Friday, December 7, 2018

FIRST DEAN'S LIST and Tournament Dates




It's FIRST Tech Challenge Dean's List submission time!!

  • DEADLINE TO SUBMIT IS SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15 
  • FIRST Dean's List Information Page 
  • Guide to nominating a Sophomore or Junior class team member(s) from your team. 
  • Two nominations per team limit
  • Highly recommended that the nominating mentor(s) read the Nomination Guide prior to submitting. 
  • Nominations submitted properly to FIRST will be forwarded to ORTOP after the deadline has past. ORTOP has no way of knowing if a nomination has been submitted until after the deadline. Any issues with the submission process needs to be directed to FIRST HQ. 
  • Nominated students, known as FIRST Dean's List Semi-Finalists, will be interviewed at their January League or Non-League Qualifying Event during the inspection/judging period at a time your team is not scheduled for either activity 
  • From the pool of  FIRST Dean's List Semi-Finalists, four students from Oregon will be selected as FIRST Dean's List Finalists to represent Oregon at the FIRST World Championship in Houston and compete to be a FIRST Dean's List Winner.
  • Note from your Affiliate Partner: FIRST Dean's List students are about  students' abilities to lead and inspire others around them; in and outside of  the team environment. Although a student's grade point average is part of the consideration, it is not the primary attribute the interviewers and reviewers are accessing in choosing students to be Finalists. 

What's Up with Events! EVENT RESULTS  
ORTOP is pushing our event results up to The Purple Alliance, an online service for FTC results - Look for the date of your event.   This is the URL - 
https://ftcscores.com/

League Meets and JANUARY and FEBRUARY AND MARCH TOURNAMENTS! 
We are headed down the home stretch to complete our 3 official league meets per League. 

Check here to see your remain league meet dates 
Make a point to thank our awesome volunteers. Do that.

Lots of emails and some texts about the League Qualifying Tournament and Non League Qualifying Tournaments. 

  • FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon Qualifying  Tournaments
    •  January 18, 2019 – Friday
      • Tillamook HS – North Coast League Qualifying Tournament
    • January 19, 2019 – Saturday
      • Pendleton Convention Center – Columbia Basin League  Qualifying Tournament
      • Roseburg HS – SOAR Inter-League Qualifying Tournament – River and Mountain
      • Philomath HS – Non-League Qualifying Tournament #1
    • January 20, 2019 – Sunday 
      • Philomath HS – Non-League Qualifying Tournament #2
    • January 26, 2019 – Saturday 
      • Hillsboro HS – InterLeague Qualifying Tournament – Silicon Forest and Cedar Mill Leagues
      • Oaklea MS, Junction City – InterLeague Qualifying Tournament – Midwestern and Capitol Leagues
      • Tigard HS – InterLeague Qualifying Tournament – Tualatin Valley and Rose City Leagues
      • Mountain View HS, Bend – InterLeague Qualifying Tournament – Central Oregon and MidColumbia Leagues
    • January 27, 2019 – Sunday 
      • Tigard HS – Non-League Qualifying Tournament #3
  • FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon SUPER-QUALIFIER WEEKEND
    • assignments to SQ events will be based on 1) geographic distance of team meeting place to SQ event, 2) order of receipt of submission, 3)team preference  
    • Saturday, February 9, 2019
      • SQ:Delta  – Roseburg HS, Roseburg
      • SQ:Theta – Evergreen MS, Hillsboro
    • Sunday, February 10, 2019
      • SQ:Pi – Evergreen MS, Hillsboro
  • FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon CHAMPIONSHIP
      • LIBERTY HIGH SCHOOL, HILLSBORO
      • Saturday, March 9, 2019 – Load-in, Inspection, Judging
      • Sunday, March 10, 2019 – Competition Day, Awards, Advancements to World
A bit of techie advice
As your FTC Affiliate Partner I am admittedly about as un-techie person you'll find.

1) However, I am fairly active on social media and I've been reading discussions on failing REV Robotics Units.  #1 reason for failure seems to be connection port getting "broken" or more accurately dislodged from its location.  #1 way to avoid this is to train your students to very carefully plug in the connector and gently pull out the connector. The REV Robotics Hub is somewhat fragile in this regard.  Also consider connection restraints to keep connectors form wiggling. The robots take quite a bit of jarring on the field. A wiggle at the wrong time can leave the bot dead in the water. Take steps to prevent this. 

