Thank everyone - That was valuable advice.  I am glad to hear that the
coaches don't penalize a team for a missing member.  The way I read the
rules it sounded like that was a possibility.

Thank you

On Friday, October 18, 2013, Darlene Pantaleo wrote:

> Well said, Steve!
>
> On Oct 17, 2013, at 10:43 PM, VA/DC Referee Advisor wrote:
>
> Colleen,
>   The one role I've never served in is as a coach.  But the tournament is
> only 6-8 hours of the total FLL experience.  I'd let the boy participate
> fully--your team will be stronger for it.  You'll probably be surprised how
> well your team can adapt to filling in for a member who is available for
> all/part of the tournament day.
>
>   The judges don't count who isn't present--they only evaluate what the
> team presents.  We're used to kids getting sick, having family emergencies,
> sometimes even moving cross-country!
>
>   Encourage your team to think creatively--"What if Johnny can't be there
> for our project presentation?  How will you be able to still make it
> work?"  See what they come up with.  Five of the 30 judging minutes are
> scripted--the rest are generally free form Q&A.  Check out the Core Values
> rubric (
> http://www.firstlegoleague.org/sites/default/files/Official_Event_Info/CombinedRubrics.pdf)
> and the element of Inclusion.  Better teams have members who can describe
> how a missing member contributed to the team, so it's not a big deal.
>
> If your team will rotate members in and out at the table, then it's
> simple.  Someone else can substitute in.  Even if the substitute and the
> original partner don't fully mesh, it's okay--only the best of 3 scores
> counts anyway.
>
> Finally, look at the FLL Core Values:  "What we discover is more important
> than what we win."  I volunteer for FLL because I really value seeing what
> the children can discover and how they can grow in their skills.
> Recognizing achievement through awards is important, but the awards
> ceremony is not where the learning, growing, and enthusiasm happen.  Those
> happen during the season and in talking to the other teams at the
> tournament.  The judged and scored events are a small piece of that.
>
> Steve Scherr
> VA/DC FLL  Referee Advisor
>
>
> On Thu, Oct 17, 2013 at 9:33 PM, Colleen VanDyke <[log in to unmask]<javascript:_e({}, 'cvml', [log in to unmask]);>
> > wrote:
>
>> Hi Everyone,
>>
>> Another Rookie Coach here...
>>
>> I just found out one of my team members has a conflict for a several
>> hours on tournament day.  I would like him to participate while he is
>> on-site.  But since we don't know the schedule ahead of time, I am hesitant
>> to give him an equal\critical role.  (He will do whatever is best of the
>> team, so that is not a concern.)
>>
>> Am I better off deleting him from the team and having him as the team
>> historian?  That way he could be with the team, but it wouldn't count
>> against the team if he didn't have an equal role or wasn't present?
>>
>> I thought about planning for each activity with and without him, but I
>> don't think my team can be that flexible on the fly.  (They are pretty
>> nervous.)
>>
>> All suggestions welcome!
>>
>> --
>> Thanks - Colleen
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-- 
Thanks - Colleen

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