SYRA Championship Tonight!

It is the big one!  And the last one.  Our FLL season comes to a close, with most of our teams advancing to the Championship events this coming Saturday.  Details on the SYRA Championship are below.  Qualifier news from the teams comes first!

On Saturday, Excalibur went to Northborough and won the elimination tournament and qualified for the championships.  They had a qualifying score of 345 and a top score in the elimination rounds of 385, winning against the number 1 team from Weston.

Also on Saturday, our newest team, LEGO Shark, traveled to Leominster.  They had their best outcomes of the entire season, scoring 250, 295, 255, 190 in qualification, all without having had time to reprogram to return to Home instead of Launch.  The won the best overall mechanical design award, but unfortunately lacked in the judged awards and did not qualify.

Four of our teams went to UMASS Dartmouth on Sunday.  Here is how they fared:
Galaxy Decoders won the research award and qualified.  Their high score was 350.
Diesel got the performance award, the coding award, and qualified.  Their high score was a whopping 495.
SciFi Knights got the champions award (the top all-around award) and of course qualified.  Their high score was 405.
Smart City Builders had a high score of 260 but did not qualify.

Also on Sunday, Tech Tigers won the Champions Award at the Worcester 2 Qualifier.  They also won the Robot Performance Award with a high score of 390 points.  In the Playoffs, our highest was 415. Top score was 425.

SYRA Championship
Our schedule is a 6pm setup time and running robot as soon as we and they are ready.  Diesel is bringing their field and we will be running two teams at once.  If we only have one table, we will be doing well to get it done in time.  In a seeded tournament, you may be required to run first, no matter what your seed, so we can't get going until the teams show up! We will start with the teams that are there, but once we get through the first seeded matches, teams who aren't there will forfeit their match so we can move on.  So far, no team has said they are not coming.

We will seed the teams by their best score on Monday night runs.  This is the seeding:
1. Tech Tigers, 455
2. Diesel, 430
3. Excalibur, 345, 325
4. SciFi Knights, 345, 310
5. Galaxy Decoders, 315
6. LEGO Shark, 175
7. Smart City Builders, 120

NOTE: tie between Excalibur and SciFi Knights is broken by second-highest score

Doors open at 6pm to get setup.  We will run until we have a champion!

Teams will have a 2.5 minute setup time from the time they reach the table.  After that, we start the clock.

Last week:

We had 5 robots running last week!  Thanks to all who braved the snow.  In round 1, Tech Tigers scored a new season high of 455.
Excalibur,295,235,-
Tech Tigers,455*,390,-
SciFi Knights,310,345,275
Smart City Builders,55,90,55
LEGO Shark,110,175,130
*- New high score for the season

Six teams have joined SYRA so far:
FLL, Status, Team Name, Contact [Qualifier {Q|N}]
38457,veteran,Galaxy Decoders [UMASS Dartmouth 12/8 Q]
41772,veteran,Diesel [UMASS Dartmouth 12/8 Q]
32913,veteran,SciFi Knights [UMASS Dartmouth 12/8 Q]
39327,veteran,Excalibur [Northboro 12/7 Q]
49282,rookie,Smart City Builders [UMASS Dartmouth 12/8 N]
33958,veteran,Tech Tigers [Worcester 2 12/8 Q]
?,rookie,LEGO Shark [Leominster 12/7 N]

1. FLL Registration is now closed.

2. The SYRA team fee is unchanged this year at $100, checks payable to "Jack Gregory".  Teams will not be able to run their robots on the SYRA field until dues are paid.  This fee covers use of the hall, and use of the SYRA field.  The easiest way to register a team with SYRA is to print a team roster from the FLL Team Roster, which will include FLL number, names and contact information, but you can also pick up a form from us.

3. Prospective referees should contact me directly via email, and sign in when they attend a meeting.

Important notice about our meeting place and rules of behavior: We are guests here. We absolutely cannot tolerate the following, and doing so after a warning will get you kicked out:
1. Do not enter any other rooms in the church without permission.
2. Children who need to use the bathroom must be escorted by an adult.
3. Do not make excessive noise; other meetings may be going on in the building.
4. Do not attempt to play in the back playground.  It is for day-care use only. Not us.
5. Do not bring food or drink into the hall.
6. Do not run in the hall.  Do not play soccer, football, tag, etc.  No fun allowed!

