FRCs Ultimate Ascent Puts all Four FIRST Programs Underway!

Posted on January 5, 2013 by tmw2010

FIRST_Homepage_Ascent_graphicsIt’s official – with the kick-off of the 2013 FIRST Robotics Competition, Ultimate Ascent,  earlier today, all four FIRST K-12 programs are underway in Florida and nationwide! The intense six week FRC build, this year throws a bunch of old rules out the building, with new drive train possibilities, new components, and a whole new game!  Teams all over the country and internationally gathered together in schools, arenas, homes, Boys & Girls Clubs, 4H centers, and wherever they could to watch the 2013 Season Kick-off.

At the Orlando Science Schools, one of three kick-off locations in Florida, 14 teams came from across central Florida to pick up their Kit watching Grant Imahara videoof Parts and see the kick off. While they waited for the kick off, they sat in on some great presentations on solid design processes and good drive trains, courtesy of hosting team, Clockwork Mania . We’ll be archiving the presentations on our Library page soon.

considering drive trains Now it’s nose to the grindstone for a frenetic six weeks of building before it’s tools down on February 19.

So right now, all over Florida, students in kindergarten through high school are hard at work researching, designing, building, programming and doing outreach in Jr. FIRST LEGO League (Jr. FLL) , FIRST LEGO League (FLL) , FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) and FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC),  with students in the latter three vying for coveted spots, via their Regional events, in the FIRST World Championship in St. Louis, MO in April.

If things are heating up in Florida, it’s all that brain power – the collective intellectual and creative energy of nearly 10,000 young people enthusiastically building and learning as they go, developing the teamwork and technical skills to create a better future for themselves, and for us!

Go teams!

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FRC Update: 2013 FRC Kickoff this Saturday – Read EVERYTHING! Stay Informed!

Posted on January 3, 2013 by tmw2010

FRCicon_RGBGreetings Teams:

As you all know, the 2013 FRC Kickoff is this Saturday, January 5th!  We have lots of important Kickoff and season information to share with you, so please read carefully and be sure to subscribe to the RSS feed on the 2013 FRC Season News and Email Blasts page:http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/emailblastarchive.aspx.

Surrogate Kit Pickup Reminder: If your team signed up to pick up your Kit of Parts (KoP) at a Local Kickoff and your team’s travel plans have fallen through, you can ask another team in your area to pick up your KoP for you during the Kickoff.  You must provide FIRST (in Manchester, NH) with a Surrogate Kit Pick up letter as soon as possible. For a sample letter, please visit:http://tinyurl.com/cy6kkfr.

The surrogate letter should be sent or faxed to:

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

Or scanned and emailed to frcteams@usfirst.org

FRC Manual Q & A System: FIRST recognizes that teams may have questions about game rules, robot construction, event logistics, and more. FIRST asks that teams use the Question & Answer System (Q&A) to post questions pertaining to a specific section within the 2013 FRC Game Manual.  Your posted questions will be reviewed by the appropriate moderator and answered in a timely manner (usually within 2-3 business days). The 2013 Q&A System,http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/game-q-and-a, will go live on Wednesday, 1/9/13 at 12 pm (noon) ET.

In order to access the Q&A System, your team’s specific login info can be found on the Team Summary page in your TIMS record. Please assign one individual from your team to act as the team rules expert and only share your team’s unique username and password with him/her. This team rules expert should be the only person responsible for posting questions to the Q&A System.

Before posting a question on the Q&A System, we encourage teams to look for the answers to questions first within the 2013 FRC Game Manual and Team Updates. You can review these documents here: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/game-and-season-info.

**Time Sensitive** Don’t forget to take inventory of your KoP after Kickoff: After receiving and checking all items in your KoP, should you determine you are missing a part(s), or need replacement part(s) you must use the FIRST ”Replacement Parts Request” system to order replacements. Find more details about this process here:http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/kit-of-parts-replacement-parts-process.

