Rookie Alert- What if you can't make it to your scheduled Kickoff?~What to do once you get your KoP~How to ask questions~Plan ahead~The FRC Administrative Manual is available~Save yourself some trouble~We're here to help~Did you find this helpful
12/24/12
Greetings Rookies:
What if you can’t make it to your scheduled Kickoff?
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 no later than 5:00 pm ET on 12/31/12. For a sample letter, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/cy6kkfr.
What to do once you get your KoP:
FRC teams have until 12 pm ET on 1/13/13 to inventory the KoP and report any missing/damaged parts (i.e. replacement parts). Please note ONLY your team Main or Alternate Contact can access the replacement parts request link in TIMS, so make sure now that one or both of them will be available to complete this form by the deadline.
Once the request is submitted, you cannot make changes to it. Replacement parts will be shipped to the Shipping Contact listed in your team’s TIMS record. For more information, please visit: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/kit-of-parts-replacement-parts-process.
How to ask questions:
The Q&A system: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/game-q-and-a opens 1/9/13 for teams to ask questions about the game and game manual. Your team’s account information and password will be found in the right hand information bar of TIMS after Kickoff.
Plan ahead:
Now is a good time to visit: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc in order to become familiar with the resources available online. Click on Game & Season Info in the left hand navigation bar to find the competition manual, team updates and more. These pages will be invaluable during the season. Team updates are official messages from the Game Design Committee that concern the current Game and Season.
You MUST assign someone from your team to visit this page: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/team-updates twice weekly (Tuesdays and Fridays) during the season in order to keep on top of any changes.
The FRC Administrative Manual is available.
It is a good idea to download and read it now: http://frc-manual.usfirst.org/. The Administrative section contains information that you will need during the season, so familiarizing yourself with the manual will save time and trouble in the future.
Save yourself some trouble:
Rookie teams from last season suggest you hold strategy meetings NOW. What are your goals your first year? Do you want to allow students to lead every part of the team and learn from their mistakes? Is it important to include your team sponsors in the process? These and many other decisions must be made, based on your goals. If you’ve discussed and prioritized your team’s goals before Kickoff, you’ll save valuable time during build season.
Tip! The most common message for Rookies from established teams is in your first year, build a robot that plays ONE part of the game well. Nothing demoralizes a team more than a robot that just sits on the field match after match. You can reach for more in years to come.
We’re here to help:
If you have any questions, please contact Team Support at frcteams@usfirst.org or 1-800-871-8326, “0” – they are eager to help you during this Rookie season!
Did you find this rookie alert helpful?
You can find all of this season’s rookie alerts here: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/emailblastarchive.aspx.
Go Rookies!