Each team is responsible for the behavior of its students.  It is not acceptable to merely drop off students without an adult being responsible for them.

If you are getting this email and do not want to, reply to me directly.  We also now have a Facebook page, managed by Preeti and Sumit Bannerjee.  We will try to keep that up to date with the latest information, as well as our website (below).  This is a better option for parents and students who don't need to be on our email list.

--Jack Gregory
Sharon Youth Robotics Association
www.sharonrobotics.org

Meeting Tonight!
Yes, I know the weather is an issue.  I will post an email if we have to call it off, but we are ON for now.
I hope we do get to meet, as it is our second-to-last meeting, and teams are ramping up for qualifiers.  Next Monday is our SYRA Championship, and the state championships will happen the following weekend.

Tonight, we are doing dry-run judging for projects for those teams that want to do so.  Please arrive as early as possible (from 6pm on) to enable us to do this and get a full run of rounds in.  You don't have to let us know ahead of time.

Location: First Congregational Church, 29 North Main St, Sharon.  Enter at the back, parking lot side, at the middle door, up the outside stairs.

Doors open at 6pm to get setup and practice judging, with a 6:30pm official start.  We end at 8pm.

Please Note: We are starting to get more teams and running to time (8pm).  Teams which arrive late may be able to get 3 rounds in.  I won't be extending beyond 8, to ensure that our refs have reliable schedules.  We also need teams to start to develop a crisp table presence -- knowing what they need to do, doing it, and being efficient. Your setup time at the table should be no longer than the round itself, so 2.5 minutes.

Last week:

We had 5 robots running last week!  In round 1, Tech Tigers scored a new season high of 420, only to be outdone by Diesel in round 2 with a 430.
SciFi Knights,295,255,255
Tech Tigers,420,355,275
Galaxy Decoders,170,90,275
Diesel,215,430*,-
Smart City Builders,-,60,70
*- New high score for the season

Six teams have joined SYRA so far:
FLL, Status, Team Name, Contact [Qualifier {Q|N}]
38457,veteran,Galaxy Decoders [UMASS Dartmouth 12/8]
41772,veteran,Diesel [UMASS Dartmouth 12/8]
32913,veteran,SciFi Knights [UMASS Dartmouth 12/8]
39327,veteran,Excalibur [Northboro 12/7]
49282,rookie,Smart City Builders [UMASS Dartmouth 12/8]
33958,veteran,Tech Tigers [Worcester 2 12/8]

1. FLL Registration is now closed.

2. The SYRA team fee is unchanged this year at $100, checks payable to "Jack Gregory".  Teams will not be able to run their robots on the SYRA field until dues are paid.  This fee covers use of the hall, and use of the SYRA field.  The easiest way to register a team with SYRA is to print a team roster from the FLL Team Roster, which will include FLL number, names and contact information, but you can also pick up a form from us.

3. Prospective referees should contact me directly via email, and sign in when they attend a meeting.

Important notice about our meeting place and rules of behavior: We are guests here. We absolutely cannot tolerate the following, and doing so after a warning will get you kicked out:
1. Do not enter any other rooms in the church without permission.
2. Children who need to use the bathroom must be escorted by an adult.
3. Do not make excessive noise; other meetings may be going on in the building.
4. Do not attempt to play in the back playground.  It is for day-care use only. Not us.
5. Do not bring food or drink into the hall.
6. Do not run in the hall.  Do not play soccer, football, tag, etc.  No fun allowed!

Each team is responsible for the behavior of its students.  It is not acceptable to merely drop off students without an adult being responsible for them.

If you are getting this email and do not want to, reply to me directly.  We also now have a Facebook page, managed by Preeti and Sumit Bannerjee.  We will try to keep that up to date with the latest information, as well as our website (below).  This is a better option for parents and students who don't need to be on our email list.

--Jack Gregory
Sharon Youth Robotics Association
www.sharonrobotics.org

Meeting Tonight!
We meet all Mondays through December 9, which is the day of the SYRA Championship!

Location: First Congregational Church, 29 North Main St, Sharon.  Enter at the back, parking lot side, at the middle door, up the outside stairs.

Doors open at 6pm to get setup and give help to new teams, with a 6:30pm official start.  We end at 8pm.

