Kick Off Information - January 4, 2013
At this point, we are still awaiting an official time for the live stream to start. So, I've listed the tentative schedule here. We will meet at the center at 10:00 AM, and pick up the live stream as soon as it begins.
**New this year** We would like to invite parents, alumni & alumni parents to attend our Kick-Off. We think this will be a great way for parents to find out what our game is, to see the beginning of our season, and to get questions answered sooner for you! Parents are not required to attend, but we would encourage it, and will be very happy to see a parent for each team member.
Lunch will be potluck! BX will be providing pulled pork and pulled chicken for sandwiches. I am looking for 1-2 people with a roaster, or large crock pots who would be willing to cook these meats for us. Please email or text me if you can, so I can make arrangements to get the meat to you.
Please remember that we do have nut allergies on the team. So, if you have any nut product in the dish you bring, please note it on the dish. If you can stay away from nuts, that would be best! :)
8th Graders/Freshmen: Please bring healthy sides (veggies, fruit, etc)
Sophomores: Please bring desserts
Juniors: Please bring salty or cheese sides(mac & Cheese, chips and dips, chips and salsa, etc.)
Seniors: Please bring beverages (2L bottles of pop/water/tea/punch, etc)
If you have a favorite item to bring, but it is not your area, feel free. It is just a general guide. :)
Agenda:
10:00 AM - Arrive at the center. Begin viewing live stream from FIRST Headquarters as soon as it begins.
Lunch will begin between 11:30 and 12:30 depending on how long the broadcast lasts.
Following Lunch: Parent discussion of the 6 week build session, tournaments, mentoring, and Q & A. (Coach May & Coach Smith)
Students/Mentors: Engage in game discussion. (Coach Poskarbiewicz)
This day is very hard to plan because we have no idea what the challenge will be, how much we will be able to dig into our game. If possible, the following will continue throughout the
afternoon hours, and possibly into the evening.
Begin to work on field build planning. Any parents with basic woodworking skills are invited to help us with this task. If we are able to nail it down enough, we will shop and start building on Saturday. The goal is to have our field built within the first week, when possible.
Analyze Game Rules.
Begin Game Strategy.
Brainstorm.
Dig deeper into the rules.
Analyze more! Strategize more! The more we understand the game rules, the better we make our strategy, the stronger our robot and team will be. So, this day is dedicated to understanding every element of the game that we can dig into!
There will be little robot discussion on this day, as we want to focus on understanding the game before we work on the robot design. :)
End time: This is flexible. Students usually begin wearing down early evening (as do mentors). We may continue past dinner time, or we may call practice at that time. The day becomes more flexible as we get later in the afternoon. Please feel free to come and go as needed after 2:00PM. We would like the full team there from 10 - 2 to satisfy your travel requirements. If you are out of town, or unable to make kick-off, please be sure to email me so that you can get an exemption to this requirement. :)
A note about the season: Remember, you each have to earn you required hours (20 to travel, 30 for JV, 60 for Varsity) in the six weeks of build season. How you do that is up to you. Thursdays and Saturdays (10 - 2) are required. Beyond that, you come on the days your are available. We work every day, and we continue on our goals each day. If you have a test the next day, stay home and study. We will also be looking at homework-time at the center for those wanting help from peers, or a quiet place to get homework done before practice. More details to come! :)
