BEST - Game day information

received from Kim Prohaska on 10-17-2012

Jackrabbit BEST teams:

I hope things are going well for you these last few days as you are finishing up on the last details and getting everything ready for Saturday.

I have a lot of information to share about our upcoming Game Day. Please read over all of the details below and share with the team as necessary…

• Your Project Engineering Notebook is due on Thursday, October 18th by 5:00 PM. Submitting a Notebook is NOT optional! If we do not have a Notebook from the team, the robot does not compete!  Along with the Project Engineering Notebook, remember to include the completed TEAM DEMOGRAPHICS form. This is worth 15 points toward the notebook score just for turning it in. The form is online at: http://best.eng.auburn.edu/stored_procedures/folder-manager/create-folder.php?folder=724&parent_id=714.
  • If you haven’t shipped the Notebook yet, you may still be able to get it printed in time at the Brookings UPS Store [(605)-692-5441] for me to pick up before 5:00.
  • For those of you who are close to Brookings and plan to deliver it in person: If I am not in my office, you may take it upstairs to the Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Department office on the 2^nd floor (Room 214). Someone will be available there until 5:00 p.m. Please ask them to put it into my ‘box’.
• This year, two 4-inch eyebolts were included in the Consumable Kit. It is REQUIRED that these eyebolts be installed on the robot for attachment of the safety cable. The eyebolts should be on opposite sides of the body, so the safety cable can run from eyebolt to eyebolt around the pole. Each robot will be checked at the compliance station by suspending it from a safety cable attached to these eyebolts. No robot will be allowed to compete without the eyebolts installed.
• Marketing Presentation schedule:There has been an adjustment in the location of the Marketing Presentations. They will now be held in the same building as the robot competition in Room #104. This room is in the northwest corner of Frost Arena. The presentation schedule will be:
  7:30 AM – Brookings
  8:00 AM – FOCHES
  8:30 AM – Watertown
  9:00 AM – Mitchell Christian

·         The Game Day schedule is available at: http://www4.sdstate.edu/engr/camps/best-robotics/upload/Game-Day-Schedule-2012-2.pdf. The schedule for the competition matches is still being finalized and will be available on Game Day.

• There is a drivers meeting at 9:30AM on Saturday morning in Frost Arena. All teams must have a representative present at the meeting. Please have the team checked in by 9:30 AM.
• Safety glasses will be required when working on the robot in the pit area. Please plan accordingly and BRING your own SAFETY GLASSES to Game Day.
• Food: The team members and coaches will be given a box lunch on Saturday in the arena and also a few snacks. Starting at 9:30 AM or 10:00 AM, there will be concessions for spectators and those team members who would like more than provided. The dining options in the Student Union will also be open.

·         Location: As a reminder, Game Day activities will take place in Frost Arena (HPER Building) here on the SDSU campus. If you are not familiar with the building, it is directly to the east of the Union where we have been the last few times we’ve met. I would suggest coming to campus via a different route and parking closer to the arena.

·         From the corner of 6th Street and 22nd Ave (by Wal-mart): Go north on 22nd Avenue to 11th Street. Turn left onto 11th Street and drive west until you run into the HPER (Frost Arena) building. (Please don’t leave a dent when you run into it. J)

OR

·         If driving through Brookings on 6th St, turn onto 16th Ave (at McDonalds) and go straight north four blocks.

• Parking: You may park in any of the lots around the HPER/Frost Arena building (East, North, or South). There is not parking enforcement in those lots on the weekend.

·         Five teams advance to regions: Good News –FIVE (5!) teams will advance to the Northern Plains Regional in the Fargo Civic Center on December 6 – 8. The number of teams that advance is based on a combination of resources available at the regional and the team counts at each hub. There was a slight revision last week that changed the Jackrabbit BEST number from four to five.

The official order of advancing teams from each hub is:

1.       BEST Award 1^st Place

2.       Robotics Game 1^st Place

3.       BEST Award 2^nd Place

4.       Robotics Game 2^nd Place

5.       BEST Award 3^rd Place

6.       Robotics Game 3^rd Place

7.       BEST Award 4^th Place

8.       BEST Award 5^th Place

9.       BEST Award 6^th Place

10.     Etc…

Note that after the 6^th spot, the order is now determined based on the BEST award rather than the robotics game.  If any teams place in both the BEST and Robotics category in the list of the top five shown above, we will follow the list down until there is a total of five teams to advance.

·         Returning Kits: Those not advancing to Northern Plains Regional may turn in their Returnable Kits on Saturday after the Awards Ceremony. You will NOT have to dis-assemble the robot to turn it in. We will take it as it is. Also, we would gladly accept the return of any un-opened (un-used) items from the Consumables Kit to save a little for next year’s event. Don’t bring the big stuff (plywood & 5’ PVC).  We do need the big plastic tubs back since those will be used again for next season.

Whew… That’s all I have for now… though you’ll likely be hearing from me again!