Please Note: We are starting to get more teams and running to time (8pm).  Teams which arrive late may be able to get 3 rounds in.  I won't be extending beyond 8, to ensure that our refs have reliable schedules.  We also need teams to start to develop a crisp table presence -- knowing what they need to do, doing it, and being efficient. Your setup time at the table should be no longer than the round itself, so 2.5 minutes.

Tournaments started last weekend, and some Sharon teams were active.  Galaxy Decoders went to the Upton scrimmage, and placed second in robot performance, both in the main rounds and in the elimination.  They also won an award for programming, I think.  There were 31 teams and the highest score was 360, and this was without the bonus points, which were not scored for any team, since the spreadsheet couldn't handle it.

Last week:

We had 5 robots running last week!  Tech Tigers scored the new season high of 370.
Galaxy Decoders,160,215,245
Tech Tigers,250,370*,310
SciFi Knights,200,105,240
Diesel,50,245,240
Smart City Builders,-,-,120
*- New high score for the season

Six teams have joined SYRA so far:
FLL, Status, Team Name, Contact [Qualifier {Q|N}]
38457,veteran,Galaxy Decoders [UMASS Dartmouth 12/8]
41772,veteran,Diesel [UMASS Dartmouth 12/8]
32913,veteran,SciFi Knights [UMASS Dartmouth 12/8]
39327,veteran,Excalibur [Northboro 12/7]
49282,rookie,Smart City Builders [UMASS Dartmouth 12/8]
33958,veteran,Tech Tigers [Worcester 2 12/8]

1. FLL Registration is now closed.

2. The SYRA team fee is unchanged this year at $100, checks payable to "Jack Gregory".  Teams will not be able to run their robots on the SYRA field until dues are paid.  This fee covers use of the hall, and use of the SYRA field.  The easiest way to register a team with SYRA is to print a team roster from the FLL Team Roster, which will include FLL number, names and contact information, but you can also pick up a form from us.

3. Prospective referees should contact me directly via email, and sign in when they attend a meeting.

Important notice about our meeting place and rules of behavior: We are guests here. We absolutely cannot tolerate the following, and doing so after a warning will get you kicked out:
1. Do not enter any other rooms in the church without permission.
2. Children who need to use the bathroom must be escorted by an adult.
3. Do not make excessive noise; other meetings may be going on in the building.
4. Do not attempt to play in the back playground.  It is for day-care use only. Not us.
5. Do not bring food or drink into the hall.
6. Do not run in the hall.  Do not play soccer, football, tag, etc.  No fun allowed!

Each team is responsible for the behavior of its students.  It is not acceptable to merely drop off students without an adult being responsible for them.

If you are getting this email and do not want to, reply to me directly.  We also now have a Facebook page, managed by Preeti and Sumit Bannerjee.  We will try to keep that up to date with the latest information, as well as our website (below).  This is a better option for parents and students who don't need to be on our email list.

--Jack Gregory
Sharon Youth Robotics Association
www.sharonrobotics.org

Meeting Tonight!
We meet all Mondays through December 9, which is the day of the SYRA Championship!

Location: First Congregational Church, 29 North Main St, Sharon.  Enter at the back, parking lot side, at the middle door, up the outside stairs.

Doors open at 6pm to get setup and give help to new teams, with a 6:30pm official start.  We end at 8pm.

Please Note: We are starting to get more teams and running to time (8pm).  Teams which arrive late may be able to get 3 rounds in.  I won't be extending beyond 8, to ensure that our refs have reliable schedules.  We also need teams to start to develop a crisp table presence -- knowing what they need to do, doing it, and being efficient. Your setup time at the table should be no longer than the round itself, so 2.5 minutes.

Last week:

We had 5 robots running last week!
Diesel,235,315,205
Excalibur,240,245,-
Tech Tigers,115,200,-
SciFi Knights,180,200,225
Smart City Builders,-,85,45

Six teams have joined SYRA so far:
FLL, Status, Team Name, Contact [Qualifier {Q|N}]
38457,veteran,Galaxy Decoders [UMASS Dartmouth 12/8]
41772,veteran,Diesel [UMASS Dartmouth 12/8]
32913,veteran,SciFi Knights [UMASS Dartmouth 12/8]
39327,veteran,Excalibur [Northboro 12/7]
49282,rookie,Smart City Builders [UMASS Dartmouth 12/8]
33958,veteran,Tech Tigers [Worcester 2 12/8]

1. FLL Registration is now closed.

2. The SYRA team fee is unchanged this year at $100, checks payable to "Jack Gregory".  Teams will not be able to run their robots on the SYRA field until dues are paid.  This fee covers use of the hall, and use of the SYRA field.  The easiest way to register a team with SYRA is to print a team roster from the FLL Team Roster, which will include FLL number, names and contact information, but you can also pick up a form from us.