IMPORTANT: This is a time limited, one-time only opportunity to submit your Replacement Parts Request.  We must receive your Replacement Parts Request by 12 pm (noon) ET on Sunday, 1/13/13.

Important Downloads: Please visit the FRC Blog:http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/blog-information-for-2013-the-what-when-where-and-how for a summary of important 2013 season downloads.

Encrypted Sections of the 2013 FRC Manual: Please find the FRC Game Manual page here:http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/competition-manual-and-related-documents. To download the encrypted sections, you will need to right-click on the .pdf file and select “Save Link/Target As…”.The password for accessing these documents will be available at the end of the Kickoff broadcast.

Prior to Kickoff, make sure that your computer has the proper software by following the instructions for the 2013 Decryption Test found here:http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/blog-2013-manual-decryption-test.

Consent and Release Forms: If you haven’t done so already, please consider which 2013FIRST Consent and Release form your team members will be submitting this season.  Remember, if you choose to submit the electronic Consent and Release form you will only need to do so once to attend the 2013 FRC competition events. Students and their parents access the electronic form in STIMS; adult mentors in TIMS).

If anyone on your team opts to submit a hard-copy Consent and Release form instead, please download at: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/first-student-team-information-members-system-and-consent-form and follow instructions for submission located in the “Process Overview Document”.

Michigan (FiM) and MAR (Mid-Atlantic Robotics) teams will find instructions specific to their Consent and Release form submissions in the “process overview document” as well.

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 the Team Roster:

1)  On the Team Summary page in TIMS, 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 2013 Consent and Release form, including FAQs and a helpful process overview, please visit: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/first-student-team-information-members-system-and-consent-form

FRC Team Support Available on Kickoff Day: Team Support will be available the day of Kickoff (Saturday, 1/5/13) from 9:00 am-1:00 pm ET. For assistance, please call 1-800-871-8326 x 0.

NASA FRC Kickoff Broadcast:  For those of you who will not be attending a Kickoff this weekend, NASA will broadcast the event live on their website. The broadcast will be available here: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html and will begin at 10:30 am ET.

FIRST® Virtual Technical Advisor: Are you looking for help with your robot? Do you have technical experience and want to help a team? We have the solution! FIRST Virtual Technical Advisor (VTA) is here to help! Sign up to find/give support from anywhere in the world!https://my.usfirst.org/FIRSTPortal/Login/Virtual_login.aspx.

Go Teams!

 

FRC Team Support

 

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FRC Update: Safety Animation Award Submission Deadline TODAY @ 12 Noon, TIMS, 2013 Mentor Certificate of Appreciation, Scholarships & More!

