Out to New England FRC teams...

NE FIRST Things FIRST

Week of November 9, 2015

Cancelled: University Day & FRC Swap Meet and Sale

Regrettably we will be cancelling both Saturday's NE FIRST University Day at Amherst and Sunday's NE FIRST FRC Team Swap Meet and Sale due to low response. For University Day, all effort will be made with the registered teams to provide the assistance they are seeking on an individual basis, either by Skype, Go To Meeting or site visit. The organizers of the Swap Meet and Sale will connect the registered teams to exchange information.

If there's any interest for either event, we may reschedule for a future date.

FIRST Choice for 2016

FIRST Choice consists of an online menu of items available to FRC Teams as part of the Kit of Parts and is hosted by AndyMark for free! Its purpose is to make available a variety of valuable items that Suppliers cannot provide in volumes to support the Kickoff Kits. Teams use a limited number of credits to pick and choose the items they prefer.

Teams will be able to look at their options and submit a priority list. The priority list process is outlined here. Additionally, after the priority list period, any unused credits can be used during the traditional ordering period on a first-come, first-served basis. There will be two rounds of FIRST Choice, one before Kickoff and one after Kickoff. Additional credits will be issued to teams after kickoff.

The timeline for FIRST Choice is as follows (all events happen at noon):

Round 1

Thursday, Nov. 19: Round 1 begins, FIRST Choice login information live in TIMS (for registered teams) and credit allotments live at FIRSTChoiceByAndyMark.com.
Sunday, Dec. 6: Round 1 Team Priority Lists due
Tuesday, Dec. 8: AndyMark notifies each Team of their Round 1 draft results

Traditional Ordering

Friday, Dec. 11: FIRST Choice opens for traditional live orders
Friday, Jan. 8: FIRST Choice closes

Round 2

Saturday, Jan. 9: Round 2 begins, additional credits issued (unused credits do carry over).
Saturday, Jan. 16: Round 2 Team Priority Lists due
Tuesday, Jan. 19: AndyMark notifies each Team of their Round 2 draft results

Traditional Ordering

Friday, Jan. 22: FIRST Choice opens for traditional live orders
Thursday, Apr. 14: FIRST Choice closes for the 2016 season

Only registered FRC Teams will see their login information in TIMS and thus only registered FRC Teams will be able to create a Priority List. Shipping charges will apply (details to be posted on FIRSTChoiceByAndyMark.com before Priority Lists are due), and unlike last year, a billing address, shipping address, and credit card information must be provided before creating your Priority List.

Complete information about the process can be found in the blog post by Kate Pilotte, FRC Kit of Parts manager.

Connecticut FLL State Championship Volunteers Needed!

The Connecticut FIRST LEGO League (FLL) State Championship is looking for project judges, core values volunteers, and technical judges. The event will take place on Saturday, Dec. 5 at Shelton High School in Shelton, CT. Volunteers should arrive by 8 a.m. Contact Mike Gentry at gentrme@comcast.net for more information.

Behind the Lines: Effective Prototyping Strategies

The Behind the Lines episode on Effective Prototyping Strategies aired Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 9 p.m. The featured prototyping experts for the airing were:

Paul Ventimiglia, FRC 254 mentor, 2014 World Champions, Designer of Bite Force, 2015 Battlebots Champion
Dan Richardson, Robot in 3 Days, Formerly of FRC 1902
Andrew Rudolph, Robot in 3 Days, Formerly of FRC 1902

Didn't get a chance to see it live? The episode is archived on the FRC GameSense YouTube channel.

Boston Celtics Event

On Friday, Dec. 18, NE FIRST has tickets reserved for an evening game between the Celtics and the Atlanta Hawks for teams to sell.

Here's how it works:

One month in advance of the game, your team indicates how many tickets you want at a base price of $20 a ticket.
Teams sell the tickets at a price of their choosing (at least $20/ticket) and keep the profit.
If you have not sold all the tickets, the left overs can be electronically placed into the general ticket pool at no charge to your team or NE FIRST.

We have already reserved 125 seats for this game through team requests and can reserve more if your team is still interested. We currently have a block of seats held for our use together in the balcony section 375-376 rows 10-13 of the Boston Garden. These seats will be upgraded if before the game better seats are available. The same discount can apply to any seat in the house, as well.