3. Prospective referees should contact me directly via email, and sign in when they attend a meeting.

Important notice about our meeting place and rules of behavior: We are guests here. We absolutely cannot tolerate the following, and doing so after a warning will get you kicked out:
1. Do not enter any other rooms in the church without permission.
2. Children who need to use the bathroom must be escorted by an adult.
3. Do not make excessive noise; other meetings may be going on in the building.
4. Do not attempt to play in the back playground.  It is for day-care use only. Not us.
5. Do not bring food or drink into the hall.
6. Do not run in the hall.  Do not play soccer, football, tag, etc.  No fun allowed!

Each team is responsible for the behavior of its students.  It is not acceptable to merely drop off students without an adult being responsible for them.

If you are getting this email and do not want to, reply to me directly.  We also now have a Facebook page, managed by Preeti and Sumit Bannerjee.  We will try to keep that up to date with the latest information, as well as our website (below).  This is a better option for parents and students who don't need to be on our email list.

--Jack Gregory
Sharon Youth Robotics Association
www.sharonrobotics.org

Meeting Tonight!
We meet all Mondays through December 9.

Location: First Congregational Church, 29 North Main St, Sharon.  Enter at the back, parking lot side, at the middle door, up the outside stairs.

Doors open at 6pm to get setup and give help to new teams, with a 6:30pm official start.

Last week:

We had 2 robots running last week, so all teams had 4 rounds:
Excalibur,135,245,145,215
Smart City Builders,55,55,60,80

Five teams have joined SYRA so far:
FLL, Status, Team Name, Contact [Qualifier {Q|N}]
38457,veteran,Galaxy Decoders [UMASS Dartmouth 12/8]
41772,veteran,Diesel [UMASS Dartmouth 12/8]
32913,veteran,SciFi Knights [UMASS Dartmouth 12/8]
39327,veteran,Excalibur [Northboro 12/7]
49282,rookie,Smart City Builders [UMASS Dartmouth 12/8]

1. FLL Registration is now closed.

2. The SYRA team fee is unchanged this year at $100, checks payable to "Jack Gregory".  Teams will not be able to run their robots on the SYRA field until dues are paid.  This fee covers use of the hall, and use of the SYRA field.  The easiest way to register a team with SYRA is to print a team roster from the FLL Team Roster, which will include FLL number, names and contact information, but you can also pick up a form from us.

3. Prospective referees should contact me directly via email, and sign in when they attend a meeting.

Important notice about our meeting place and rules of behavior: We are guests here. We absolutely cannot tolerate the following, and doing so after a warning will get you kicked out:
1. Do not enter any other rooms in the church without permission.
2. Children who need to use the bathroom must be escorted by an adult.
3. Do not make excessive noise; other meetings may be going on in the building.
4. Do not attempt to play in the back playground.  It is for day-care use only. Not us.
5. Do not bring food or drink into the hall.
6. Do not run in the hall.  Do not play soccer, football, tag, etc.  No fun allowed!

Each team is responsible for the behavior of its students.  It is not acceptable to merely drop off students without an adult being responsible for them.

If you are getting this email and do not want to, reply to me directly.  We also now have a Facebook page, managed by Preeti and Sumit Bannerjee.  We will try to keep that up to date with the latest information, as well as our website (below).  This is a better option for parents and students who don't need to be on our email list.

--Jack Gregory
Sharon Youth Robotics Association
www.sharonrobotics.org
​

​Greetings all-
 
This message is being sent to all teams to notify you that event assignments have been sent out to any teams which requested assignment.
 
The email was sent to the person who filled out the event registration form ONLY.  If that person was you and you did not receive it, please check your other email addresses as well as your spam folder.  If you still cannot find it, the list of team numbers and assigned events is available here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1h3Kt1E_PylbYxitLlxxs9cJrmIK-uOrxCZwP_L97NYU/edit?usp=sharing.  If you believe you requested an event but do not see the email AND your team number is NOT on that list, please contact me immediately (preferably by forwarding me the confirmation email you received after filling out preferences).  I’m far from perfect and make mistakes, and I will do my best to right the situation.
 