Posted on December 13, 2012 by tmw2010
FRCicon_RGBGreetings Teams:
Safety Animation Award Submission Deadline: The deadline to submit Safety Animation submissions is today, 12/13/12 at 12 pm (noon) ET in STIMS: https://my.usfirst.org/stims/site.lasso.
Team Profile Information in TIMS will be exported on Monday, 12/19/12: This information is used for program books that are distributed to visitors, VIPS and teams at events. To make sure that you have the most up to date information included in your profile:
2) Under Teams I can Administer, click the Edit button for your team.
3) The Team Profile section, click the Edit/View button for Team Information.
2013 Mentor Certificate of Appreciation: Please be sure to invite all of your FRC mentors to your team’s TIMS record so they can receive their 2013 recognition certificate and pin in January during National Mentor Month. In order for team mentors to receive their recognition items, they must be registered as a mentor in TIMS by tomorrow, 12/14/12.
2013 FIRST Scholarship Opportunity Updates:  Find out about recently confirmed scholarships, a recently discontinued scholarship, and all FIRST Scholarships with deadlines in January.  Juniors and Educators, take note of a special leadership training and scholarship opportunity to attend the 2013 Aspen Ideas Festival. See all at:http://www.usfirst.org/sites/default/files/uploadedFiles/About_Us/Scholarships/2013_Assets/FIRST_Scholarship_News_12-13-12.pdf.
Consent and Release Forms: If you haven’t done so already, please consider which 2013 FIRST Consent and Release form your team members will be submitting this season.  Remember, electronic Consent and Release forms “cover” individuals at all 2013FIRST competition events (students and their parents access the electronic form in STIMS; adult mentors in TIMS).
If anyone on your team opts to submit a hard-copy Consent and Release form instead, please download at:http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/first-student-team-information-members-system-and-consent-form and follow instructions for submission located in the “Process Overview Document”.
Michigan (FiM) and MAR (Mid-Atlantic Robotics) teams will find instructions specific to their Consent and Release form submissions in the “Process Overview Document” as well.
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 the Team Roster:
1)    On the Team Summary page in TIMS, 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 2013 Consent and Release form, including FAQs and a helpful Process Overview, please visit:http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/first-student-team-information-members-system-and-consent-form.
Surrogate Kit Pickup Reminder: If a team is unable to pick up its KoP at the Local Kickoff selected, an alternate, or “Surrogate” team may be designated to do so. The team must provide FIRST with an authorized Surrogate Kit Pickup letter, signed by the main or alternate contact, on school or sponsor letterhead that follows this template: http://tinyurl.com/cy6kkfr.
All Surrogate Kit Pickup letters must be received at FIRST no later than 5:00 pm ET on 12/31/12.  
The surrogate letter should be sent or faxed to: 

FIRST 
Attn: FRC Team Support/Operations
200 Bedford Street
Manchester, NH 03101
Fax #: 603-666-3907
Or scanned and emailed to frcteams@usfirst.org .
Go Teams!
FRC Team Support
 
FIRST® is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) Not-For-Profit Organization
V 603-666-3906
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FRC Update: Critical Deadlines, FRC Administrative Manual, 2013 FIRST Choice Program & More!

Posted on December 6, 2012 by tmw2010
FRCicon_RGBGreetings Teams:
Critical Deadlines:
Today, Thursday, 12/06/12 at 12 PM (noon) ET: Regional, District and Championship registration closes.
Today, Thursday, 12/06/12 at 12 PM (noon) ET: Kit & Kickoff registration closes.
Tomorrow, Friday, 12/07/12: Payment deadline for initial regional event registration.
Tomorrow, Friday, 12/07/12: Bag and tag exemption request deadline.
Thursday, 12/13/12 at 12PM (noon) ET: Deadline to submit Safety Animation submissions (via STIMS).
FRC Administrative Manual: The 2013 FRC Administrative Manual is now available: http://frc-manual.usfirst.org/. Information on FRC awards, robot transportation and more can be found in the Administrative Manual.
New York City Regional Dates Shift: The dates of the New York City Regional have been shifted. The new dates for the event are Wednesday 3/6/13– Saturday, 3/9/13, rather than Thursday, 3/7/13 – Sunday, 3/10/13. This shift is a direct result of New York City’s attempt to recover from the devastating effects of Hurricane Sandy.  Events are being rescheduled to try to make up for time lost during the hurricane and the recovery efforts.
2013 FIRST Choice Program: FIRST Choice is a menu of items available to registered 2013 FRC teams, for free, as part of their Kit of Parts (KoP). Beginning 12/10/12, teams may log in to the FIRST Choice site and use a set number of credits to select items they wish to receive. Additional parts specific to the 2013 FRC Game will be available for order after Kickoff (1/5/13). For additional information on the program, please visit: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/first-choice.
In addition to FIRST Choice, other Virtual Kit Product Donation Vouchers (PDVs) will open on 12/10/12. For more details, please visit:http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/blog-10-25-2012.
FRC Blog: Please visit the FRC Blog for details on the new Digital Media Award, as well as an update to the Team Spirit Award:http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/blog-12-3-2012.
Go Teams!
FRC Team Support
 
FIRST® is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) Not-For-Profit Organization
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FRC Update: Initial Event Registration Payment Deadline/Important Kit and Kickoff Reminder, Bag and Tag Exemptions, and More!