2) There has been chatter about phones out there. #8045 contributed this link on their Facebook page. 

3) Keep READING and RESEARCHING. There are a number of very valuable resources out there. 
4) Also - Consult the Inspector Manuals and Legal/Illegal Parts Manuals while making changes to your bot. 


FIRST LEGO League Volunteering 
Shout out to all of our FTC Team Members and Mentors who will be volunteering at FIRST LEGO League events the next two weekends.  Thank you for supporting the younger kids in FIRST and be sure to tell them how AWESOME FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon is. 










Monday, November 26, 2018

Event Results, Cyber Monday and This week in FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon




EVENT RESULTS  
ORTOP is pushing our event results up to The Purple Alliance, an online service for FTC results - Look for the date of your event.   This is the URL - 
https://ftcscores.com/
Event Results are also available off the ORTOP home page

This Week in FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon
What we saw in during League Meet 1 events 
In League Meet 1 weeks we saw most robots able to score minerals in the depots, quite a few robots parking partially or completely in the crater, a few robots latching to the lander and successfully deploying and reattaching in end game, and very few robots are scoring in the lander. 

A modest number of robots had some sort of autonomous program.  A few robots attempting to drop team markers, a few robots attempting to move the gold mineral off its mark. Partially parked in the crater seems to be the most successfully accomplished task.  

 Moving on to League Meet 2
Upcoming meets for Nov 26 - Dec 2  

  • WED - Nov 28 - Central Oregon at Culver
  • THURS -Nov 29 - MidColumbia (League Meet 1),  Columbia Basin
  • FRI -Nov. 30 - Rose City 
  • SAT - Dec 1 - Silicon Forest, North Coast
Upcoming meets for Dec 3 - 8 
  • THURS - Dec 6 - MidColumbia 
  • SATURDAY - Dec 8 - SOAR (Meets 2 & 3), Capitol ( Meets 2 & 3), Cedar Mill ( Meet 3) 
PREP FOR LEAGUE MEET 2 
Teams are still lollygagging getting through inspection. ugh....  This is slowing down the schedule. Please show up on time and ready. 

  • League Meets and Tournaments are events for play, not redesigning your robot. 
    • Use your meeting time to do major changes to your bots.  
    • Use League Meet time to get your robot inspected early, tweak what needs to be fixed, practice, scout and be ready to play.   
  • Show up at your event ready to go through Inspection. 
  • Have the Robot Inspection sheet (left column) completed and a blank Field Inspection form ready to hand to the inspector. 
Still having trouble printing the Team Roster for the Team Check-in table? 
Click here for directions 

CYBER MONDAY 
REV ROBOTICS AND SERVO CITY are advertising good deals on their merchandise today, Monday, November 26th.   
Be sure to check Game Manual 1, the Legal/Illegal Parts Guide and the Forum before purchasing parts. 

NASA MARS INSIGHT LANDER
OH!!!! And the NASA MARS INSIGHT LANDER is GO FOR TOUCHDOWN ON MARS TODAY! You can watch the live broadcast starting at 11:00 AM PST. 


Thursday, November 15, 2018

FTC Oregon - Keeping on the right track!



This is Week 10 of our Rover Ruckus Season.

Dates of Importance 
  • Payment Deadline 
    • Friday, November 16th is the last day to pay for League or Non-League Play.  
    • If a Purchase Order, Check or Credit Card payment is not received on/by Friday, November 16th, those teams will be ineligible to take a discounted event fee.   
    • Teams not paid by November 30th, and haven't communicated a reason why to ORTOP, risk losing their slot in their assigned events. 
    • Was our PO or payment received? Check here 
Events for the next couple of weeks - details can be found here 
  • Nov 15 - Rose City League 
  • Nov 17 - SOAR, Silicon Forest, Midwestern, Cedar Mill 
  • Nov 18 - Tualatin Valley  
  • No events the week of Nov 19 - 25 - Happy Thanksgiving! Step away from the robot! Enjoy the family time. Put down the cell phone! 
  • Nov 28 - Central Oregon at Culver
  • Nov 29 - MidColumbia, Columbia Basin
  • Nov. 30 - Rose City 
  • Dec 1 - Silicon Forest, North Coast

    PLEASE THANK OUR VOLUNTEERS!!! They are awesome people to give their time to our program. 
Game Manual Highlights 
Mentors - Please take time during your practice/meeting time to go over Game Manual Rules.  
As always the FTC Forum is the ultimate answer to Game Rule Questions.