We also have blocks of tickets for the day before and day after Thanksgiving if the December date doesn't work:

Wednesday November 25: Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers, ticket cost $10 (actual value $31)
Friday night November 27: Celtics vs. Wizards, ticket cost $35 (actual value ~$61)

If your team is interested in participating, contact Steve Cremer at scremer@nefirst.org ASAP. Attending teams might also be able to put up a display in the concourse of the arena and help spread awareness of FIRST to the community.

Reminder: Remote Kickoff Registration

Be sure to select your team's Kit and Kickoff preferences in TIMS as soon as possible! The Kit & Kickoff section is where you indicate how your team wants to pick up/receive the Kickoff Kit and where/if your team plans to attend a Local Kickoff on Saturday, Jan. 9. Preferences need to be submitted before Monday, Nov. 23 at noon when event registration closes. Please note the following before making your selections:

Picking up your Kickoff Kit at a Local Kickoff will save your team shipping costs;
If your team chooses not to attend any Local Kickoff, the Kickoff Kit will be shipped to your Shipping Contact and your team will be responsible for the shipping costs. Teams that choose to have their Kickoff Kit shipped can expect to receive it sometime during the week after Kickoff. International teams should be aware that delivery date will depend on customs clearance;
Your team may attend more than one Kickoff. For example, you can send members to the Kickoff in Manchester, NH, while others can attend a Local Kickoff in your area. However, you must indicate only one Kickoff for Kickoff Kit pickup.

Connecticut Science Center Robotics Day

For one special day, the Connecticut Science Center will become a center of all things robot! On Saturday, Dec. 12 from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., enjoy hands-on robotics demonstrations, program a robot, and meet some amazing robots including Hypershock from the latest season of BattleBots! Tickets for Robots 3D are also available on a first-come, first-served basis for an additional fee.

The Connecticut Science Center is offering a discounted price of $12 in advance and $14.95 at the door for anyone who participates on a robotics team, including all levels of FIRST teams. Additionally, all robotics team attendees will receive a special patch. In order to receive the special pricing, bring this flyer to the event and give them your team name at the door. To register for the event in advance, contact Brit Montmeat at 860-520-2112 or bmontmeat@ctsciencecenter.org.

What's a FIRST Senior Mentor (FSM)?

FIRST Senior Mentors work with Regional Directors and Program Partners to recruit, support, and expand FIRST in their local areas.

These FIRST Senior Mentors are seasoned experts with FIRST programs. FSMs exist to provide support and mentorship to FIRST in the Field; this might mean a FIRST Senior Mentor helps start new teams and supports existing teams, recruits and supports Coaches/Mentors, recruits and trains volunteers for FIRST events, or helps connect teams to resources.

We're lucky to have two amazing FIRST Senior Mentors here in New England:

Connecticut - Stacey Gray (sgray@usfirst.org)
Massachusetts - Dana Henry (dhenry@usfirst.org)

Don't have a FIRST Senior Mentor in your state- don't worry! Many FIRST Senior Mentors provide virtual guidance and support across state lines; reach out to SeniorMentors@usfirst.org for support, or if you have any questions about the FIRST Senior Mentor Program.

The original post by Ashley Liles, FIRST� Senior Mentor/AmeriCorps VISTA Programs Manager, can be found here.

Reminder: TIMS Registration & Mentor Recognition

Please remember to invite all of your FRC Team Mentors in TIMS by Friday, Dec. 18. Registration will allow Mentors to receive this season's certificate and pin during National Mentor Month in January. Mentors will also be able to opt-in to weekly communications from FIRST and NE FIRST. Head to the Team Profile section of your TIMS account to invite mentors and contact mentorcoach@usfirst.org with any questions.

Upcoming Important Dates

FRC Registration Closes

Monday, Nov. 23, noon

Registration for all Regional Events and District Events closes. Additionally, this is the final day that teams will be able to register for a Kickoff through TIMS.

Payment Due: 1st and 2nd District Events

Monday, Nov. 23, 5 p.m.

Please visit the 2016 FRC Payment Terms for more information, including the full pricing structure and payment terms and instructions. If your team is having trouble coming up with the funds for registration, reach out to your local Regional Director ASAP. Additional resources can be found in the FIRST Fundraising Toolkit.