If you did NOT request an event during the event registration period but are interested in competing, please sign up via this form ASAP: https://forms.gle/BL9V5vMFqwzJtqkf9
 
At this time, there are very limited spaces remaining/available to accommodate change requests.  If you do need to request a change, you may do so via email and include your team number, event currently assigned, event(s) you are willing to switch to, and your reason for requesting a change.  That reason should not be ‘we didn’t get our top choice’.  IMPORTANT NOTE: You can not be on the list of two events at once.  If you asked to be moved to a full event, you will be removed from your current event and waitlisted for the full event.
 
Please note, as teams drop from events, I always look for teams who did not receive their top choice to see if they would like to move into those open spots.  For this reason, its important that if you know your team can no longer attend an event you let me know ASAP so I can accommodate waitlist teams or teams who didn’t receive their top choice.
 
Payment information will be sent by each individual event manager.  
 
Thanks
Colleen
 
 
-- 
Colleen Shaver BS ’04, MS ‘08
Director, Robotics Resource Center at WPI
colleen@wpi.edu
https://www.wpi.edu/news/annual-events/robotics-competitions

Meeting Tonight!
We meet all Mondays through December 9.

Location: First Congregational Church, 29 North Main St, Sharon.  Enter at the back, parking lot side, at the middle door, up the outside stairs.

Doors open at 6pm to get setup and give help to new teams, with a 6:30pm official start.

NEWS:
NOTE: Any team, even not-registered FLL teams, can attend a "scrimmage" event.  There are several, and I am head referee for the one in Upton on November 23.  With registration for qualifiers closed, this is a good chance for new teams who want some tournament experience.

Last week:

We had 3 robots running last week:
Excalibur,55,220,235
Galaxy Decoders,170,245,250
Smart City Builders,-,20,15

Five teams have joined SYRA so far:
FLL, Status, Team Name, Contact [Qualifier {Q|N}]
38457,veteran,Galaxy Decoders [UMASS Dartmouth 12/8]
41772,veteran,Diesel [UMASS Dartmouth 12/8]
32913,veteran,SciFi Knights [UMASS Dartmouth 12/8]
39327,veteran,Excalibur [Northboro 12/7]
49282,rookie,Smart City Builders [UMASS Dartmouth 12/8]

Students Seeking Teams
Notice to parents; this is the last update in which this list will appear.

Name, Age, Grade, School, Parental Contact
​

1. If you haven't registered your team with FLL yet, you should focus on that first. Go to the FLL web site to get started.

2. The SYRA team fee is unchanged this year at $100, checks payable to "Jack Gregory".  Teams will not be able to run their robots on the SYRA field until dues are paid.  This fee covers use of the hall, and use of the SYRA field.  The easiest way to register a team with SYRA is to print a team roster from the FLL Team Roster, which will include FLL number, names and contact information, but you can also pick up a form from us.

3. Prospective referees should contact me directly via email, and sign in when they attend a meeting.

Important notice about our meeting place and rules of behavior: We are guests here. We absolutely cannot tolerate the following, and doing so after a warning will get you kicked out:
1. Do not enter any other rooms in the church without permission.
2. Children who need to use the bathroom must be escorted by an adult.
3. Do not make excessive noise; other meetings may be going on in the building.
4. Do not attempt to play in the back playground.  It is for day-care use only. Not us.
5. Do not bring food or drink into the hall.
6. Do not run in the hall.  Do not play soccer, football, tag, etc.  No fun allowed!

Each team is responsible for the behavior of its students.  It is not acceptable to merely drop off students without an adult being responsible for them.

If you are getting this email and do not want to, reply to me directly.  We also now have a Facebook page, managed by Preeti and Sumit Bannerjee.  We will try to keep that up to date with the latest information, as well as our website (below).  This is a better option for parents and students who don't need to be on our email list.

--Jack Gregory
Sharon Youth Robotics Association
www.sharonrobotics.org
​

​Hi teams-
 
Currently, FLL Registration has ended for MA and our final count is right around 450 teams!  We are so excited to have all of you.  If you have another team you were expecting to register, contact FLL HQ directly.  
 