I'd like to mention a few items from the game manuals that can impact the design of your robot to avoid penalties and others to keep your team on right  track.

#1 --  From Game Manual #2 - Page 22  <GS3> .  



What does this mean?  Don't design your robot is such a way that the referees can't see how many minerals are possessed by your robot. It must be transparent to them. Gone are the days of the big black box. 


#2 - From Game Manual #2 - Page 23 - <GS10> and <GS11>






#3 - And look for the rule about mineral possession.
If a mineral accidentally lands in your robot and you are already in possession of the max amount, your team will be assessed penalties for over possession if you can't eject minerals out. Moral to the story: Build your robot to avoid unintended minerals getting stuck  in your bot.  
Homework! Find the rule and email the Number and Page to me!

UPDATE: Thanks Kraxberger Gearheads! You were the first team to email me the answer.
<GS3>Control/Possession Limits of Minerals – A Robot may Control or Possess a maximum of two (2) Minerals at a time. However, due to the density of Minerals within the Crater, Robots may temporarily exceed this limit while collecting Minerals that are In the Crater. Robots are required to shed excess Minerals before performing any other game play activities. Within the Crater, plowing through any quantity of Minerals is allowed but herding or directing multiple Minerals beyond the allotted maximum to gain a strategic advantage (i.e., Scoring, accessibility, defense) is not allowed. The Penalty for Controlling or Possessing more than the allotted maximum is an immediate Minor Penalty for each Mineral above the limit plus an additional Minor Penalty per Mineral for each 5-second interval that this situation continues. A Major Penalty will be assessed


#4 "There is no more important tool than these your safety glasses." - Norm Abram, This Old House
We are serious about this one. If you think this is a frivolous rule, think again. The rule is crystal clear.
Game Manual 2   <S3>  page 17 

#5 And this question came up last week at our North Coast League 
Are the craters owned by a specific alliance?  Look at Page 22 Game Manual 2 
ALSO,  Check out <G30>




Friday, November 2, 2018

League and Non-League Assignments



FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon ! 

Event Sign up is now closed  and we have 207 teams participating in FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon. That 4 more teams than last season! And welcome to the 95 new people added today to our ftcoregon@ortop.org  Google Group

Getting Your Ducks (or Beavers or Wolves or Vikings, etc.)  in a Row for a successful Rover Ruckus season!
  • Check the new updated roster - no more Relic Recovery references - it's all new with Rover Ruckus Names and Team #'s AND team league or non-league assignments. 
    • Non-League teams - please check your assignment. About a 1/3 of all teams were not given their 1st preference. 
    • Check Columns A, B and C. Does it say PAID, YES, YES? If so, your team has Paid the FTC Oregon event fee, is signed up for an event(s), and holds a nationally paid registration. 
    • And if it says UNPAID, YES, YES ????  Payment information is HERE 
    • ABOUT PAYMENTS TO ORTOP:  I am giving both non-league and league teams until November 16, 2018 to submit their payments to ORTOP.  After that date, any team not paid will need to pay the full cost of the program and will be ineligible to take a sliding scale discount.  
    • Why the harsh payment deadline this season?  Truth is the amount of time we spent last season during tournament time, chasing down payments was time consuming and took precious time away from preparing for tournaments. We want teams to pay on time so that we can move on to do what we need to do. ORTOP FTC programs staff consists of Cathy Swider and Jacie Fortune. And I share Jacie's time with FLL and FRC and other ORTOP business.  
  • NEXT: Check your FIRST Team Profile. Do you have a Lead Coach/Mentor1 and a Lead Coach/Mentor2? Have both passed Youth Protection Policy background screening? That is a requirement. Bonus! sign the electronic consent and release form. 
  • NEXT: Bonus points! Have each team member create a FIRST account.  More about this went out yesterday in a national FIRST Team email blast. You can read about it here. 

UPDATED FTC Oregon Tournament Page - I deleted the sign-up information, cleaned it up highlighting links that are currently most useful . 

