IO7: In Space No One Can Hear You Scream

Greetings FIRST LEGO League Oregon,

In today's FIRST LEGO League Oregon Update we will cover these topics:

1. HAVE YOU PAID?
2. Tournament Assignments Are LIVE!
3. November Mission Model is LIVE!
4. Software Pilot Slack Group
5.  Tips for Picking Robot Missions
6. Upcoming FIRST Events

Use this link to read this update as a blog post

  If you are new to this email or blog this is the place where you will find all of the OREGON specific FIRST LEGO League information. If you are in the FIRST Dashboard as a team coach of a registered team for INTO ORBIT you will be added to this list every week for the rest of the competition season. Every update this season begins with IO (Into Orbit) and a number, that number lets you know which update it is, if you miss an update you can find it on our blog.

1) HAVE YOU PAID?

If your payment is marked as red NO on this website your tournament assignment is tentative pending payment. THIS PAYMENT IS PAST DUE! Please use our online credit card form today!  Please, please, please don't make me send mean emails and call you.! I don't want to do that to anyone. 

2) Tournament Assignments are LIVE!

As promised it is November 2nd and the tournament assignments are LIVE! I will continue to update all of the individual tournament pages through the weekend, but the main team list is live now! You may go and see your tournament assignment. This year was challenging - many of you did not specify requirements in a way that could be easily accommodated. However using a combination of First-come-first-serve and distance limitations (2-hours according to Google Maps), teams were assigned to their 1st choice 85% of the time, and a 2nd, 3rd, or a nearby location as needed. In happy news, most of our events are FULL and a few are OVER Capacity, but we will run them anyway (just prepare for a longer day if you are at an overcapacity event). 

All of your team members should plan to be at the event from 8:30AM until 4:30PM.  Parents, family supporters, teachers, school administrators, and sponsors may want to come just for some of the robot-game rounds which will happen throughout the day.

If you are a Mom like me who doesn't like to just sit in the bleachers all day, there are tournament roles you can fill and still see your team on the robot game table (with open communication with your volunteer coordinator). You can find the link to volunteer on all of our tournament websites.

3) November Mission Model is LIVE!

The November Mission Model discussion has begun! This is a great way to make sure your strategies are within the rules and the rule updates for scoring. Did you know we now have FOUR robot game updates and THREE project updates?  Every day from now until we get to Penalties we will discuss one INTO ORBIT Mission Model. Yesterday, we went over all the basic rules, with special emphasis on LAUNCHing. November Mission Model Discussion is posted on the blog AND our Facebook page!  Don't forget we will be running weekends too!  Check back every day for more information.

4) Open Software Slack Group

FIRST is using a cloud service called Slack. Slack can be accessed via an app you download to your computer or mobile device, and via a web interface. For more information about Slack, click here.  Anyone in the pilot can participate by signing up with Slack first, and then clicking this FIRST LEGO League Robot SW link to join the Slack workspace. The workspace has Channels for various topics and you are free to join the channels that seem relevant to you.

Please note that FIRST does not monitor the content or provide answers to questions (although FIRST might look in from time to time). It is up to the participants to share the knowledge they have gained in the spirit of Coopertition.

If your team is using a software other than the LEGO provided programming language, please complete this survey so we can notify your judge advisor!

5) Tips for Picking Robot Missions

Now that your team has a good handle on their project and are on their way to a workable innovative solution it's time to dig that robot out of wherever you had to hide it so they could focus. This doesn't mean we are done working on the project, just that it's time to get a couple of sorta working programs onto the robot.

That 4'x8' table looks like a confusing place to begin!  FIRST knows the importance of all teams having success at the robot game table. That's why there are some strategically placed missions that are deceptively simple. Look near the Base. There are always missions near the Base are that do not require precision to accomplish, especially with a smaller sized robot that most starting teams use. Sometimes these missions get much harder when robots get bigger and more complicated. These missions are the perfect starting place for your team! This year there is a lot of precise driving, if your robot is going out more than a few feet its a good idea to make sure you are square when you turn. This can be done by using a white/black line (check with your color sensor readout to see what is best) or squaring to a solid object, like the wall. 

As a coach - Do NOT let your adult perspective make the mission harder. As adults our thinking has become more rigid. We see a lever and we need to pull it. We see a button and we want to push it. Often in FIRST LEGO League those levers and buttons are red herrings! If it's not a rule, it does not matter! Don't let your bias stop your team from an easy success. As always - our teams do the work and our coaches and mentors are mearly guides. If the kids are handing you LEGO or the computer and you aren't taking pieces apart (use the brick separator from bag one - it's the orange thing) or logging/recovering from a Blue Screen of Death, then - Step Back, Put Your Hands in Your Pockets, and ONLY ASK QUESTIONS for the rest of the meeting. This is not a common experience for many of our team members, but they'll catch on fast. 

Remember this table is meant to keep the best teams in the world busy until APRIL! Your team only needs to have 1 working mission, 1 sorta working mission, and a mission they will finish at the tournament to be considered a successful FIRST LEGO League team in Oregon!  Will other have more, possibly, but that's their definition of success. We all need to set our own realistic goals, that don't involve comparing ourselves to other teams with different experiences.

6) Upcoming FIRST Events

• November 10 - McKenzie River Gathering of Robots - Ford Alumni Center, Eugene - 10-5PM  This is an event to bring the students, teachers, mentors, and supporters of local High School and Middle School robotics teams together, FIRST Robotics Competition, FIRST Tech Challenge, FIRST LEGO League, and VEX teams. The purpose is: to meet; to share ideas and techniques; and, to enhance our robotics STEM and business skills. "Local FIRST and VEX teams", includes all of Lane County or some reasonable driving distance to Eugene/Springfield area.  - this may be a good opportunity to share your Project Solution!
• November 13 - "Make It Loud"in Central Oregon - Tuesday, November 13, 4:00 - 6:00 PM at OSU Cascades, Tykeson Hall 111 - Teams in Central Oregon Please look for an additional email announcement from ORTOP regarding this event!
• November 17 - FTC's Total Chaos's FIRST LEGO League Scrimmage - Brookwood Library, in Hillsboro from 1-4PM - RSVP required through the above link or just come and watch!

Teams, it's time to buckle down! Email frequency will be increasing as there is a lot of information that will be coming in smaller doses one theme at a time. Our next email will be about Judging and some of the exciting changes we are making this year. So make sure you pay attention, even if your team has been there and done that!

I'm very excited that we will be hosting so many full events!

Best Wishes,

Loridee