Yes, please tell us more about underwater robotics! Sounds like something we'd love to come and see. Sonya in Hbg On Fri, Nov 21, 2008 at 3:27 PM, Gail Drake <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > My personal opinion on the subject: > > Many of us that support the FLL teams started in the FRC arena. I > personally support several FLL teams and several FTC teams, as well as > manage and mentor a FRC team. The FRC Season starts the first Saturday in > January and has a 6 week build. We literally work 6 -7 days a week during > this season and have no band-width for any other projects (FLL/FTC). The > FTC Season starts the 2nd/3rd week of September and starts its state > competitions in early December. > > Having FLL in the fall allows many people to be involved in FLL along with > FRC or FTC. I personally believe it would hurt the BIG picture if we could > not be involved. (When I state 'we', for our team, I have 30 high school > students that mentor elementary kids, and that would not happen). > > I think there is a bigger picture than FLL stand alone. I for one, and > pleased that we have a cycle that includes many level of robotics. > > If you really want some fun; we do underwater robotics in April :) > > Gail Drake > Battlefield High School > Information Technology and Programming Faculty > Robotics Coach, FRC Team 1885, FTC, SEAPerch > WebMaster > > (571) 261-4726 > [log in to unmask] > > SEAPerchPWCS.org > BattlefieldIT.org > BattlefieldRobotics.org > > >>> Stuart & Lori Roll <[log in to unmask]> 11/21/2008 3:14 PM >>> > Michael - > > I agree. In our area, the challenge is generally released the first week > of > school each year when too many other flyers are being sent home. This past > year, I finally got the reigns of our Elementary School program and did > spring registration for a change. The odd thing is I don't know if it > gained us much extra time, if any. It's hard for some people to commit to > something several months in advance when they don't have a handle on how > bad > sports practices and such will be. It's virtually impossible to get kids > together over the summer as their vacations and camps all overlap. Also, > everyone is very distracted in the first week or two of school. > > Our Middle School program has it harder, though. Along with all the > aforementioned challenges, the rising 6th graders are coming from several > feeder schools, only one of which even has an FLL program. The first > quarter of 6th grade is pretty challenging for most kids and they are > worried about overcommiting. We still somehow ended up with a bumper crop > of 6th grade recruits this year. > > So it seems no matter how hard I try, we still end up with a 6-8 week FLL > season. Other school systems (VA and elsewhere) that start in late August > or use a year-round schedule have a small advantage on us, I would think. > > But to balance that out, the 80-20 rule applies in FLL as it does in life > in > general - 80% of the work gets done in the last 20% of the time. I'd bet > that most teams meander through the first couple of weeks and then knuckle > down at the end so an extra week or two up front wouldn't make that much > difference. We have been living (and in some cases thriving) with this > issue > for years, so maybe it isn't such a big hairy deal. > > Unfortunately, moving the fall tournaments a couple of weeks later would > force them to post-Thanksgiving and you'd have to move states into January. > I'm not saying that's a bad thing, mind you, just different. > > The schedule may have very limited flexibility. The challenge has to be > released all at once worldwide and I have no clue how schools work in the > other countries. My best guess is that our regional tournament dates were > simply picked as the latest dates that didn't hit Thanksgiving. > > Stuart > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Michael Blanpied" <[log in to unmask]> > To: <[log in to unmask]> > Sent: Friday, November 21, 2008 11:34 AM > Subject: Re: [VADCFLL-L] why november and december for tournaments > > > > Lisa, > > > > I'll be curious too. I assume that FLL regionals and state tournaments > are > > in the fall to allow the international tournament to fall within the same > > school year, or to not conflict with Odyssey of the Mind and other such > > things in the spring, but that's just a guess. > > > > The timing does create a challenge for school teams. My first two years I > > coached an elementary school team. The school would send announcements > > about FLL in the introductory package, which families would receive > around > > Labor Day. By the time forms were returned, teams formed, and a first > > meeting scheduled, we were into late September with only about 6-7 weeks > > left. I pleaded for the school to solicit interest and form teams in the > > spring, so that we could meet a bit over the summer to get to know each > > other and begin work on background skills (robot building, programming) > > and begin to explore the theme topic in a general way, but no dice. > > > > Perhaps a compromise would be to move the fall tournaments a couple of > > weeks later, and shift States to after the holiday, but who knows. > > > > Mike > > > >>Hello, > >> > >> I have a question about the timing of our tournaments. Why do we > >> have our tournaments during the busiest time of the year November and > >> December? There must be a reason and I just don't know. It would seem > >> to make more sense to have them later after we have had time to get > >> situated in the school year and not during the holiday season. I was > >> thinking March and April. > >> > >>Just Wondering, > >>Fuqua Bot Boys > >>Formerly X-treme Lego Bots > >>Formerly Fuqua 4-H Robotics > >> > >>Lisa > >> > >>______________________________________________________________ > >>To UNSUBSCRIBE or CHANGE YOUR SETTINGS, please visit > >>https://listserv.jmu.edu/archives/vadcfll-l.html and select "Join or > leave > >>the list". > >> > >>If you want to join the VADCFLL-ADMIN-L mailing list - to which FLL > >>administrative announcements will be distributed - visit > >>https://listserv.jmu.edu/archives/vadcfll-admin-l.html and select "Join > or > >>leave the list". > > > > ______________________________________________________________ > > To UNSUBSCRIBE or CHANGE YOUR SETTINGS, please visit > > https://listserv.jmu.edu/archives/vadcfll-l.html and select "Join or > leave > > the list". > > > > If you want to join the VADCFLL-ADMIN-L mailing list - to which FLL > > administrative announcements will be distributed - visit > > https://listserv.jmu.edu/archives/vadcfll-admin-l.html and select "Join > or > > leave the list". > > > > ______________________________________________________________ > To UNSUBSCRIBE or CHANGE YOUR SETTINGS, please visit > https://listserv.jmu.edu/archives/vadcfll-l.html and select "Join or leave > the list". > > If you want to join the VADCFLL-ADMIN-L mailing list - to which FLL > administrative announcements will be distributed - visit > https://listserv.jmu.edu/archives/vadcfll-admin-l.html and select "Join or > leave the list". > > ______________________________________________________________ > To UNSUBSCRIBE or CHANGE YOUR SETTINGS, please visit > https://listserv.jmu.edu/archives/vadcfll-l.html and select "Join or leave > the list". > > If you want to join the VADCFLL-ADMIN-L mailing list - to which FLL > administrative announcements will be distributed - visit > https://listserv.jmu.edu/archives/vadcfll-admin-l.html and select "Join or > leave the list". > ______________________________________________________________ To UNSUBSCRIBE or CHANGE YOUR SETTINGS, please visit https://listserv.jmu.edu/archives/vadcfll-l.html and select "Join or leave the list". If you want to join the VADCFLL-ADMIN-L mailing list - to which FLL administrative announcements will be distributed - visit https://listserv.jmu.edu/archives/vadcfll-admin-l.html and select "Join or leave the list".