Posted on November 19, 2012 by tmw2010
Greetings Teams:
FIRST HQ Closed 11/22/12-11/23/12: FIRST HQ will be closed next Thursday and Friday (11/22/12-11/23/12) in honor of the Thanksgiving holiday.  Consequently, the Email Blast will be sent on Wednesday of next week.
Initial Event Registration Payment Deadline 12/7/12: Remember that the payment deadline for your first Regional event or first and second District event is Friday, 12/7/12 at 5 pm ET.  If you have not already, please review our pricing structure and payment terms for the 2013 FRC Season here: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/frc-payment-terms.
Important Kit & Kickoff Reminder: The deadline to select your team’s Kit of Parts (KoP) and Kickoff location in TIMS:https://my.usfirst.org/frc/tims/site.lasso is Thursday, 12/6/12 at 12 pm (noon) ET.
Founder’s Reception: Founder’s Reception registration is now open in the Kit & Kickoff section in TIMS:https://my.usfirst.org/frc/tims/site.lasso. Teams can register up to two (2) adult mentors to attend Founder’s Reception in Manchester, New Hampshire on Friday, 1/4/13. For details on the 2013 Founder’s Reception, please visit:http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/founders-reception.
2013 Mentor Certificate of Appreciation: Please be sure to invite all of your FRC mentors to your team’s TIMS record so they can receive their 2013 recognition certificate and pin in January during National Mentor Month. In order for team mentors to receive their recognition items, they must be registered as a mentor in TIMS by Friday, 12/14/12.
Bag & Tag Exemptions:  If bringing your robot to a competition event presents your team with a substantial hardship – for example, if your team needs to travel a great distance or cross an ocean to get to your event – you may request a bag and tag exemption by sending an email to: frcteams@usfirst.org. 
In your request, please include as much detail as possible to support why an exemption is required. Please use the subject line: Bag and Tag Exemption Request, Team XXXX, with your team number in place of “XXXX” in your email. Exemption requests must be submitted by Friday, 12/7/12.
Stay up on the latest FRC news! We send weekly email blasts to keep you well-informed on the latest FRC news.  Be sure to check your inbox each Thursday for the FRC email blast and if you’ve missed any, you can find an email blast archive on the FRC Season News and Email Blasts page:http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/emailblastarchive.aspx. You can even subscribe to an RSS feed to receive alerts when this page is updated!
Go Teams! 
FRC Team Support
 
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FRC Update: Championship Waitlist Registration for Teams that DID compete at the 2012 CMP, Award Submissions Open Today and more!

