Teams,

 

Hope the season is going well. As we get closer to competition, here is some vital information to help you prepare for tournaments.

 

Team Information Sheet

Each team should bring four copies of a complete team information sheet to their tournament. You will provide one copy to registration and a copy to the Core Values, Project and Robot Design judging rooms. FYI, completing the team information sheet is a great core values activity.

 

Rubrics

A rubric is used to evaluate teams in Core Values, Project and Robot Design judging sessions. Visit the FIRST Website rubrics page to download the rubrics. It is IMPORTANT for each team to understand the rubrics.

 

Engineering Notebook, Core Values Poster and Robot Executive Design Summary (OPTIONAL)

For VA/DC the “new” Engineering Notebook, Core Values Poster and Robot Executive Design Summary outlined in the challenge guide are optional this year. We highly encourage teams to have them, but with our short season, they are optional. That may change next year. 

 

Who is allowed in the judging sessions?

All team members participating in the tournament must be in all judging sessions. If you have a team member who is sick or out-of-town and is not competing in the tournament, that’s ok. If a few team members want to skip a judging session to work on the robot, that’s not ok and will make the team ineligible for awards. 

 

You are allowed three non-members for each judging session (coaches, mentors, or historian). You also do not have to send any non-team members into judging sessions. Non-team members will be instructed to sit or stand in the back of the room and cannot interact with the team. Your historian can take photos or video. We just ask they keep a distance from the judge's table and team.

 

Judging Sessions

Each team will be allocated 10 minutes for each judging session (Core Value, Project and Robot Design). The time will start when the door shuts. 

 

Core Values

The team will be given a 2 to 3-minute activity/challenge to evaluate their teamwork. For example, using the materials provided, build a ______. After the team activity, the judges will conduct a Q&A around FIRST core values and the Core Values Rubric. The team should be familiar with FIRST Core Values and the term Gracious Professionalism. A Core Values poster is optional but recommended. 

 

Project Judging  

Each team is allocated 5 minutes to present their project. The youth must do all set up. The presentation must be live, no recordings. Do not expect any power or audio/visual support. The presentation should highlight the problem identified and the areas of the rubric: Research, Innovative Solution and Presentation. The presentation should be engaging and imaginative – skits, songs, puppet shows, etc. A Q&A session will follow the 5-minute presentation. 

 

Robot Design

Teams should bring their robot, attachments, and examples of programs. The robot should be ready to run before entering the judging session. The team will be asked to run some mission. The team should be prepared to cover the topics on the Robot Design Rubric – Mechanical Design, Programming, and Strategy & Innovation.  Robot Executive Design Summary and the Engineer Notebook are optional but encouraged. 

 

As a coach or parent, can I volunteer at a tournament?

Yes, we encourage coaches and parents to volunteer at tournaments where there is no conflict of interest. As an experienced coach, volunteering was the best training I received and would encourage every coach to volunteer. To signup, visit https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__va-2Ddcfll.org_volunteer_&d=DwIFaQ&c=eLbWYnpnzycBCgmb7vCI4uqNEB9RSjOdn_5nBEmmeq0&r=k6Oa5GxfBPFMgGjb2r5QIoEOeBZs9xbNIpA0kLw_kFQ&m=KXfrKgwBvHiQ_rLH3wYXmKyjlWvh_xR4ZrAgj17z3SA&s=P2Sl7iMAD2aK0h8tPoRBtRqEYSd3lRyv_Nc8Z16hyGo&e=.

 

At my tournament, how many teams will advance to the VA/DC Championship at JMU?

The number of advancements for each tournament will be shared at the Coach’s Meeting the morning of the tournament. 

 

 

If you have any judging questions, use the listserv or contact me at [log in to unmask] It may take me a few days to respond.

 

Thanks,

 

Scott Rakestraw

VA/DC Judge Advisor

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