  • Links to Printing Team Rosters for events  
  • the New Inspection Policy - print and bring with you 
  • updated League/Non-League  Pages with teams inserted and dates updated
ALSO - If you have heard rumors that FIRST Tech Challenge has a Live Scoring System like FIRST Robotics Competition, I confirm the rumors to be true. However, the software is still in BETA. Today version 0.5.1 was released with critical improvements for leagues. We'll be using paper score sheets until I feel the system is stable and reliable. I anticipate using live scoring by our QTs if not sooner.
UPCOMING THIS WEEK!  
  • Friday, Nov 2 - Rose City League 
  • Saturday, Nov 3 - SOAR, Silicon Forest, Cedar Mill (League Meet 1), Tualatin Valley 
  • Wednesday, Nov 7 - Central Oregon (League Meet 1) 
  • Thursday, Nov 8 - Mid-Columbia 
  • Saturday, Nov 10 - North Coast (League Meet 1) 

As always, I am here to help you. Please do not hesitate to contact me.








Wednesday, October 24, 2018

FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon Update: Season Housekeeping!



The start of LEAGUE MEET SEASON is upon us!   Central Oregon and Columbia Basin kicks off today with Midwestern, Capitol, Cedar Mill and North Coast this weekend holding their League Meet Zero events.  "All the fun and the points don't count".  Teams will be make new friends, help each other get their robots moving, learn about inspection and the Rover Ruckus game. And the Rover Ruckus fields will be up and available for scrimmage and practice.   If your team doesn't have an official Rover Ruckus field, this is your opportunity to test, measure and design.

Non-League Teams are welcome to attend any League Meet Zero event. Just pop in and introduce yourselves.

Some Rover Ruckus Season Housekeeping 

TEAM ROSTERS For our Central Oregon and Columbia Basin League- this message comes too late for League Meet Zero.... it's okay... I know you'll all have your paperwork for your LM-1. 

I'm going to try to say all of  this in the most polite way possible.

Printed Official Team Rosters are required to be submitted at the Team Check-in Desk by every team at every event.  Once you do it once, it is easy to do. For paper Consent forms, I suggest keeping a master copy set and printing them.  If at all possible, have your team members electronically register as youth members by creating FIRST accounts and have a parent/guardian sign an electronic copy of the Consent Form. This is good for the entire season and will show as such on the Team Roster. I know this does not work for everyone. Read on...... 


  • Official Team Roster is your Top Sheet - These are a few tips for successfully printing the official Team Roster. 
    • #1 Rule - Never use Internet Explorer or any other browser from MicroSoft  when trying to print the Team Roster. Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, all good. 
    • Where do I find the official Team Roster? 
      • Lead Coach/Mentor-1 and Lead Coach/Mentor-2 can access the Team Roster from their FIRST Dashboard. (log into firstinspires.org - upper right corner)  
        • click > MY TEAMS 
        • click > Your Team (note: you'll need to repeat this procedure for each team you may have) 
        • Under Team Contacts/Roster > click Drop down menu  > Contact Options
        • click >PRINT ROSTER 
        • You should see a screen with all of the information that will print. 
        • click > PRINT ROSTER - do not click Print Blank Roster. 
        • and then..... check it 
      • Check to see the names that printed out on the roster 
        • Check the Consent Form Column 
          • For every team member listed is there a check mark under Consent Form? 
            • If yes, Great! 
            • If no (there is an "x"), that team member is required to have a paper Consent Form signed by a parent or guardian. 
            • Attach the signed paper form to the back of the printed roster  
        • If some/all students are not printed on the Team Roster, then each student must have a paper Consent Form signed by a parent or guardian. For paper Consent forms, I suggest keeping a master copy set and printing them. 
        • On the Official Team Roster > under Additional Members - hand write in all of the team members with paper forms and then attach the paper forms to the back of the Roster. 
      • Download Youth Team Member Paperwork (English version)
      • Download Youth Team Member Paperwork (Spanish version)
      • FAQ: If all of my team members have paper Consent Forms do I still need to print out the official Team Roster?  
        • YES, you do. The printed roster will list the two official Lead Mentor 1 and Lead Mentor 2 persons and all of the basic team information. The Roster is the required TOP sheet for entry to an event. 
      • FAQ: What if we are having issues getting the FIRST system to allow us to invite a Lead Coach/Mentor-1 or Lead Coach/Mentor-2.   
        • If you are having system issues inviting a Lead Coach/Mentor-1, send me an email with who should be invited and what happened to the former Lead Coach/Mentor-1. I have a contact at FIRST that will help you. 
        • If you are having system issues with inviting a Lead Coach/Mentor-2, not sure what is going on. That should be pretty easy for the LeadCoach/Mentor-1 to do. Email me if you can't figure it out. 
New Inspection Procedures 