Posted on November 8, 2012 by tmw2010
 
Greetings Teams:
FIRST Championship Waitlist Registration for Veteran Teams that DID compete at the 2012 FIRST Championship Opens today, 11/8/12 at 12 pm (noon) ET in TIMS: https://my.usfirst.org/frc/tims/site.lasso.
Chairman’s Award, FIRST Dean’s List Award, Woodie Flowers Award and Entrepreneurship Award Submissions open today, 11/8/12 at 12 pm ET: The Chairman’s Award, the Woodie Flowers Award, and the Entrepreneurship Award must be submitted via STIMS: https://my.usfirst.org/stims/site.lasso. The Main or Alternate contact for your team must assign at least one (1) and up to four (4) student award submitters in FRC TIMS: https://my.usfirst.org/frc/tims/site.lasso.
The FIRST Dean’s List Award must be submitted by the team’s main or alternate contact through TIMS, https://my.usfirst.org/frc/tims/site.lasso.
FIRST Future Innovator Award: Do you have an innovation inspired by your FRC season experience you think is worthy of recognition?  Apply for the FIRST Future Innovator Award (FFIA), presented by the Abbott Fund! Submissions must be received between noon ET on 11/8/12 and noon ET 2/21/13. For more information on the award, please visit: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/future-innovator-award. To submit for the award, please visit: http://www.allthingspatent.com/FRC/. 
2013 FIRST Scholarship Opportunities now valued at OVER $16 million: Students – find out about 2013 college scholarship opportunities available for you at:http://www.usfirst.org/sites/default/files/uploadedFiles/About_Us/Scholarships/2013_Assets/FIRST_Scholarship_News_11-8-12.pdf.
Ask an Expert Call: Join FRC Engineer Kevin O’Connor and Senior Mentor Keith Hall for the Ask an Expert call “Control System/Driver’s Station & Beta Test Observations for FRC Teams”. The call will be taking place on Wednesday, 11/14/12 at 7 pm ET. You can find details on all of this season’s Ask an Expert calls here:http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/frc-senior-mentor-teleconference-recordings.
Have you registered for your Local Kickoff in TIMS yet?
“Kit and Kickoff Preferences” (in TIMS) is where you indicate how your team wants to pickup/receive the Kit of Parts (KoP) and where/if your team plans to attend Kickoff. Please note the following before making your selections:
  1. Picking up your KoP at a Kickoff will save your team shipping costs;
  2. If your team chooses not to attend any Kickoff, the KoP will be shipped to your Shipping Contact and your team will be responsible for the shipping costs. Teams that choose to have their KoP 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;
  3. 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 KoP pickup.
Surrogate Kit Pickup Option:
If your team is unable to pick up its KoP at the Kickoff you registered for in TIMS, and you do not wish to incur shipping charges to have it mailed, an alternate team may pick up your KoP at that Kickoff.  You must provide FIRST with an authorization letter, signed by your team’s main contact, on school or sponsor letterhead in order for us to release the KoP. You can find a template for this letter here: http://tinyurl.com/cy6kkfr.
Fax the letter to Team Support at 603-666-3907 no later than 5:00 pm ET on 12/31/12 or send a hard copy to FIRST, Attn: Team Support, 200 Bedford Street, Manchester, NH 03101. The letter must include the following:
1.    Your Team Number and the Kickoff pickup location;
2.    The name and team number of the representative picking up the KoP;
3.    Provide a copy of the Surrogate Kit Pickup letter to the team representative picking up the KoP for your team.  This representative must bring the letter to the appropriate Kickoff.
Go Teams!
FRC Team Support
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FRC Update: Unrestricted Regional Event Registration Open, FIRST CMP Waitlist Registration for Veteran Teams that DID Compete at the 2012 FIRST CMP Opens 11/8/12 at 12 noon ET

Posted on November 7, 2012 by tmw2010
Greetings Teams:
Unrestricted Regional Event Registration Now Open - teams can register for additional regional events in TIMS: https://my.usfirst.org/frc/tims/site.lasso.
FIRST Championship Waitlist Registration for Veteran Teams that DID Compete at the 2012 FIRST Championship opens Thursday, 11/8/12 at 12 pm (noon) ET: At this time, veteran teams that DID compete at the 2012 FIRST Championship will be able to waitlist register in TIMS:https://my.usfirst.org/frc/tims/site.lasso.
Teams on Regional Event Waitlists - please read the following to better understand how the waitlist process works:
  • If the event you select is full, your team is added to the waitlist;
  • FIRST reserves slots for late registering rookie teams for every regional event.  Once registration closes on Thursday, 12/6/12 if there are any reserved slots left, waitlisted teams will then be moved in;
  • For each event weekend a team can only sign up or join the waitlist for one event (i.e., a team cannot be registered/waitlisted for two events occurring on the same weekend);
  • FIRST does not issue the waitlist. Teams attending any given regional can change at the last moment as their finances are determined, therefore the number of places available can also change. It is also unknown how many late registering rookies there will be. We do not want teams making definite plans based on their place on a waitlist when information may be changing.
Tip!  If you find yourself on a waitlist, please bear in mind that teams drop out of events for various reasons and many times a waitlisted team is able to get into the event of their choice!
Steele Meetings Hotel Program: This year, 47 FRC Regional Events are participating in the FIRST hotel program. Please visit:http://www.firstchampionshiphousing.com/ for reservation information.
New Lower Bulb Pricing For Fundraising: More great news, teams! To help make it easier than ever before to raise team funds from our ongoing FIRST Green e-watt saver light bulb program,FIRST is announcing NEW PRICING on the 800-lumen bulb –now just $8.50 per bulb, or $204 per case! That’s a price drop of over 40%! PLUS…we’ve lowered the retail sales price to just $20! That means your team profit remains unchanged ($11.50 per bulb minus shipping), but you can attract more customers with this new, lower price. This is a great opportunity to reach new customers while reconnecting with people who declined to buy at the higher price point. Everybody loves a bargain, so take advantage of this new pricing by stocking up today and getting out there with the good news! 

