This is being sent out on behalf of our state head judges, Mark Allen and Sally Sylvester. It's some general information/reminders, nothing new, but please take a few minutes to read through it.

Good luck to all the teams that will be competing in the 7 regional tournaments tomorrow and 1 on Sunday!

The regional tournaments are upon us so here are a few things to remember and suggestions for new teams with regard to judging.

· First gracious professionalism always. Many tournaments have roving judges to help in the overall evaluation of the FLL spirit and values.

· Aside from the team members, there are a maximum of three other adults allowed in the judging rooms (2 coaches, 1 historian). The adults are not to interact in any way during the judging process - the kids do all the work. Please no signals or cues from any adult.

· Rehearse the team introductions - the judges appreciate being introduced quickly to the team ("Hi I'm Sam, hi I'm Jane" and so on).

· Bring the required materials to each session. Make sure you have enough copies (4) of the team introduction sheets for each judging session.

· 5 minutes total for set-up and presentation. The schedules at the tournaments do not allow teams extra time for lengthy setup so it is recommended that this be rehearsed and timed to assure the presentation is not cut short. Again please note that this is not 5 minutes for setup and another 5 minutes for the presentation but rather 5 minutes total.

· All materials necessary for the project presentation must be brought with you to the judging room. For example, if your team needs a projector and a screen, the team must bring those and set them up as part of the 5 minutes allowed for the entire presentation.

· The team must do the set-up. Coaches can certainly help carry in larger items if necessary but in general always follow the rule that "the kids do the work".

· Have fun! Project presentations with energy and enthusiasm will engage the judges and help them remember their project and solutions.

· The team does not need to bring anything additional to the teamwork judging room (other than the team introduction sheets mentioned earlier). Instructions on the teamwork challenge will be given in the room after introductions.

· After the teamwork challenge, the judges will ask the team questions for up to 5 minutes.

· Have fun! The more fun the kids have, the more the judges will enjoy watching how the kids worked together throughout the season.

· Bring copies of your programs and hand them to the judges.

· This is a fully interactive session which will last up to 10 minutes.

· The judges will be asking questions as the team demonstrates their accomplishments.

· Demonstrate missions your team is especially proud of accomplishing

· Explain the missions and how the team members contributed to solving the various challenges.

· Have fun! Energy and enthusiasm towards their accomplishments will help engage the judges in understanding their work.

Good luck to all the teams. Please remember to help the teams view their success by their effort and striving to "be their best".