Southern Illinois Edwardsville

FIRST LEGO League 

Event Overview

This event has been put together with the kids in mind. They will be occupied by something nearly every minute of the day. The judges will engage the kids with questions and will strive to make this a positive experience for all. Some teams will move on to the State event, some teams will get awards, some teams may see their robot crash and burn, but all will be treated like winners.

Most of the event will take place in the cafetorium and classrooms. Team robotic performance matches will be in the cafetorium, with seating for spectators. One pair of tables will be used for tournament play. Each team will have the opportunity to play a total of four rounds (two at each table). Practice tables will be in assigned classrooms.

Robot Design, Research Presentation and Core Values judging will run concurrently during the Performance rounds. All judging will be held in classrooms away from all the noise and excitement going on in the cafetorium. Please keep track of when and where you are supposed to be. We would like you to be waiting outside of the room for your presentation at least 5 minutes prior to your start time. Please be quiet while waiting because another team may be presenting. Rooms will be clearly marked with signs, and you will receive a schedule when you register upon arriving. There will be queuing managers to help teams keep track of where they’re supposed to be, but ultimately it is the team’s responsibility to be on time.

There will be a short break at the end of the tournament while the refs and judges deliberate on final scores and judging sheets. Gather your team and find seats for the closing ceremony in the gym.

Most importantly, bring a good sense of humor. This tournament is put on entirely by volunteers. Show them your support and appreciation for what they have put together for you. Check your worries and egos at the door. Have fun! 

What to do when your team arrives

Parking is available in the school lots. You may pull up near the door temporarily, to drop off and unload, but please don’t stay there too long as other cars may be also waiting to drop off.

Once you have unloaded and parked your vehicle, coaches should head for the registration table in the lobby. There we will collect Consent Forms and Team Information Sheets, you will then receive a tournament packet containing the day’s schedule, your pre-ordered t-shirts and any last minute instructions.

Teams will be assigned to a pre-designated table that they will use as their pit area. After registration, you and your team can setup in your pit area and get settled in. your team number will be placed on the table. Do not move, remove or cover it up, the judges and runners need this to help them find your team during the day. 

Consent Release Forms

Each team needs to bring Consent Release forms, signed, for each student, coach and volunteer attending (NO EXCEPTIONS – Participation is contingent on filled out and signed forms before the opening ceremonies). These will be collected at check in BEFORE you receive your packet.  

There may be an on-line capability for consent forms.  If that is the case and you have completed the forms for all coaches and team members then hard copies of consent forms will not be needed at registration.  We will verify this at registration.

 Team Information Sheet

The Judges see so many kids/teams during the course of the day. This sheet was designed to help them identify and remember everyone as well as some of their key points. The information sheet is a PDF form (Separate attachment) that should be filled out electronically. Please print out 4 color copies to bring with to the tournament and hand in when you check in.

Schedule of the Day

This schedule is subject to change, but should give you an approximate idea of how the day will progress.

 ** On-site lunch plans are TBD.  We will update the website and e-mail registered teams as information becomes available.

Lunch Break

TBD

 Tournament T-Shirt

We will no longer have a supply of t-shirts available for sale at the qualifiers. We have created a t-shirt that is now being offered for sale for $19.99 at Merch by Amazon at this link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017JPVIEA?ref_=pe_2196150_146773810. The shirts will be delivered directly to you from Amazon. We are excited to offer teams a choice of 5 shirt colors and a full range of sizes. We hope you will find the new process easy to use and enjoy the flexibility of this new process. FIRST Illinois Robotics, the non-profit organization that delivers the FLL program in Illinois, will receive a portion of the proceeds from the sale of every t-shirt.  Please pass this link along to team members and families who may be interested in having a shirt to show their enthusiasm at our events. Lightweight, Classic fit, TearAway label, Double-needle sleeve and bottom hem 4.5 oz 100% Combed Ringspun Cotton, machine wash cold with like colors, dry low heat  Oranaments will be for sale for $7 each at the qualifying tournament.  Ornaments make a great coaches gift with signatures from team members!  See below for the image.

Site Rules for the Day

Please observe the following rules:

• Please clean up your pit area after the tournament.

• DO NOT wander the building! Everyone must stay within the competition area (limited to the competition rooms, pits, presentation rooms, and the hallway connecting those).

Transporting your robot during the event

It will happen… someone will drop their robot and watch the parts explode in a million directions. It’s not pretty. You might consider a plastic container for carrying your robot during the event. If it drops you have a better chance of collecting all of the parts and re-assembling it.

Pit Area and Practice Table Information

The pit is the area where teams can come between performance rounds, judging, etc. Like an auto race, the teams come here to tune up their robots, exchange parts, etc. Each team will have a table, chairs, and some space. Limited power outlets will be available near the pit areas.  We will need to share outlets. You can bring your computer, robot, kit, and other assorted goodies. There may not be a lot of room to “hang out” in the pit area, but there will be plenty of seating in the main competition area to come and watch other teams compete. 

Practice tables are for testing your robots and making last minute changes. If others are waiting, teams need to limit their time to 5 minutes and then let another team use the table.

Practice tables, as well as the competition tables make use of challenge kits that are generously donated for the day. Please respect the property and take care of the challenge pieces as if they were your own.

Rules for Competition Area

Official FLL rules for tournament play along with commonly asked questions and answers are located at:            

http://firstlegoleague.org/challenge/2015trashtrek

Team members at the table will have a brief time to inspect the playing surface and prepare your robot for tournament play. Coaches and Students should not touch any table elements. If you think something is improperly setup on the table, the student should notify the referee immediately so that it may be corrected.

Team members must not touch the competition table during performance runs.

The score is determined at the END of the match, based on the condition of the field at that time only. This means that points won’t be awarded for successful missions that the robot accidentally trashes before the match ends.

Scoring Overview

The top few teams will advance to the State Tournament based of an equal weighting of the following categories, plus finish in the top 50% of the Robot Performance Scoring.

• Technical Judging
• Research Presentation Judging
• Core Values Judging

About 25% of the teams will advance from each of the Qualifier Tournaments to the State Tournament in January 2015.