This season we are requiring teams to print and bring their own Robot Inspection forms and Field Inspection forms.  Print a dozen or so, tuck them in your equipment box and bring to your events. Be   Gracious Professionals - Share with teams that forget or don't read my emails. :-) 

THIS IS ON THE ORTOP WEBSITE - UNDER TOURNAMENTS NEW GUIDELINES FOR LEAGUE/NON-LEAGUE  PARTICIPATION – INSPECTION PROCESS 
  • FTC Teams should PRINT copies of the Robot Inspection sheet  AND BRING IT WITH YOU TO THE MEETS/TOURNAMENTS .
    • Teams should self-inspect their robot and check off for Pass/leave blank for Fail, using the Left Column on the Robot Inspection Checklist. Use a “?” to indicate if you are unsure if the robot passes or fails a specific line item.
    • Bring your Robot Inspection sheet to the meet and give it to the Robot Inspector volunteer to inspect the bot and make checks in the Right Column.
  • FTC Teams should PRINT copies of the Field Inspection sheet AND BRING IT WITH YOU TO THE MEETS/TOURNAMENTS .
    • This sheet does not provide a column for self-inspection, but teams are advised to conduct their own prior to the meet. Bring your copy to the Field Inspector Volunteer to go through Field Inspection.
    • Please note: almost 95% of teams who do not pass inspection at tournaments, fail on Field Inspection, not Robot Inspection. 
  • For help, consult Game Manual 1,

National Registration and Event Sign-up 
As a FIRST  Affiliate Partner I am required to adhere to the rule that states to participate in a FIRST event, a team must be nationally registered and paid.  This season FIRST has figured out a way to make sure all teams that participate are nationally registered and paid. Nationally registered and Paid teams will be in a database in the new Scorekeeping System. To be in the Match Schedule, you must be nationally registered and paid.
By my count we have 7 teams still not nationally registered and paid. Please take care of it, or communicate with me what the issue is and I will try to help you.

And we have 7 teams who have not yet signed up for a Non-League Tournament. The deadline is October 31st. Please take care of this. BTW, Tigard Non-League QT Jan27 is filled. Do not apply for it.
And finally Payment for your League or Non-League Events - this is different from the national registration payment. Both are required. 

FTC OREGON EVENT PAYMENT INFORMATION 





Sunday, October 7, 2018

FTC Oregon EVENT SIGN-UP - Tues Oct 9 at 5:00 PM

FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon Community:
TOPICS FOR TODAY
  • National Registration
  • Event Sign-up 
  • Rookie Note: League or Non-League???  
  • Mentor - mandatory background screening for admittance into events 
  • Benson BotFest - SURPRISE! It's happening Oct 20
  • A Total Chaos Tech Talk - (not chaotic as all, well worth your time) 
My sincere hopes that our teams have started the season well.  My in-box is filling with inquires about events. Here is the scoop.  If you are reading this, then you are receiving email from the Google Group -  ftcoregon@ortop.org  

FIRST Tech Challenge National Registration 
Every Team must be Nationally Registered and Paid to participate in FTC Oregon Leagues and Non-League Events. I understand that schools paying by check or PO will not show as paid until everything is processed.  I am allowing teams to sign up for FTC Oregon Events while their national registrations are showing as unpaid. However, all teams must show as paid by October 31st.

FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon Event Sign-up - Launch - October 9th at 5:00 PM To sign-up for a League or a Non-League event, you'll be required to complete a "SurveyMonkey" form. The Link will be available to teams on Tuesday, October 9, 2018 at 5:00 PM 


Complete information is at this link. I suggest you click and read it.  Scroll down page to see event profiles.

What is NOT at the link is the following:
At this point we are down 25% on paid national registrations. Not sure why. Only 155 registered teams as of today (10/7).  

