Champaign-Urbana Illini Robotics

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 everyone. Just having a working robot at the tournament is an accomplishment. Some teams will move on to the State event, some teams will get awards, some teams may see their robot crash and burn, but everyone will be acknowledged for having learned and grown this season.

When you first arrive on Saturday morning, the coach should visit the event Check-in Station in Parkland’s Gallery Lounge to submit records of Team Rosters and Consent and Release forms and pick up the team event packet. The rest of the team can proceed directly to the pit area. A map of the building will be included in your event registration packet.

Please attend our event opening ceremony to be held at 9:45 AM in Parkland’s Auditorium C118. The closing awards ceremony will be held after final judge conferencing at 3:15 PM.

Table performance matches will be in Parkland’s Flag Lounge, with tableside area for teams and viewing area 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).

Robot Design, Research Presentation, and Core Values judging will run concurrently during the Performance rounds in classrooms. We would like you to be waiting outside of the room for your presentation at least 10 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 in advance of the tournament. It is the team’s responsibility to be on time.

There will be a short break at the end of the tournament while the referees and judges deliberate on final scores and judging sheets. Gather your team and find seats for the closing ceremony in Auditorium C118.

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 &Team Drop-Off Map:

View our map: http://www.ilfirst.org/fll/fll-events/fll-qualifying-tournaments/urbana.html

Parkland Community College Lots M1 and M6 are closest to our event. We will have signs directing you to the X Wing Gallery Lounge Check-in Station.

For drivers unloading gear, you may use the Public Safety Service Drive across from the Parkland College Chilled Water Plant located on the Northeast side of the campus complex between Parkland P and L buildings. There is a small parking lot used by campus security close to the X Wing with special accessibility. Do not block the road or parking area. You can unload your passengers and materials, and the driver should immediately proceed to park in lot M1 or M6.

Teams will be assigned to a pit area in Parkland’s Gallery Lounge. After registration, you and your team can set up in your pit area and get settled in. Your team number will be placed on the assigned tables. 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

Team Rosters and Consent and Release forms must be completed and handed in at the Qualifier event to take part in the event. Procedures to complete the forms online can be found at: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/team-member-registration-process-overview

We strongly encourage all parents/guardians to complete the on-line registration process. In the event that they are not able to access the internet or a computer, a paper version of the registration process is available on site. Please note that all team members who use the paper registration forms must bring a completed copy. 

 Team Information Sheet

Teams are required to complete 3 copies of the FLL Team Information Sheet for Project, Core Values, and Robot Design judging. A team member should hand a copy to the judge panel while entering the rooms. Judges may use this in their evaluation of teams. You can download the form under resources at this link: http://www.ilfirst.org/assets/components/documents/FLL%20Team%20Information%20Sheet.pdf  

Schedule of the Day

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

* Coffee and donuts will be sold during registration.

** Teams will be able to pre-order pizza and sandwiches at a reduced rate for their team and families. Teams will receive pre-ordering information by email 2 weeks prior to the event. Contact concessions@team4096.org for more information.

Lunch Break

Each team will have designated tables assigned with their team number.  Although there will be some food available for sale (pizza, beverages, candy, snacks) teams can pre-order their lunch and have it waiting for them at their table and avoid waiting in line.  Preordering is highly recommended.  Teams will be receiving pre-order information approximately 20 November 2015 from the tournament coordinators.  The deadline for order forms and payment is November 30, 2015.  No late pre-orders will be accepted.

Concessions Stand

The Concession Stand will be open until 3:15 PM. Located very near the pit area in Parkland’s Gallery Lounge, the concession stand will have pizza, sandwiches, snacks, drinks, 2015 Trash Trek tree ornaments, and Illini Robotics t-shirts available for purchase. 

Payment in the form of cash, checks, or credit cards will be accepted. The proceeds from food sales help pay for our local tournament and keep robotics in our local area, so please come hungry, order plenty, and help keep STEM education available to our kids!

 Tounament T-Shirt

We have a new process for selling Trash Trek t-shirts in Illinois this season. 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 by Amazon Fashion at this link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017JPVIEA. 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 the t-shirt link to team members and families who may be interested in having a shirt to show their enthusiasm at our events. Lightweight, Classic fit, Tear Away label, Double-needle sleeve and bottom hem; 4.5 oz 100% Combed Ring spun Cotton, machine wash cold with like colors, dry low heat 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.  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.

Tree Ornament:

Site Rules for the Day

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 hallways connecting those). 

Transporting your robot during the event

It could happen… someone drops the team robot and watches 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, and so on. 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, so remember your gracious professionalism. You can bring your computer, robot, kit, and other assorted goodies. But please have someone assigned to monitor your things.

Practice tables are for testing your robots and making last minute changes. Teams need to limit their time to 5 minutes and then let another team use the table. Again, respect the needs of others.

The practice tables should run similar to that of the performance rounds. No more than two students should be allowed up at the practice table. All other team members should stand back. This helps us keep track of valuable pieces.

Practice tables, as well as the competition tables make use of challenge kits that are generously loaned 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://www.firstlegoleague.org/challenge/2015trashtrek  

 http://www.firstlegoleague.org/challenge/participationrules  

Robot performance competition will take place at the competition tables in Flag Lounge. Teams should arrive 7 minutes ahead of your scheduled table competition. Per FLL Rules only two team members are allowed right up at the competition table. If the team is changing operators during a match, only those team members participating in the robot run are allowed to be near the table. Team members not currently running the robot must stand back from the table so that only two are right up at the table at any one time. The team must ask the referee where they should stand to queue up and rotate in.

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.

Now would be a good time for teams and coaches to review the robot game rules and robot game updates, especially if you have not yet read them. Teams that don’t read the complete set of missions, rules, and updates are more likely to have problems and have missions “fail” on tournament day. Please remember that coaches are nearby only for moral support and should not interact with the team members, robot, or referee.

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 on 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 2016.