread person-to-person on the Internet) and rich media. Professionally produced content will be disqualified.

The full details for requirements and submission can be found in the FRC Administrative Manual. This award is independent of current FIRST Program competition season judged awards. Award submissions will open on Sunday, Feb. 1 and close on Saturday, Feb. 28 through the Youth Team Member Registration System. Submissions will be reviewed and evaluated by a Comcast executive judging panel. The winner of the Media and Technology Innovation Award will be announced at the 2015 FIRST Championship.

Volunteer for the NE District Events!

Several NE District Events still need volunteers for key roles. Interested volunteers should sign up through VIMS. Descriptions of event volunteer positions can be found in the Volunteer section of the FIRST website.

Need Help?

As a reminder, the Senior Mentors, Regional Directors and VISTAs are here to help you if your team is struggling with anything from building the robot to raising funds. The Senior Mentors and Regional Directors are listed at the bottom of the email. More information about the resources VISTAs provide to underserved teams can be found in the VISTA section of the FIRST website.

Upcoming Important Dates

Payment Deadlines

Additional Regional/District Event Payment Due - Friday, Jan. 23
Championship Payment Due for Pre-Qualified Teams - Friday, Jan. 23

See the FRC Payment Terms page for more information.

Award Deadlines

Woodie Flowers Award - Thursday, Feb. 12, noon
Entrepreneurship Award - Thursday, Feb. 12, noon
Dean's List Award - Thursday, Feb. 19, noon
Chairman's Award - Thursday, Feb. 19, noon
Media & Technology Innovation Award - Saturday, Feb. 28

Award requirements and instructions for submission can be found in the FRC Administrative Manual. All awards except for Dean's List should be submitted through the Youth Team Member Registration System. Dean's List applications should be submitted through TIMS.