For complete details, please visit: www.usfirst.org/e-wattresources. Order today and happy selling!
Kit & Kickoff section in TIMS is open: The Kit & Kickoff section of TIMS is open. If you haven’t done so already, team main and alternate contacts can select your team’s Kit & Kickoff preferences in TIMS now: https://my.usfirst.org/frc/tims/site.lasso.
Please note: Picking up your Kit of Parts (KoP) at a Kickoff will save your team shipping costs. If your team chooses not to attend any Kickoff, the KoP will be shipped to your team’s shipping contact and your team will be responsible for the shipping costs. Teams that choose to have their KoP 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.
Bag & Tag Exemptions:  If bringing your robot to a competition event presents your team with a substantial hardship – for example, if your team needs to travel a great distance or cross an ocean to get to your event – you may request a bag and tag exemption by sending an email to: frcteams@usfirst.org. 
In your request, please include as much detail as possible to support why an exemption is required. Please use the subject line: Bag and Tag Exemption Request, Team XXXX, with your team number in place of “XXXX” in your email. Exemption requests must be submitted by Friday, 12/7/12.
Go Teams!
FRC Team Support
 
FIRST® is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) Not-For-Profit Organization
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FRC Update: Second Regional Event Registration, Kit & Kickoff section in TIMS & More!

Posted on October 18, 2012 by tmw2010

Greetings Teams:

Kit of Parts Drive System Option Deadline Today at 12 Noon ET: Veteran teams’ ability to choose a Product Donation Voucher over the standard Kit of Parts Drive System closes today, 10/18/12 at 12 pm (noon) ET. For more details, please visit:http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/blog-09-07-12. 

 ————————->Deadline Extended to midnight tonight!! <———————————–

Second Regional Event Registration: Teams in the regional model will be able to register for their second regional event beginning Thursday, 10/25/12 at 12 pm ET in TIMS:https://my.usfirst.org/frc/tims/site.lasso. District teams who have registered for both of their district events will be able to register for a regional event at this time.

FIRST Championship Waitlist Registration for veteran teams that DID NOT compete at the 2012 FIRST Championship: Veteran teams that did not compete at the 2012 FIRSTChampionship will be able to waitlist register in TIMS beginning Thursday, 10/25/12 at 12 PM ET: https://my.usfirst.org/frc/tims/site.lasso.

Kit & Kickoff section in TIMS is open: The Kit & Kickoff section of TIMS is open. If you haven’t done so already, team main and alternate contacts can select your team’s Kit & Kickoff preferences in TIMS now: https://my.usfirst.org/frc/tims/site.lasso.

Bag & Tag Exemptions:  If bringing your robot to a competition event presents your team with a substantial hardship – for example, if your team needs to travel a great distance or cross an ocean to get to your event – you may request a bag and tag exemption by sending an email to: frcteams@usfirst.org.