AVAILABLE SCRIMMAGE: REGISTER BY 11/3

• Bridgewater State Univ Scrimmage (11/9) – MINIMUM TEAMS NOT MET
  • To register, go to firstinspires.org, log in, and click on “Event Options” for your team.  You can look for nearby events or search for “Bridgewater”.
  • This event requires a minimum of 16 teams.  Please sign up ASAP to ensure the event is run.
• Blackstone Valley Scrimmage (11/23): This event will give teams the chance to practice on competition tables.  Many technical awards. 
  • To register: https://forms.gle/vBp9wGh2Cq9WfQqR6

 
Event Registration
All event assignments have been emailed out.  If you requested an event but did not receive your assignment, please check your ‘spam’ folders and alternate email addresses.  NOTE: These were only sent to the person/email who filled out the event registration form!  If you didn’t do that, check with your fellow coaches/parents to see who did.
 
If you did not request an event and would like to be assigned, please fill out this form https://forms.gle/c6HiTLVM6TiaVQKWA. Note at this time very few open spots exist (Marlboro, Newton, Agawam).  Any request for other events will be waitlisted.  Any remaining spots will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
 
Event Information
Each event manager will be reaching out independently to the teams registered for their event.  They will notify you of how to pay the $75 entrance fee as well as other details of the event.  You can find basic info like location by looking up the events on firstinspires.org.  Most events start at 8AM and run until approximately 4PM.  Teams are expected to stay for the entire event.
 
Spectators
All events are open to the public and free to attend as spectators.  If you want to attend a different qualifier with your team to WATCH/see what an event is like, you are free to do so with no registration.  Registration/payment is only required for competing teams.  Same is true for your competition event… family and friends are more than welcome (and encouraged) to come cheer on your team!
 
Judging
As you work through your season, I want to be sure everyone knows the information needed to be successful at their tournament.  Understand the following things:
 
The FLL Program includes three key areas: Robot, Project, and Core Values.  Teams participate in the Robot Game, are judged on robot design, present their project, and go through a core values evaluation.  ONLY TEAMS WHO PARTICIPATE IN ALL AREAS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR ADVANCEMENT TO THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS.
 
Judging Overview

• The Core Values Poster is NOT REQUIRED and not expected in MA.
• The Robot Design Executive Summary is not required but is highly encouraged in MA

• NO ADULTS are allowed in the judging rooms except for the judges.  The students on the team must be able to move all their necessary items in and out of the rooms themselves, and setup for their judging sessions themselves.  Any adults attempting to bypass this rule for any reason will risk disqualifying their team! (Yes, we watch adults for "Core Values" too and coaches/parents are the most common cause of teams being disqualified from awards and advancement)

• If you have a child on your team that has a special need that needs to be accommodated in the judging room or on the playing field, contact the event manager and mafll@wpi.edu at least TWO WEEKS prior to the event for arrangements to be made and we will do our best to make reasonable accommodation of this request.  

• What to expect in Judging:
  • At the event, each team will be provided with a schedule that lists their match times, as well as a time and location for each of their judging sessions.
  • Each team is responsible for getting themselves to their judging sessions and matches in a timely manner.  If you are late to a judging session, the time will be deducted from your session.  The event manager will notify you if the schedule has been shifted due to delays.
  • IF FOR SOME REASON A CONFLICT ARISES, always go to your judging session over a match.  If there is a conflict, let the event manager know IMMEDIATELY.  However, it's near impossible to reschedule a judging session so you should never miss it!
  • When you get to your judging session, wait patiently outside the room for the judges to call you in.  Never just walk in a judging room because you do not want to interrupt another team's session or the judges discussion about a team.  
  • The judges will call you in the room, and only student team members are allowed to enter.  Once you enter the room and are notified by the judges, your time begins.
    • In the case of Project judging, your 5 minute presentation time will begin right after the judge introductions.  This 5 minutes INCLUDES SETUP.  The team will do their presentation and will be stopped as soon as the 5 minutes is up, whether or not the presentation is complete.  The judges will then start their Q&A portion.
    • In the case of Robot judging, the judges will ask if you’d like to present a Robot Design Executive Summary, you may take up to the first 4 minutes of the session to do so.  Otherwise, the judges will begin their Q&A session immediately.
    • In the case of Core Values judging, the session will likely start with a Teamwork Activity directed by the judges which will take no more than 5 minutes.  It will then be followed by a Q&A section.  If teams have a Core Values Poster, they are welcome to bring it in and set it up.

