Robin- third year coach and my sentiments exactly- this third year seems to be going the best yet but it is still overwhelming- and I really can't say how they'll do- but they have set goals- a certain number of missions, etc. and I keep reminding them it's about achieving "their goals" not winning and then of course the FLL values. I find the project very overwhelming- but it's valuable. Coaches are very kind- last year the kids were adamant on a power point presentation that they worked really hard on, and all participated in it and were proud of- the coaches were still very nice to them throughout(although the comments were "power point" as a negative on the feedback sheet)- the coaches hand book is more specific on this this year which allows me to tell my older, more self conscious group- power points don't stand out- gotta make it fun. The FLL DVD on the project is very helpful too- I'm sorry if a repeat- but watch it with the team- came with your field set up. Laura On Sep 29, 2011, at 7:46 PM, Robin OConnell wrote: > Also To John, > > Kathy is exactly right. This is our third year (but I am a newbie > coach) and I can say that if you just try to let this happen it can > be amazing. The first year we really had no idea what we were > doing, but everything amazingly came together (and I can tell you at > this point in the season we were ALL ready to throw in our hats and > call it a day) Then last year we thought we knew what we were doing, > we had a seasoned team, great kids, etc... WELL? we BOMBED. But > we're back at it and some meetings it feels hopeless then sometimes > meetings are amazing. hang in there- this is organized chaos, but > it is a GREAT program and no matter what happens it is worth your > collective effort! good luck and see you at the tournament! > > Robin (newbie coach) > > From: "Katherine Molina" <[log in to unmask]> > To: [log in to unmask] > Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2011 6:18:23 PM > Subject: Re: [VADCFLL-L] Skip the Project? > > To John, > > I did not read the other replies so please excuse me if I've > reiterated something. > > Sometimes it is not possible to do everything. Some years my kids > get it all done, great project, lots of table missions complete > (high score), well engineered robot, terrific team work. Other years > the teams have been lucky to get a few missions completed and a half > ___ project. This is one of those years. Due to computer problems, > illness, no coaches (I'm supervising until we can get a real coach) > and other random issues, the table mat is not yet completed and > robot is not yet built. The kids can't agree on a food to research > and cannot come up with a team name! But we still plan to get a > robot together, program some missions and go to the tournament even > if the project goes wanting this year. > > In other words John, do what you can and enjoy the competitive > experience. Definitely go to the tournament. You'd be surprised how > many missions your robot can get done by simply knowing how to move > straight and to turn without any movable arms or lifts. Aim to get 3 > - 4 missions done. If you do more - yay! > > As for the project, it truly is sometimes the most fun for some of > the kids. Try to have the kids look up foods that spoil easily and > settle on one. It's not necessary to get too fancy. One of my groups > once came in first in the project with no power point, no back board > and a very simple presentation. The judges were frankly very > impressed with the depth of their knowledge. Maybe you have just 1 > or 2 kids interested in that and they can take the lead on that part. > > Best wishes for fun season, > Kathy > > From: First Lego League in Virginia and DC [VADCFLL- > [log in to unmask]] on behalf of John Britto [[log in to unmask]] > Sent: Wednesday, September 28, 2011 5:43 PM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: [VADCFLL-L] Skip the Project? > > We are a rookie team just getting started with the 2011 tournament > requirements. > In the interest of time, we may have to focus on the robot game and > not work on the Project/presentation. Is this something that is ok > to do? > Our team of 7 is barely functioning together and our time may be > better spent working on the game! > > Thanks, > John Britto > > To UNSUBSCRIBE or CHANGE your settings, please visit https://listserv.jmu.edu/archives/vadcfll-l.html > and select "Join or leave the list". > VADCFLL administrative announcements are sent via VADCFLL- > ANNOUNCEMENTS-L. Visit https://listserv.jmu.edu/archives/vadcfll-announcements-l.html > to subscribe. > To UNSUBSCRIBE or CHANGE your settings, please visit https://listserv.jmu.edu/archives/vadcfll-l.html > and select "Join or leave the list". > VADCFLL administrative announcements are sent via VADCFLL- > ANNOUNCEMENTS-L. Visit https://listserv.jmu.edu/archives/vadcfll-announcements-l.html > to subscribe. > To UNSUBSCRIBE or CHANGE your settings, please visit https://listserv.jmu.edu/archives/vadcfll-l.html > and select "Join or leave the list". > VADCFLL administrative announcements are sent via VADCFLL- > ANNOUNCEMENTS-L. Visit https://listserv.jmu.edu/archives/vadcfll-announcements-l.html > to subscribe. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE or CHANGE your settings, please visit https://listserv.jmu.edu/archives/vadcfll-l.html and select "Join or leave the list". -- VADCFLL administrative announcements are sent via VADCFLL-ANNOUNCEMENTS-L. Visit https://listserv.jmu.edu/archives/vadcfll-ANNOUNCEMENTS-l.html to subscribe.