In your request, please include as much detail as possible to support why an exemption is required. Please use the subject line: Bag and Tag Exemption Request, Team XXXX, with your team number in place of “XXXX” in your email. Exemption requests must be submitted by Friday, 12/7/12.

Entrepreneurship Award: New this year, Entrepreneurship Award Business Plans must be uploaded in pdf format via STIMS: https://my.usfirst.org/stims/site.lasso. Judges will no longer collect business plans in the Pits, instead, they will view them online. Uploading to STIMS is the only way these plans will be accepted for the 2013 season.

Award Submissions: Submission for awards will open on Thursday, 11/8/12 at 12 PM ET and will close on Thursday, 2/21/13 at 12 PM ET.

The Chairman’s Award, the Woodie Flowers Award, and the Entrepreneurship Awardmust be submitted via STIMS: https://my.usfirst.org/stims/site.lasso. The Main or Alternate contact for your team must assign at least one (1) and up to four (4) student award submitters in FRC TIMS: https://my.usfirst.org/frc/tims/site.lasso.

The FIRST Dean’s List Award must be submitted by the team’s main or alternate contact through TIMS, https://my.usfirst.org/frc/tims/site.lasso.

2013 FIRST Scholarship Opportunities valued at nearly $16 million: Find out more about the 2013 college scholarship opportunities for FIRST students at:http://www.usfirst.org/sites/default/files/uploadedFiles/About_Us/Scholarships/2013_Assets/FIRST_Scholarship_News_10-18-12.pdf

2013 Mentor Certificate of Appreciation: Please be sure to invite all of your FRC mentors to your team’s TIMS record so they can receive their 2013 recognition certificate and pin in January during National Mentor Month. In order for team mentors to receive their recognition items, they must be registered as a mentor in TIMS by Friday, 12/14/12.

Ask an Expert Call: Join Steve Cremer, Regional Director and Senior Mentors, Renee Becker and Clinton Barnes, for the Ask an Expert call “What Makes a FRC Team a Success”. The call will take place on Wednesday, 10/24/12 at 7 pm ET. You can find details on all of this season’s Ask an Expert calls here: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/frc-senior-mentor-teleconference-recordings.

Go Teams!

FRC Team Support

FIRST® is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) Not-For-Profit Organization

V 603-666-3906

F 603-666-3907

E frcteams@usfirst.org

W www.usfirst.org

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FRC Update: Kit & Kickoff Section in TIMS Opens Today @ 12 pm EST, FIRST CMP Registration for Pre-Qualified Teams, 2013 FIRST Scholarship Opportunities & More

Posted on October 5, 2012 by tmw2010

Greetings Teams:

Kit and Kickoff Section in TIMS Opens Today, 10/4/12 @ 12 pm (noon) EST:The Kit & Kickoff section in TIMS opens today:https://my.usfirst.org/frc/tims/site.lasso. *Please find additional information about choosing your Kit & Kickoff preferences at the bottom of this email.

Second District Event Registration: Second district event registration opens Thursday, 10/11/12 at 12 pm EST in TIMS: https://my.usfirst.org/frc/tims/site.lasso. At this time, district teams will be able to register for their second district event.

FIRST Championship Registration for Pre-Qualified Teams: Championship registration for pre-qualified teams opens Thursday, 10/11/12 at 12 pm EST in TIMS: https://my.usfirst.org/frc/tims/site.lasso. For information on Championship eligibility, please visit: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/championship-eligibility-criteria.

Announcing 2013 FIRST Scholarship Opportunities valued at over $14 million: Find out more about the 2013 college scholarship opportunities for FIRSTstudents at:http://www.usfirst.org/sites/default/files/uploadedFiles/About_Us/Scholarships/2013_Assets/FIRST_Scholarship_News_10-4-12.pdf.