• The judges use rubrics to guide the evaluation of each judging session.  These rubrics are publicly available and it's high ADVISED that you look at these rubrics prior to your event to ensure you can cover the necessary topics during your session.   You can find the rubrics here: https://firstinspiresst01.blob.core.windows.net/fll/2020/first-lego-league-rubrics.pdf   The judges may ask your team questions outside the scope of the session for other awards.  These may be questions about the team coaches/mentors (for Outstanding Mentor Award) or other team areas for Judge's Awards.

• Other notes on judging sessions:
  • Access to projectors, computers, and power will not be available in the judging rooms.  In general, DO NOT ASSUME any of this is available since none of it is required to be provided, although access to power can typically be granted.  No judges or team adults may assist in setting up. You cannot go in the room at any time in advance of your session to setup or check on anything since there is not enough time to allow every team the chance.  Any team (kid, coach, parent, etc) found in a judging room practicing, setting up, or testing outside their scheduled session time will be considered to be violating the rules of the event/committing a core values infraction and is subject to disqualification.  
  • The robot judging room will NOT have a mat and mission models but may not have field borders. THIS IS A CHANGE IN THE 2019 SEASON.  Judges will look at the teams in-match performance to evaluate actual robot performance and consistency.  You are still expected to bring the robot and attachments to the judging session.
  • The robot judges EXPECT to see a copy of the code in the robot.  This can be done by providing a printout or bringing in a computer to show the code.  Teams who do not provide code will be marked down in the programming sections of the rubric.
  • The core values judges rely on the activity they conduct to be new to each team.  Please do not allow the team to share the activity with other teams until all teams have gone through the judging session.  

• You may printout and provide handouts to the judges to supplement your work and presentation.  However, if you need the items returned to you, please take them back at the end of your session.  Too often, the judges misplace one of these items and it cannot be returned to the team.  
• Remember, the judges can only evaluate what the team shares with them.  Even if your team did the work, if the kids do not communicate it to the judges they will not know.  When you see your feedback from the judging session, just remember this!

Advancement to Championship

• Each qualifying event will have the opportunity to advance approximately 30% of the teams competing.   For a reminder of the number of teams and advancing to which Championship, go here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQIM1OOkFzeK2vKoEPp_W--Knr3k1tfldW4L_uJNG6d1VwTNw2AlY00eleI76iFdG7OH6NC4Jj2qDZ5/pubhtml?gid=0&single=true
• In order to be eligible to Advance to the Championship:
  • Your team must be an official FLL team (have a number in the registration system, be fully paid, and have two screened coaches)
  • Your team must participate in Project, Robot, AND Core Values Judging Sessions
  • Your team must participate in at least one robot match (I'd suggest you attend all of them!)
• To decide which teams advance:
  • After seeing teams, each judge pair will rank teams from 1-N (N=number of teams the judge pair saw)
  • The Judge Advisor will collect the ranked list of teams for Robot Performance from the Head Referee (ordered by high score)
  • With these ordered lists, the judge advisor will:
    • Divide the Robot Performance ranking by the number of judging lanes to normalize.  For example, if there are two lanes of judging (two sets of judges in each category), the Robot Performance rank will be divided by 2. 
    • Add up the Project Rank, Robot Design Rank, Core Values Rank, and Robot Performance Rank of each team to get a Total Rank.
    • Sort the Total Rank list from lowest to highest (i.e. a team that ranked #1 in all categories would be at the top of the list)
  • The Judge Advisor will then remove any ineligible teams who did not complete all judging sessions or were disqualified.
  • The top team on this list will be designated the “Champion’s Award Winner” and will advance.
  • Remaining teams will be advanced in the order they are ranked on this list, up to the maximum number of advancements allotted for that event. 
  • The next teams on the list will be preserved by the Judge Advisor and submitted to the Operational Partner after the event.  Should additional championship spots become available, the Operational Partner may choose to extend an invitation to one of these teams.

Share Your Robot & Project
Remember that sharing your work, particularly your project, is a required part of FLL.  Teams who do not 'share' their project with the community are ineligible to advance.  Be sure to find an interested group and let them know the work you've done.  It's also great PRACTICE for the event, speaking in front of new folks and answering their questions.  
 
Thanks!
Colleen
 
NOTE: Future emails may come from cshaver@firstpartners.org as well as colleen@wpi.edu.  Please be sure to add both to your mail as a known contacts.
 

