FTC-Iowa: Championship 2011-2012

This past weekend was the FTC-Iowa Championship for the 2011-2013 Bowled Over Season. 
What an experience!

This event was held at the Iowa Memorial Union, in Iowa City Iowa.  We had 32 teams competing for a chance to be invited to the FTC World Championship in St. Louis in April. This was a very exciting tournament!!
 
Award Winners
Promote Award: #3550, Beta, West Des Moines
Think Award: Team #3549, Classified, Mt. Vernon Schools, Mt. Vernon
Rockwell Collins Innovate Award: Team #5466, Combustible Lemons, West High, Davenport
PTC Design Award: #458, Activate Go! Initiative, Mt. Vernon Schools, Mt. Vernon
Connect Award: Team #5084, BET, ITCOM, Cedar Rapids
Motivate Award: Team #3609, Polar Technics, North High School, Des Moines
Inspire Award: Team #3550, Beta, West Des Moines

Teams Who Advance (according to page 29 of the Bowled Over Game Manual)

1. Host Team: none
2. Inspire Award Winner: Team #3550, Beta, West Des Moines
3. Winning Alliance Captain: Team #458, Activate Go! Initiative, Mt. Vernon
4. 2nd Place Inspire Award Winner: Team #3549, Classified, Mt. Vernon

In summary, Teams #3550, #458 and #3549 will be invited to the FTC World Championship in April! Congratulations!


UStream
During the day, we live broadcasted the event via UStream. You can watch some of the videos of the matches, by visiting the site at: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/state-championship


Interesting facts about the UStream: There were 227 Unique Viewers. Total viewing time: 249 hours, 24 minutes and 36 seconds. Each visitor watched for an average of 30 minutes. Cool stuff!!
Congratulations to all of the teams! 
Fun facts:

• Five matches had scores 300+ points!
• Nine matches had scores above 200-299 points!
• 19 matches had scores over 100-199 points!
• 32 teams competed, all teams had passed software and hardware inspection prior to opening ceremonies.
• We had three team alliances, so four teams advanced to the semi-final and final matches.
• Each team competed in 6 matches.
• Over 110 volunteers provided their time to make this day a great event! Thank you, Katie Mitchell and Andrew Bennett for coordinating all of the volunteers!

FTC-Qualifier Summary (02-04-2012) "Event Formally Known as the Blair Tournament"

This past weekend, was the final FTC-Iowa Qualifier for the 2011-2013 Bowled Over Season. What an experience! The event was scheduled to be in Blair, Nebraska, but due to inclement weather, it was moved to North High School in Des Moines. Check out the blog entry from Feb. 4, 2012: An FTC Adventure & Gracious Professionalism at its BEST!  Huge thank you to Team #3609 of North High School in Des Moines.
 
Award Winners
Think Award: Team #3550,  Beta, West Des Moines Schools, West Des Moines
Rockwell Collins Innovate Award: Team #5149, Robota, Union School District, LaPorte City
PTC Design Award: Team #4365, Robo Maroons, Dowling High School, Des Moines
Connect Award: Team #5084, BET, ITCOM, Cedar Rapids
Motivate Award: Team #5489, INTENTALO, Science Bound, Ames
Inspire Award: Team #3609, Polar Technics, North High School, Des Moines

Teams Who Advance (according to page 29 of the Bowled Over Game Manual)

1. Host Team: #3609, Polar Technics, North High School, Des Moines
2. Inspire Award Winner: Team #3609 - however, they received an invitation for being the host site.
3. Winning Alliance Captain: Team #5149, Robota, Union School District, LaPorte City
4. Inspire Award 2nd Place Winner: #3550 - however, they received an invitation to advance from a previous event.
5. Winning Alliance, 1st team selected - #3550 - however, they received an invitation to advance from a previous event.
6. Inspire Award 3rd Place Winner: #5489 - INTENTALO, Science Bound, Ames
7. Winning Alliance, 2nd Team selected - no team
8. Think Award Winner: #3550 - however, they received an invitation to advance from a previous event.
9. Finalist Alliance Captain: #3609 - however, they were the host site.
10. Connect Award Winner: #5084 - BET, ITCOM, Cedar Rapids

In summary, Teams #3609, #5149, #5489, #5084 will be invited to the FTC-Iowa Championship in February! Congratulations!



The FTC-Iowa team decided to expand the capacity of the FTC-Iowa Championship. This would allow us to invite four teams who could not compete at the new location in Des Moines. We did a random drawing, and those teams selected were:

#3517 - TechnoMafia, West High School, Sioux City
#4329 - The Wolfpack, Oelwein High School, Oelwein
#5445 - Upward Bound, Waterloo
#5611 - RoboBears, 4H Club, Blair, NE

Congratulations to all of the teams! 
Fun facts:

• Seven matches were over 100 points!
• One match ended in a tie (69-69)
• 8 teams competed, all teams had passed software and hardware inspection prior to opening ceremonies. (Received special permission from FIRST to have this be an official qualifier tournament.)
• All teams were selected during alliance selection.
• Teams were given 5 minutes "match-recovery" time, since many teams were competing in back-to-back matches.
• Each team competed in 6 matches. 
• Average match time was 8.91 minutes. 
• The picture shows a robot who lifted the create with one racquetball. However, the referees determined the majority of racquetball was not in the create - as it was balancing on the robot, so the elevation of the create did not count.
• Thank you to the wonderful high school students, faculty and administration at North High School. 
• Thank you, John Deere, for providing excellent volunteers on a very short notice.
• A Huge Thank you to Beta, Team #3550, who helped move the event to a new venue.

