Listen to this experienced coach, folks -- she's got it nailed. At this stage, your team is probably in a panic. Remind them that THEY WILL HAVE FUN. They will do their best. Some things will work, some things will not. But it will be fun anyway! I'd especially take heed of her warnings about protecting the robot. In 7 years of participation, I've yet to see a team totally destroy their robot at competition. Of course, it may have happened without my knowledge, and as a coach I was always terrified that it was about to happen! -- Phil Smith III Virginia State Judge Advisor, 2007, 2008 Judge Advisor, Northern Virginia Regional tournaments, 2006 Division 1 Judge Advisor, Virginia State tournament, 2006 Coach, The Capital Girls, Oak Hill (retired) Team 1900 (2002) Team 2497 (2003) Team 2355 (2004) Team 1945 (2005) -----Original Message----- From: First Lego League Discussion [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Alstat, Kathy Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 12:17 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [VADCFLL-L] Tables & Carts at the Competition Table While practicing, I explained the housekeeping rule to my team. Their solution---have one team member in charge of the box of attachments, parts, etc---one of the plastic bins that held the mindstorm parts works perfectly-and is smaller than base. I have no intention, even if it were allowed, of packing an av cart in addition to everything else needed for competition. The other team members take turns with the different missions---each team member stepping up one at a time.---So one child remains at the table at all times, the others step up, then step back for their part. Teamwork is sometimes about making compromises and adapting to the situation. My team this year may be a little clumsy and slow on their missions, but they are doing their best and they have improved with practice. I have been coaching since 2002. No matter how hard the kids work, no matter how many meetings we may have, we never feel ready for competition. Sometimes all of the missions that we have working before competition fail abysmally when we reach the tournament. Sometimes we based a mission on an erroneous assumption. Sometimes my kids have come up with an 11th hour solution at competition. FLL is about teamwork, learning through adversity and adapting ---sometimes on the spot. Tell your team to do the best they can, to laugh and learn from their mistakes and not to stress competition day or worry about how they will do. Tell them to have fun. Give them a chance to meet the other teams and learn by watching them and sharing ideas. If your team makes it to state---celebrate!---if your team doesn't---celebrate! (At least you have a free weekend !) No matter what happens afterward, we always have an ice cream party! Oh... and remind all members not to run in the halls. Have your team carry the robot in a box. I usually have the team form a protective wall around the teammate carrying the robot as they travel through the hall ----We have had several near crashes as team members scamper down the halls. If you have the opportunity, try to take your kids outside sometime during the tournament for a little supervised recess---they tend to get stir crazy. A rousing game of red light/ green light or tag sometimes helps them focus. Good luck to everybody and have fun! Some things you might want to pack; 1. 4 copies of team info sheet 2. Robot in Sturdy Box 3. Extra Parts for Robot 4. Project Board or display if you have one 5. Laptops 6. duct tape 7. clipboards 8. and sign in/out sheet 9. hand wipes/hand sanitzer 10. paper towels 11. trash bags 12. Scripts for Presentation 13. Powerstrips 14. Extension Cords 15. Camera and Memory Cards 16. Extra Batteries, Floppy Disks, flashdrives 17. Printed copies of programs 18. Buttons 19. t-Shirts 20. Trading Items 21. Pens and pencils 22. Health Histories 23. Bottled Water 24. Snacks 25. Cell phone Numbers of parents Kathryn M. Alstat 4-H Agent, Greene County Coach of the C.C. of G.C. --team 4060 10013 Spotswood Trail, Stanardsville, VA 22973 [log in to unmask] ______________________________________________________________ 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".