By my preliminary assessment: We are looking for teams for the Capitol League in Salem, Midwestern League in Junction City, N. Coast League in Tillamook and any league in the Greater Portland Area. If you have never tried a league, this might be the year.

ROOKIE TEAM NOTE:     The difference between League and Non-League paths.
League teams progressively work on their robots and compete at League Meets in Oct - December. Each league has one scrimmage/workshop meet (League Meet 0) and three league meets. Lots of field time to see how the robot works, practice driving. Each event lasts 3 - 4 hours. Teams go through an inspection and play 5 qualifying matches.  Leagues provide a learning environment and technical help from the community to keep teams progressing. It is not expected that robots be completely built to do all of the tasks by League Meet 1. Most robots do not achieve that until the January League Qualifying Tournament.

Non-League Teams- work on robot during the fall at your meeting place, compete in the January Non-League Qualifying Tournament with formal inspection, Judging, Matches, and Awards. 

Lead Coach/Mentor1 and Lead Coach/Mentor2 - Youth Protection Background Screening

Every team must have a Lead Coach/Mentor1 and Lead Coach/Mentor2 in the FIRST Registration system. These individuals show as having passed the Youth Protection Background Screening to be admitted with their teams at any event.  Both might not be present at the event but the printed Team Roster must show both individuals as having passed the background check. This can be accomplished from the FIRST Dashboard. 

BENSON BotFest - SURPRISE! It is happening! On Saturday - October 20th !
At Benson High School in NE Portland - Our annual workshop skills tune-up day. This is a fabulous opportunity for rookies or new kids on the team to learn some skills. Or for 2nd year teams that "now kinda get it" and want to improve. We are looking for some presenters to cover some topics.
We would like an idea who would like to participate in the sessions. 

More information on THIS PAGE - If you are interested - CLICK HERE 
And if you can't come 
CLICK HERE  has lots of online resources to help your team.  

TECH TALK - presented by Total Chaos -  Total Chaos' third annual Tech Talk planned for October 13th, 2018,Beaverton City's Griffith Park Conference Room 330. It will be from 1:30pm - 4:30pm. The theme for this year’s event is Women in STEM. With this Tech Talk, we hope to share the work and experience of accomplished women in the fields of STEM, and inspire the next generation to engage with science and technology.  In addition, we are planning robot and coding activities to get people of all ages engaged and interested in this unique technology. Guest Speakers: Barbara Miner, Ph.D, retired from Intel, Amber Milavec, Principal Technical Architect, Nike, Alyssa Tomala, Vice President of Development and Innovation, Jesuit High School
Information Flyer



Cathy Swider
FIRST Tech Challenge, Affiliate Partner, Oregoncathy-swider@ortop.org
www.ortop.org
FTC Oregon blog - read what's happening!
Join us for #2019FIRSTLaunch season

Thursday, August 30, 2018

COUNTDOWN TO ROVER RUCKUS - 8 - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 - BLAST OFF!

__________________________________________________
SEPTEMBER 8, 2018 - ROVER RUCKUS GAME REVEAL!! 
__________________________________________________


SEVEN LOCATIONS!! DOORS OPEN AT 8:30 AM 
This game is SO amazing we wanted as many teams as possible to see it in person on Kick-off Day!!
Official FTC Oregon Kickoff Page


The following towns will be hosting FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon KICKOFF events. 
Schedule of Events at ALL VENUES SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8th 
  • 8:30 am – Doors will open
  • 9:00 am – ROVER RUCKUS GAME REVEAL/ Game Animation Video from HQ!  
  • 9:15 am – Rover Ruckus field revealed / Head Referee will talk about the highlights of the game, rules and penalties from Game Manual 2
  • ~9:45 am – See the field up close, touch the elements, measure, “kick the tires” on the new game
  •  ~10:00 am – Each venue will have a kickoff program featuring presentations, round table discussions or other activities – click links to see venue specific programming


FIRST Tech Challenge NATIONAL REGISTRATION !!!

ORDERING YOUR AndyMark ROVER RUCKUS FIELD KIT 
AndyMark is offering the following options for Rover Ruckus sets . 
  • Full Set - $450 
  • Partial Set $340 
  • Full Set without scoring elements - $340  (not a typo) 
  • Partial Set without scoring elements - $290 
***Note: FIRST will not be providing any DIY plans for field elements this season. However, if you show up at kickoff and bring your measuring tape you can measure and decide if you think you have the skill set to make facsimile model(s) out of less expensive materials.  Measure twice, cut once. 

