Monday, January 28, 2013

Championship Tournament Info. #1


Received from Robyn Swets on 1/28/2013

I hope all is well with your team and families.  The flu bug is going through the SDRA staff and families right now, so we know first-hand that it can get rough!  Remind your team to wash hands often, cough into elbows, and to stay home if they are sick – I’d hate for some of your team to be sick on tournament day!

As we get closer to the State Championship, keep an eye out for info and reminders.  I trust that the last month has gone well as your team prepared, took judge feedback into account, and worked on the extra elements for state.  In these final weeks, we’ll be sending you info on what to expect when you come to the Championship Event.

First of all, remember that we are incorporating the extra two elements that FIRST is requiring, the Robot Design Executive Summary and the Core Values Poster.  You should have received info on these two elements in your Golden Ticket Packet.  Info sheets are also at http://southdakotarobotics.com/fllcoach.php if you need to check them out again.  The RDES is basically a short presentation for the judges, and the Core Values Poster gives your team and the judges an easy way to discuss the Core Values during your session.  Both of these elements are meant to take a very short time of preparation, a few hours at maximum, so if you haven’t started on them, you still have plenty of time.

Second, the basic schedule for the day will be as follows:

7 am – 8 am Team Check In (Lobby)
8:05 am Coach Meeting (Robot Game Room, Elmen Center)
8:30 am Opening Ceremonies (Robot Game Room, Elmen Center)
9:15 am – 2:45 pm Robot Runs and Judging Sessions (Elmen Center and Humanities Center)
3:00 pm Clean Up Challenge (Elmen Center)
3:30 pm Closing Ceremonies (Robot Game Room, Elmen Center)

More information will be out very soon.


GO FLL!!

Robyn

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Message from Cyber Rays Coach David Kirkaldy


Not Your Dad’s LEGO

January 10, 2013 — 4 Comments and 0 Reactions
This week my son competes in Clearwater, FL, with his Cayman Prep & High School team, the Cyber Rays. They did this last year, going all the way to the Florida State Championships and gaining an invite to the Florida World’s. The journey starts again this week and they are joined by a rookie team from their school, the Techno Turtles. I’m going to share with you what I found out is the biggest myth of First Lego League robotics!
Lego FLL Trophy
Now. How could something founded by Dean Kamen (of Segway fame) and tied to LEGO, the worlds favourite toy (and I use that term loosely), be based on a myth?
I’ll let you in on the secret…
IT IS NOT ABOUT THE ROBOTS!
Sure, the robots are the hook (the myth). But after doing this for a year I can tell you it is so much more than the hook of the robots that initially gets so many kids involved.
It is about important life skills such as teamwork, cooperation, research, discussion, friendships, overcoming challenges, maintaining energy levels, and the list goes on.
For months the kids prepare their robot from mere loose parts to compete in the mission field. It is the same mission list that over 17,000 teams around the world are doing. They work also on a project, this year on issues surrounding an aging population. Talk about 10-14 year old kids getting outside their comfort zone. And they work on Gracious Professionalism.
It is not all about winning.
It is about how you play the game.
Along the way the kids (and parents) meet some pretty awesome people from all over the world and from every walk of life. The stories of how some teams got to just a qualifier tournament are inspiring. The generosity of strangers is overwhelming.
Our team was lucky enough last year to meet the Mustache Motors, a team from Clearwater, FL, in the very first tournament a year ago. These kids and their parents have become great friends, and have helped our team immeasurably and selflessly. Last year after the tournaments were over the entire team and parents visited us in the Cayman Islands and participated in a demo at the Cyber Rays school.
I can think of no better organization for your school or club to be involved in.
You see, its not about the robot!
Have you heard of First Lego League before or are you involved now? I would love to get comments back from you on your view of the programme and its impact on kids to encourage them in the sciences (and life). Take a moment to write.