FIRST Kickoff Seminar
Team 1403
January 4, 2014
Represents the spirit of FIRST. It honors
the team that, in the judges’ estimation,
best represents a model for other teams
to emulate. It embodies the goals and
mission of FIRST. It remains our most
prestigious award.
"To transform our culture by creating a world
where science and technology are celebrated
and where young people dream of becoming
science and technology leaders."
-Dean Kamen, Founder
“Our mission is to inspire young people to
be science and technology leaders, by
engaging them in exciting mentor-based
programs that build science, engineering and
technology skills, that inspire innovation, and
that foster well-rounded life capabilities
including self-confidence, communication, and
leadership.”
 Special
emphasis on recent accomplishments
this year and the preceding 2 years.
 All NASA Grant Teams must prepare a
Chairman’s Award submission – even rookie
teams that are not eligible to win the award.
 Woodie Flowers Candidate must be submitted
at one district event/regional
Essay – 10,000 characters, including spaces and
punctuation
 Optional 4 photos totaling no more than 1.0Mb
 Executive Summary
 DVD – 1 to 3 minutes in length, submitted to
judges at Chairman’s Presentation
 Submit at every district/regional event
 Submit essay, photos and executive summary via
STIMS (https://my.usfirst.org/stims/site.lasso)
 Submission Deadline – 12:00 pm ET February 13,
2014
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Team Story – spreading the FIRST mission
Focus on current year and previous 2 years
Impact FIRST has on the learning experience of the:
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Students
School
Curriculum
Engineers/Mentors
Community at large
Explain why the team is a role model
Year round commitment
The experience of people working together toward a shared
goal
Limited to 10,000 characters, including spaces and
punctuation
Optional 4 photos totaling no more than 1.0Mb
 Team
name
 Sponsors
of the FIRST program on team participants
 How your team is a role model
 How your team impacts the community
 Innovative methods to spread the FIRST message
 Strength of your teams partnerships
 Communication methods and results
 Other matters of interest
 Impact
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1 to 3 minutes in length
Widescreen aspect ratio (16:9)
Free of copyright restrictions, including music
Must be in English
May not contain any obscene or suggestive language, or
inappropriate content, which will result in a
disqualification
Provide DVD to judges at the
district/regional/championship event
Although it is a requirement, the DVD is not part of the
judging process, unless it contains inappropriate
content
Teams that do not submit a DVD will not be considered
eligible for the Chairman’s Award
 Schedule
interview time at Pit Administration
 Interviews are 10 minutes
◦ 5 minute presentation which includes set-up time
◦ 5 minute questions & answers led by the judges
 No
more than 3 team members
 Judges
Focus:
◦ Activities over a sustained period
◦ Not just the 6 week build season
◦ Not just about the robot
 Besides
the Chairman’s submission package
the judges may also utilize the Judges
Information Page
(https://my.usfirst.org/frc/tims/site.lasso)
5
minutes max, includes introductions and
set-up
 Summarize team accomplishments
 What FIRST means to team members
 How team portrays the FIRST Mission
 May use video or other props
◦ Must bring equipment to present
◦ Included as part of the 5 minute presentation
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Do:
Rehearse – 5 Minute Presentation
Dress appropriately
Introduce yourself to judges – shake
hands firmly
Hand each judge your Chairman’s
package
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Essay
Executive Summary
DVD (one copy only)
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Self-confidence
Communication skills
Leadership
Demonstrate
Smile
Good eye contact
Poise
Posture
Allude Gracious Professionalism
Do not:
 Interrupt one another
 Appear unprepared
 Make up answers to questions
 Appear distracted, nervous or
unprofessional
 Slouch
 Use inappropriate language
 Prepare
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3 binders with:
Essay
Executive summary
DVD; 1 – 3 minutes in length
Team history
Community outreach
Newspaper articles on team
Accolades
Letters of recognition
Thank you’s
Business plan
JUDGES' INFORMATION
 The Judges’ Information is a team overview page. It is your
team’s opportunity to share valuable information and statistics
with FIRST and the judges at the events. These data are very
valuable for planning events and very helpful in our efforts to
procure funding. FIRST may use the robot photos you submit
in the Awards Ceremonies. Enter the information under the
“Judges’ Information” section in TIMS.
 The purpose of the Judges’ Information page is to provide:
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a common starting point for judging each team
insight for judges into team's workings
History
Goals
Strengths
Robot
team data for FIRST and its archives.
FIRST ROBOTICS COMPETITION WEBSITE
Visit the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) area
on the usfirst.org where you can find answers to
administrative concerns and link to other areas of
support.
Check deadlines and dates for the Team
Information Management System (TIMS), entries,
grants, registration and payments, robot
shipment, and awards submissions.
http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/con
tent.aspx?id=454
THE TIMS - SUPPLYING INFORMATION TO FIRST
The TIMS is the online system used by the Main and
Alternate Contacts of the team to:
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5.
The
Create a Team Profile
Register for events
Enter Kit and Kickoff Preferences
Enter Judge’s Information (for awards)
Accept students to the team, track their electronic Consent
and Release Forms, print a Team Roster, and assign
students to submit for key awards and track their progress.
TIMS additionally provides options to allow teams to
register themselves as a team willing to mentor others,
or for a team to identify itself as a team in need of
mentoring.
Main Contact Responsibilities
The Main Contact is the primary contact who provides team
information to FIRST and undertakes key actions on behalf of
the team via the TIMS. It is recommended this role is filled by
the lead mentor of the team. This person may choose to
delegate some of the responsibilities listed below, but should
still be up to date with their progress and ensure their
completion. This position must be held by one over the age of
18. Award Submissions:
Assign student submitters in TIMS.
Ensure submissions of Woodie Flowers, Website, Chairman’s,
and other Awards by the respective deadlines. Find details in
the “Awards” section of the FRC Manual. Review
http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/content.aspx?id
=440