ORTOP TEAM SUPPORT AWARDS
R
ound 1 of the ORTOP Team Support Awards has closed. Notifications were supposed to be released today, Aug. 30 as emails to each applicant. I need an extra couple of days to work with the committee to decide amounts. I'm trying for more funding. Please be patient, it may be worth the wait. 
ORTOP is still accepting applications for Round 2 hoping there will still be funds to distribute. 




Tuesday, August 7, 2018

Getting ready for the Rover Ruckus Season!


It's AUGUST!  Time to kick it in gear!

FIRST Tech Challenge KICKOFF! 
FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon is a month away from the Rover Ruckus Game Kickoff on SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8th starting promptly at 9:00 AM

There will be In-person Kick-off Events in BEND, HOOD RIVER, UMATILLA, HILLSBORO, EUGENE, CANBY, MEDFORD!   CLICK HERE for Rover Ruckus Kickoff Details! 

Everyone is invited. Current Mentors/Team Members are encouraged to invite others from schools and organizations not yet participating in FIRST Tech Challenge to see what the excitement is all about.
CLICK HERE FOR FTC Rover Ruckus Resource Page - Read Game Manual 1

ROOKIE NOTE: A Kick-off event gives mentors, team members, an opportunity to see this year's game animation video, see the the field and game elements in person and hear a Head Referee talk about the Game Rule highlights.  Some kickoff events offer additional presentations and round table discussions. Game Manual 2 with the specific Rover Ruckus game details is released on this day. 

FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon SEASON SCHEDULE 2018-2019 
This is probably the #1 question in my In-Box in the past month.
Overview of season schedule

  • January Weekends! – League Qualifying Tournaments and Non-League Qualifying Tournaments will be held across Oregon. Click for details that we have so far. 
  •  February Weekends! 
    • Feb 9 & 10 – FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon Super-Qualifier Weekend!
      • Feb 9@Roseburg HS - SQ:Delta & @Hillsboro- Evergreen MS - SQ:Theta  
      • Feb 10 @ Hillsboro- Evergreen MS - SQ:Pi 
    • February 23 & 24 – FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon State Championship (@Hillsboro)
  • March – no FIRST Tech Challenge events – (FTC West Super-Regional Championship was discontinued) 
  • April Week! 
  • April 17 – 20, 2019 – FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship – @Houston, Texas

Regarding Non-League Qualifying Tournaments (NL-QT): For the past years, we have held non-league qualifying tournaments at Oregon State University in Corvallis. After much consideration, we think it is time to look for a different venue(s) that can provide bleachers/chairs for spectators and a comfortable sized Pit Room.  It is time to seek Non-League Qualifying Tournament Hosts.  Dates  open for consideration would be Jan 19, 20 or Jan 26, Jan 27.
Some criteria:

  • I would like to locate the event somewhere between Wilsonville and north of Roseburg but not too far off of I-5. Could be at school, organization building, corporate office gym, etc.   
  • Host teams would have responsibilities beyond providing a venue. Includes volunteer recruitment, volunteering at the event, arranging volunteer food, a budget and funds from ORTOP is provided. 
  • Host teams would attend not compete at the event they were hosting but would attend a different NL-QT or if a League team, their League QT. 
  • League and Non-League teams are eligible to apply to host Non-League QTs.
  • Host teams who execute the guidelines to standards will earn a slot at  FTC Oregon Super-Qualifiers.  
  • Interested?  email cathy-swider@ortop.org for details/application 
ROOKIE NOTE: In Oregon, teams can choose to participate in a League with short league meets with other teams in a specific geographic area in November/December leading up to a League Qualifying Tournament ---OR---- teams can choose to work on their own in the fall and attend ONE Non-League Qualifying Tournament in January. 


How much are tournament fees this season? 
And this is the 2nd most popular questions in my in-box. LOL!
Answer: Same as last season.  Here is a link to event fee schedule information on the ORTOP website.
Help with funding
If your team feels you need help with funding beyond team dues, support from your school, or support from local business, you can apply for financial assistance.  Click here for details. 