Meeting Tonight!
We meet all Mondays through December 9.

Location: First Congregational Church, 29 North Main St, Sharon.  Enter at the back, parking lot side, at the middle door, up the outside stairs.

Doors open at 6pm to get setup and give help to new teams, with a 6:30pm official start.

NEWS:
We were a bit cramped last week, but managed to pull off 3 rounds for 3 robots.  We are back to the big hall from now to December.
Teams should know their qualifier assignments by now.

Last week:

We had 3 robots running last week:
Excalibur,285,135,250
SciFi Knights,260,180,345*
Smart City Builders,-,20,20

* - SciFi Knights tied Excalibur for the current season record with 345

Four teams have joined SYRA so far:
FLL, Status, Team Name, Contact [Qualifier {Q|N}]
38457,veteran,Galaxy Decoders [UMASS Dartmouth 12/8]
41772,veteran,Diesel [UMASS Dartmouth 12/8]
32913,veteran,SciFi Knights [UMASS Dartmouth 12/8]
39327,veteran,Excalibur [Northboro 12/7]
,Smart City Builders,rookie,?,

Students Seeking Teams
Notice to parents; it is getting late to expect to get on an existing team.  Time to form your own!

Name, Age, Grade, School, Parental Contact


1. If you haven't registered your team with FLL yet, you should focus on that first. Go to the FLL web site to get started.

2. The SYRA team fee is unchanged this year at $100, checks payable to "Jack Gregory".  Teams will not be able to run their robots on the SYRA field until dues are paid.  This fee covers use of the hall, and use of the SYRA field.  The easiest way to register a team with SYRA is to print a team roster from the FLL Team Roster, which will include FLL number, names and contact information, but you can also pick up a form from us.

3. Prospective referees should contact me directly via email, and sign in when they attend a meeting.

Important notice about our meeting place and rules of behavior: We are guests here. We absolutely cannot tolerate the following, and doing so after a warning will get you kicked out:
1. Do not enter any other rooms in the church without permission.
2. Children who need to use the bathroom must be escorted by an adult.
3. Do not make excessive noise; other meetings may be going on in the building.
4. Do not attempt to play in the back playground.  It is for day-care use only. Not us.
5. Do not bring food or drink into the hall.
6. Do not run in the hall.  Do not play soccer, football, tag, etc.  No fun allowed!

Each team is responsible for the behavior of its students.  It is not acceptable to merely drop off students without an adult being responsible for them.

If you are getting this email and do not want to, reply to me directly.  We also now have a Facebook page, managed by Preeti and Sumit Bannerjee.  We will try to keep that up to date with the latest information, as well as our website (below).  This is a better option for parents and students who don't need to be on our email list.

--Jack Gregory
Sharon Youth Robotics Association
www.sharonrobotics.org
​

​Teams-
 
Official Event Registration is now closed.  If your team did not complete event registration during the past two weeks, you must sign up in Round 2 which is currently open.  Round 2 teams will be assigned on a first-come basis AFTER all the Round 1 assignments have been made. 
 
Round 2 is for teams who did not fill out the form in Round 1 ONLY.  It is not for requesting multiple official events (not allowed), or changing event preferences.
 
Round 2 Official Event Registration: https://forms.gle/BL9V5vMFqwzJtqkf9
 
Many of our scrimmages still have space for teams.  Scrimmages are unofficial events so you may sign up for and participate in as many as you like.

• Bridgewater State Univ Scrimmage (11/9)
  • To register, go to firstinspires.org, log in, and click on “Event Options” for your team.  You can look for nearby events or search for “Bridgewater”.
  • This event requires a minimum of 16 teams.  Please sign up early to ensure the event is run.
• T-Hawk Test Drive 9 hosted by FRC1100 (11/2)
  • To register, go to firstinspires.org, log in, and click on “Event Options” for your team.  You can look for nearby events or search for “FRC1100”.
  • Priority registration will be given to Central MA teams
• Blackstone Valley Scrimmage (11/23): This event will give teams the chance to practice on competition tables.  Many technical awards. 
  • To register: https://forms.gle/vBp9wGh2Cq9WfQqR6

 
-- 
Colleen Shaver BS ’04, MS ‘08
Director, Robotics Resource Center at WPI
colleen@wpi.edu
https://www.wpi.edu/news/annual-events/robotics-competitions