In this post you will find:
- Pre-Tournament Letter and Parent's Letter
- Advice and Reminders for the Head Referee
- Team Checklist!
- Jersey Girl Pizza Update
1) Pre-Tournament Letter and Parent's Letter
Both the pre-tournament coaches' letter and an updated parent's letter have been posted on the Championship Information Page. Please take time to read through the coaches' letter. There are MANY things that have been modified for our new venue at Glencoe High School. The team expectations, judging, and core values remain the same, but some of the queuing, permeabilities, and parking information is DIFFERENT!
Big things to be aware of:
- Main doors are for drop-off only NO PARKING IN FRONT OF THE SCHOOL!
- No stairs!!!! Everything is on the main floor
- NO FOOD OUTSIDE OF THE CAFETERIA - including the halls, please respect this and make sure your parents know too! Water bottles are ok.
- Seating during the ceremonies will be cozy. Prepare to make new friends!
2) Advice and Reminders for the Head Referee
Greetings Coaches and Teams! This note includes some new information, along with a reminder of some information that was sent in December after the qualifying tournaments.
General Guidance:
Teams may bring a small table or cart into the competition area for their off-field storage. Or, in addition to the two Technicians, teams may have a third team member who acts as a table. For safety reasons, nothing may be placed on the floor near the competition tables.
Remember when you interrupt your robot, any objects it was transporting, that are not completely in Base, will be removed from the table by the referee and not available for a rerun of the mission. This is a consequence of the "interruption" rule (R14). Similarly the "stranding rule" (R15) states any objects a robot has stranded that are partially outside of Base will be removed from the table by the referee. (Note, however, any objects stranded completely outside of Base are left as is and potentially available for the robot to use from there.) Please review both of these rules in the Animal Allies Challenge Guide.
Field Setup Notes:
- On the Panda slider model (M07), the location of the palm tree shown in the Challenge Guide (page 23) is incorrect. The palm tree will be placed as shown in the kit Build Instructions (Bag 3, see page 1 and 31) - the palm tree will be placed and angled away from the red axle (see the red arrow below):
2) The setup position for the Flamingo should be facing East (this is shown incorrectly in some FIRST sources).
3) The Flamingo and Bat models are shown incorrectly in the Field Setup Guide and the Challenge Guide. They should be built as shown in the Build Instructions - see the red arrows in the images below.
The back of the Flamingo should be inset two rows of studs from the edge of its base.
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The Bat should be flush with the edge of its base.
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Mission Notes:
M01 Shark Shipment: Per R11, the Shark and Tank can only be loosely combined. For example, after the match if the referee gently shakes the Tank, the Shark should be loose inside the Tank.
M03 Animal Conservation: Teams who perform this mission are expected to exhibit Gracious Professionalism and to not use a non-cooperative strategy. If a team uses a strategy that intentionally prevents the other team in the match from completing this mission, the referees may submit a Core Values Observation.
M05 Biomimicry: Interrupting the Robot while the Wall is supporting the Robot’s weight will result in an “Interruption” penalty and the loss of any Transported Objects (R15). The Interrupted Robot can be left on the Wall, but these penalties will apply. If the team is attempting M05 at the end of the match, the team may not turn the robot off before the match ends.
M06 Milking: Scoring any points on this mission requires all three Milk to roll out. In addition, if any of the Manure rolls out, the lower point value will be awarded. If all of the Milk and none of the Manure roll out, the higher point value will be awarded.
M09 Training and Research: In the definition of Transporting (D10), we interpret “contact” to include indirect contact. To illustrate, if A touches B, and B touches C, then A is touching C.
For example, if the Robot simultaneously moves multiple Manure Samples to the Training and Research Area using a container, the “More” rule for M09 is not met; the Robot is in direct contact with the container, and the container is in direct contact with the Manure samples. Therefore the Robot is in contact with more than one Manure sample.
The “More” rule for M09 applies any time any Manure Samples are being Transported – not just between Base and the Training and Research Area.
M10 Bee Keeping: If the team combines the Bee model with anything, R11 also applies.
M14 Milk on Ramp: For Options 2 and 3, the East or West edge of the Ramp may touch the Mat.
Variability:
The Refrigerator (from M04) is an example of a model that can exhibit a lot of variability. For example, operating the Refrigerator by pushing on the plunger on the North side of the model may or may not result in the door re-closing as quickly as you expect. The behavior of the door is influenced by a lot of factors, including how far and how quickly the plunger is pushed and released. Robots that use a robust method will be rewarded with more consistent results. The refrigerator door is a very simple mechanism - so a model malfunction ruling is extremely unlikely.
Additionally, teams should expect similar mats to those they encountered at the Qualifying Tournaments. These mats are being stored in a rolled configuration to prevent ripping in storage and transit. The mats will be laid flat on Friday evening during the event setup, and nothing will be added to the mats to help them flatten other than gravity and smoothing by hand.
Smartphones and Bluetooth:
Coaches and mentors are advised against smartphone and tablet use in the Pits, Practice Tables, and the Competition area. The use of smartphones by adults must be limited to such apps as running a stopwatch, taking pictures, or emergency communication. Specifically, the use of any bluetooth-enabled Mindstorms programming application is prohibited under the "no touch" rule, unless the team members are doing the work. Violating the no-touch rule may result in team disqualification.
"We do the work" and the no-touch rule:
The ORTOP "Core Values Observation Policy" includes the following concepts:
- We do the work with guidance from our coaches. Note that "We" means the team members, not any adults or teen mentors.
- The team adults are to serve as mentors, not implementers.
- Giving team verbal directives on programming and building, or during table competition, is a violation of the "no touch" rule.
- A single flagrant violation of the "no touch" rule - including programming the robot or giving direct instructions to the team during table competition - is basis for award demotion - including disqualification.
3) Team Checklist!
I have reposted the Checklist for your teams! I know it's been a while since we've had an event. Please don't forget anything critical, use the checklist!
Not on the list, but good to have:
- Core Values Judges are expecting Core Values Posters
- One Extra Robot Design Introduction Page for your Pit Table and the Medal Ceremony
Whatever happens, make sure you have:
- Your team members
- One lead coach for each team (MUST BE OVER 18), must wear nametag with the star at the event.
- The robot
- Your TEAM ROSTER!!!!! and any needed additional consent forms. Even if you turned one in at your December event, your team MUST have a printed forms at this event. ORTOP does not have access to your electronic information in the FIRST system.
4) Jersey Girl Pizza Update
Thank you all teams for your interest in pre-ordering your Jersey Girl Pizzas and Subs! The website is only set-up for day of orders (oops), but the owners assure me that they are MORE THAN HAPPY to take phone orders BEFORE our event.
Again 10% of all sales for the attendees of the Intel Oregon FIRST LEGO League Championship Tournament will come back to ORTOP for use with the FIRST LEGO League program!
Schedules will be posted mid-week. Please find your largest break to schedule for your lunch.
Sadly, I was not able to reserve a room block with a nearby hotel. I will use your teams' interest to see if we can make this happen for next year's Championships.
Best Wishes,
Loridee