New fee policy: Starting in the 2018-2019 season, teams who do not submit event payments (check, credit card, or official purchase orders)  by the published deadline will not be eligible to request a discounted fee and will be sent an invoice at the Full Cost of Program fee.  
We are willing to work with you if you have issues paying but we need to know what is going on. Unfortunately, we do not have the human time or resources to spend sending multiple reminders to pay and trying to collect the funds, sometimes even after the event is over. It's become an issue.

Registering for the FTC 2018/19 season! 
Only 31 Oregon teams have nationally registered so far.  
Registering for the season is a two step process.
1) Register nationally at the firstinspires.org site and pay  $275 (or be credited with a Rookie Team Grant) 
2) In September, sign-up for an FTC Oregon event (when link is released) and pay the League or Non-League fee.

Other Questions in my In-Box 
Q: Are there any workshops that team members/ mentors can go to?  
A: Yes. Any workshops that I know about are published on the Camps and Workshops page. Link is on the ORTOP Home Page. Click here . An extensive one is coming up on August 11 and August 18 at OHSU hosted by FTC Oregon Veteran teams.

Q: Can we order the Rover Ruckus Game Elements? And if so, where? 
A: From our friends at Andy Mark! Click here!   If you can't afford a full field, a half field will do quite nicely. 

Rookie Q: What does my rookie team need to order in the way of robot parts?  
  • A: In the FIRST Storefront that you'll have access to after payment of your national registration, you can order items the very basic needed items; this is what is available at the FIRST Storefront.   Rookie teams will need to order the Rev Robotics Expansion Hub. Rookie teams also need two phones (see Game Manual 1 for legal ones), legal game controllers, and it is suggested that you purchase a basic robotics kit of parts like Tetrix or Rev Robotics. Most teams in Oregon use Tetrix as this is the first season Rev Robotics kits have been offered. 
  • And this is the FIRST Tech Challenge Kit of Parts Options page . Take a look. 
  • Strongly suggest that Rookie Mentors read the 2018/19 Game Manual 1- to learn what parts are and are not legal.  The phone offered on the FIRST Storefront is NOT the only legal phone. You have choices. 
Q: What other resources are good? 
A: Start with this page on the firstinspires.org website.  For FTC Oregon information, I use the FTC Oregon Team Resource page as a landing page of sorts where I will link the most important information needed depending on where we are in the season.  







Friday, June 1, 2018


Happy June! 

MONDAY, JUNE 4th - 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm  (3 days from NOW)
ORTOP evening at OMSI! See Robot Revolution 

Mentors, please forward the invite  to team members(team parents), your volunteer, mentors, sponsors. 
This does not need to be a team organized event---teams members, family, friends, supporters can come to this special event. Even if you don't download a ticket, come anyway! It's okay! Just say "Cathy invited me!"  No worries about the suggest donation, just come, we want to fill the place.


Resources for Team Planning on the ORTOP Website

I have been adding to the ORTOP website, specifically, the FTC Team Resources page. Here are the topics. Check back to the page for updates. As I find key links and more resources this is where I post them. 

***HOT TOPICS*** for FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon TEAMS

Hearing from you about  FIRST Tech Challenge Workshops 
Mentors, if you haven't taken our very brief survey about developing FIRST Tech Challenge Workshops, please do. If I receive few responses (which I have), I'll need to assume there is no interest in taking workshops and therefore no need to develop them. If you think there are enough resources already available, please tell us. 
  CAMPS, Workshops, FUN!  - Check it out! 
----One more slot open for the PCC Machine Shop Skills for August session 
----Many slots open for the Chick Tech Robotics BootCamp 
----Is your team offering a workshop or summer camp? Let us know, we'll post it.  We really would like to see some FTC workshops happening this summer. 









Congratulations to all of our FIRST Tech Challenge Seniors who are walkin' across the stage and collecting their hard earned high school diplomas. We are very proud of you and wish you the best of luck in your next endeavors.  Your FIRST life continues as FIRST Alum.  Sign up to receive notifications of events, networking opportunities and more. (Mentors please forward this to your seniors)
Formal School Recognition of FIRST Tech Challenge Students - Varsity Pins, etc 
Also - I would like to hear from anyone whose school honors FIRST Tech Challenge students with Varsity Pins, or other formal recognition.  Please email me and share what the school does and what process you needed to go through to make it happen.





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