2013 Mentor Certificate of Appreciation: Please be sure to invite all of your FRC mentors to your team’s TIMS record so they can receive their 2013 recognition certificate and pin in January during National Mentor Month. In order for team mentors to receive their recognition items, they must be registered as a mentor in TIMS by Friday, 12/14/12. An additional benefit of adding mentors in TIMS is that they are able to opt-in to the FRC email blast.

Important Motor Controller Information: Please visit the FRC Blog for information regarding motor controllers here:http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/blog.

*“Kit and Kickoff Preferences” (in TIMS) is where you indicate how your team wants to pickup/receive the Kit of Parts (KoP) and where/if your team plans to attend Kickoff. Please note the following before making your selections:

  1. Picking up your KoP at a Kickoff will save your team shipping costs;
  2. If your team chooses not to attend any Kickoff, the KoP will be shipped to your Shipping Contact and your team will be responsible for the shipping costs. Teams that choose to have their KoP 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;
  3. 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 Kickoff in your area.  However, you must indicate only one Kickoff for KoP pickup.

Surrogate Kit Pickup Option:

If your team is unable to pick up its KoP at a Kickoff, and you do not wish to incur shipping charges to have it mailed, an alternate team may pick up your KoP at a Kickoff.  You must provide FIRST with an authorization letter, signed by the main contact, on school or sponsor letterhead in order for us to release the kit.  You can find a template for this letter here: http://tinyurl.com/cy6kkfr.

Fax the letter to Team Support at 603-666-3907 no later than 5:00 pm EST on 12/31/12 or send a hard copy to FIRST, Attn: Team Support, 200 Bedford Street, Manchester, NH 03101.  The letter must include the following:

1.) Your Team Number and the Kickoff pick up location;
2.) The name and team number of the representative picking up the KoP;
3.) Provide a copy of the Surrogate Kit Pickup letter to the team representative picking up the KoP for your team.  This representative must bring the letter to the appropriate Kickoff.

Go Teams!

FRC Team Support

 

FIRST® is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) Not-For-Profit Organization

V 603-666-3906

F 603-666-3907

E frcteams@usfirst.org

W www.usfirst.org

Filed under: FIRST events, FIRST in Florida, FIRST Resources, FRC, Orlando Regional, South Florida Regional, STEM news | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

FRC Update: Initial Event Registration, Kickoff Information, Ask an Expert Call & More

Posted on September 20, 2012 by tmw2010
Greetings Teams:
Initial Event Registration: Initial regional and initial qualifying event registration for district teams opens next Thursday, September 27, 2012 at noon EST.
Please remember, you must complete the Team Profile Section in order to register for an event. If you have not done so already, please complete via TIMS:https://my.usfirst.org/frc/tims/site.lasso.
Kickoff Information: 2013 Local Kickoff information is now posted here:http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/local-kickoff-information. Teams may register for a Local Kickoff in TIMS beginning Thursday, October 4, 2012 at noon EST.
2013 Beta Testing Teams: The 2013 Beta Testing teams have been selected. Thank you to the 159 FRC teams and 1 FTC team who offered to help with this project! All FRC teams will be able to communicate with the Beta Test teams on the forums: http://forums.usfirst.org/forumdisplay.php?f=1547.
Please visit the FRC Blog: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/blog for more information on the teams selected to Beta Test and for important season updates.
Pool Noodles: We suggest that you purchase pool noodles for your 2013 bumpers if you haven’t done so already.
Ask an Expert Call: Join Carla Proulx, FRC Logistics Manager and Terri Benart,FIRST Senior Mentor for the Ask an Expert call “FRC Robot Transportation”. The call will be taking place on Wednesday, September 26, 2012 at 7 pm EST. You can find details on all of this season’s Ask an Expert calls here:http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/frc-senior-mentor-teleconference-recordings.
Go Teams!
 FRC Team Support
 
FIRST® is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) Not-For-Profit Organization
V 603-666-3906
F 603-666-3907

Filed under: FIRST events, FIRST Resources, FRC, STEM news | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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