Championship Tournament Info. #3

Received from Robyn Swets 2-7-13

Just a few more days…the countdown begins!  I hope you and your team are having an excellent time preparing for Saturday.  We are too!

Championship Reminders #1 and Championship Reminders #2 have both gone out, and are online at http://southdakotarobotics.com/fllcoach.php

Here are the last few notes you’ll need before Saturday:

1.        You do NOT need to bring new Consent and Release forms, your forms from Regionals have been forwarded on to us.  If you have team members that missed Regionals and did not fill out a form, or mentors/coaches who have since joined the team, please bring forms for those participants.

2.       Parking will be in the Elmen Center (33^rd and Grange) and Stadium (33^rd and Lake) lots ONLY.  Teams and spectators should not park in any academic or residence hall lots.

3.       When you arrive to load in, please do not use the circle in front of the Elmen Center.  That is reserved for the shuttle bus.  While team check in will be in that front lobby, the closest door to the pits is actually on the far west side of the building (accessible from the south parking lot.)  These doors will be open for teams if they want to pull up near a door to load in.

4.       If you want to pre-order lunch tickets, please do so by Friday at 3 pm.  Remember no outside food on campus.

5.       There will be 41 teams competing on Saturday!

6.       If you still need hotel accommodations, we have a block of rooms reserved at the Quality Inn and Suites in Sioux Falls.  Details are at http://southdakotarobotics.com/hotel.php, remember to indicate you are with FLL to get the discount.

7.       We will be doing a coaches meeting at 8:05 in the main gym.  Please leave your team with a responsible adult in charge before you come to the meeting.  You’ll have a chance to ask any last minute questions, and look over the tables before opening ceremonies.  Remember, if you see an error, your time to say something is during this inspection time.

8.       Our volunteers at the information table will have a list of teams to help spectators find their way, however, they will only have what information you’ve entered in the FLL database.  Please make sure your families know your team name or your name.  Telling the volunteers they are looking for the team from such and such school is not enough information for the volunteers to help.

Championship Tournament Info. #2

Received from Robyn Swets 1-31-13


Just over one week to go!  Exciting, right?  Hopefully the Championship Event will be a blast for everyone involved.

Just in case you missed it, Championship Reminders #1 is posted online, that has info about the RDES, Core Values Poster, and the general schedule for the day.  Today, I wanted to focus on some important reminders for you as coach.

1.       There will be no outside food allowed in the Elmen Center.  They’re really cracking down on that sort of thing this year.  Although there is no all stop for lunch, each team will have about an hour to eat lunch.  There are 3 options for you for lunch:  1. Buy lunch tickets – there will be a $5 meal available at the concession stand.  You can preorder tickets via email and pay for them when you check in.  Simply reply to this email with the number of tickets you’d like to preorder. 2. Have each child bring lunch money and purchase their own food from the concession stand. 3. Go off site to eat, but that food will not be allowed in the Elmen.

2.       Coaches must stay silent during the judging sessions.  I know this one is tough to do, because we all simply want the best for our teams!  However, it actually does them a huge disservice, because coach intervention is noted and reflects poorly on your team when it’s time to discuss awards.  The judging section in your coaches handbook distinctly outlines that coaches are to sit quietly during a judged session; remember that in accepting the coach invitation and/or registering your team, you agreed to follow what’s outlined in that handbook!  Any other adults that attend as spectators are also to follow these guidelines.

3.       Your team need to be prepared for their judge sessions as well as the Robot Game.  Go over the flow of the events.  The team should be prepared to present their RDES and Project without prompting.  They should also be prepared to go into the Core Values room, set up their posters, and then wait to receive their instructions.  The volunteers at the doors will remind the teams of this, but pre-event preparation never hurts!

4.       At the Robot Game table, only 2 team members can be at the table at a time.  The rest of the team and no more than 2 adults, will stationed close enough to tag in and out.  If a parent wishes to take pictures or video close to the table, they can, as long as they are part of the 2 adult limit and stay in the designated area.

5.       Upon completing the robot run, the entire team should gather around to sign off on the score sheet.  Coaches SHOULD NOT approach the table during this time, talk to the ref, or attempt to argue interpretation.  If there is a concern that can’t be fixed through talking with the ref, the KIDS should politely ask the ref to speak to the head ref.  Remember, once they sign off on the score sheet, that is what is recorded.  Problems or questions must be addressed before signing that sheet.

6.       The Robot Design and Project rooms will be open to spectators.  Core Values is off limits to anyone but the team and coaches.  Our volunteers will enforce this, so please tell your parents to not even attempt to come into the Core Values sessions.

7.       Feel free to invite your senior mentors to the event!

8.       Each team will have a 10X10 area as a pit space.  We will not have tables in each pit space, but if teams would like to bring a card table, etc, to display their posters during pit time they may.  Teams may decorate their pits as much as they want as long as they fit within their allotted 10X10 space.  There will be 2 FLL tables there for practice, and teams may also bring their mats and kits to set up on the floor of their pit.

9.       The Robot Runs and pits will be in the Elmen Center (33rd and Grange) and the Judge Events will be in the Humanities/Center for Visual Arts building (30th and Grange).  Teams can walk or take the free shuttle buses between buildings.  Shuttle pickups are at the circles on the east side of each building.

10.   There will be a coach meeting in the main Robot Room at 8:05.  Come prepared with questions.  Coaches also have that time to inspect the Robot Tables.  If you find any errors, that is your chance to speak up.



I never like to make these emails too long, so be on the lookout for Championship Reminders #3 coming next week!