*Also, we would like to give a huge shout-out to the FTC-Iowa Volunteers who were along for the adventure of moving the event. Shaan Amin, Ben Dattilo, David Dellsperger, Dan Edwards, Carl Gloe, Jerry Lalor, Andy Marshall, Craig Martinson, and Leon Turner. Without these dedicated folks, we would have not been successful in moving the event to a different location. THANK YOU!

Next FTC-Iowa event: The Championship! Look for more information to come!

An FTC Adventure & Gracious Professionalism at its Best!

Today (Feb. 4) was supposed to be the final FTC-Iowa Qualifier in Blair, NE. But instead, we had a great FTC Adventure and experienced Gracious Professionalism at its finest.

A team of the most fantastic FTC volunteers (Dan Edwards, Carl Gloe, Jerry Lalor, Andy Marshall, Craig Martinson and Rebecca Whitaker) traveled from Iowa City to Omaha, NE - about 250 miles west - on Friday morning. In the early afternoon we, along with FTC team #3550, had a speaking engagement at St. Wenceslaus School in which we presented to 400 students about FIRST.

After the presentation, around 2pm, we received a call from the Event Coordinator for the Blair event. Due to some projected severe weather, the venue decided to cancel all events for the weekend. This not only included the FTC-Iowa Qualifier, but also a high school sporting event.

We spent the next half hour investigating other potential venues and were unsuccessful.  We had to cancel the event. We felt deflated. We were sad/disappointed/bummed, etc. These teams had worked so hard on their robots and we couldn't do anything for them. By 2:45pm, we had sent an email and had called the teams and coaches. The volunteers were notified through appropriate channels (Judge Advisor notified the judges, Head Referee notified the refs, etc.). Additionally, we had to cancel our lodging arrangements as well as catering services for the event. Notifying the teams and volunteers was one of THE of the worst moments we have had all season.

Event was canceled.

We couldn't let the disappointment get to us. We still had an important meeting with the school administrators and teachers, at St. Wenceslaus about the importance of FIRST and the concept of Gracious Professionalism.

Thanks to the wonderful work and quick thinking of Emmaly Burkland, coach of Beta #3550, and Bryan Butcher, coach of #3609, Des Moines North High School we had an offer on the table. Des Moines North High School's facility was willing to be our surrogate host. We said yes! We were moving the event - about 120 miles east of Omaha, NE.

Time to recruit the volunteers! Where do you go when you need volunteers on a very short notice? John Deere! Within 30 minutes, we had 10 previously experienced FTC judges and volunteers. (We had several Rockwell Collins folks already lined up.) Team #3550 also provided some volunteers and we were ready to roll.

Event is back on!

Time to re-notify the teams! We understood if teams weren't going to be able to make it, but we wanted to give an opportunity for those that were able to make it. By 5pm, all the teams were contacted, again!

Gracious Professionalism at its BEST.

We cannot express the amount of gratitude to the administration at North High. Team #3609, the students and staff at North, did a fantastic job of planning a tournament (from notification to start of opening ceremonies) within 16 hours. It was amazing. They saved the day! The Booster Club was ready, the custodial service was ready, and we were going to have this event! Although not all of the teams could make the switch to Des Moines (their schools out homes also may have received a lot of snow), we had some very excited teams who were glad to make the switch! 

In the spirit of Gracious Professionalism, we decided to advance four teams from those who could attend the competition at Des Moines North, and four teams who could not. We will be having a 32-team competition in Iowa City on Feb. 25th.

In summary, the event went very well.  Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!

This past weekend, Team #4144, Engineer Imagineer, with collaboration from Hills Community College, hosted fantastic FTC-Iowa Qualifier.
 
Award Winners
Think Award: Team #4144,  Engineer Imagineer, Girl Scouts from Ottumwa
Rockwell Collins Innovate Award: Team #3608, Oskaloosa High Team #1, Oskaloosa
PTC Design Award: Team #5253, Decepticons, Hudson High, Hudson
Connect Award: Team #5340, Warriors, Waukee High, Waukiee
Motivate Award: Team #5047, Bionic Bulldogs, Ottumwa High, Ottumwa
Against The Odds (Coaches Award): #4237, Central Lee Robotics, Central Lee HS, Donnellson
Inspire Award: Team #4156, Wildcat Robotics, Central City HS, Central City

Teams Who Advance (according to page 29 of the Bowled Over Game Manual)

1. Host Team: #4144, Engineer Imagineer, Ottumwa
2. Inspire Award Winner: Team #4156, Wildcat Robotics, Central City, Iowa
3. Winning Alliance Captain: Team #3608, Train, Oskaloosa HS, Oskaloosa
4. Inspire Award 2nd Place Winner: #3608 - however, they received an invitation to advance from previous criteria.
5. Winning Alliance, 1st team selected - #4443 - Oskaloosa HS, Oskaloosa

In summary, Teams #4144, #4156, #3608, and #4443 will be invited to the FTC-Iowa Championship in February!

Media Reports from the day:
"Robotics Reign Supreme During FTC Qualifier Event", Ottumwa Courier, Jan. 30, 2012

Congratulations to all of the teams!

Fun facts:

• One match was over 200 points!
• Twelve matches were over 100 points!
• 18 teams competed, all teams had passed software and hardware inspection prior to opening ceremonies.
• Each team competed in 6 matches. 
• Average match time was 7.04 minutes. 
• The picture shows a robot, tipped on its side, but still able to raise the create!
• A HUGE Thank you to the wonderful volunteers, including high school students, college students, recent college graduates, professionals, and retirees. Thank you!

Thank you to Jeff Henderson of Team #4144 for being the Event Organizer. Also, thank you, Hills Community College for hosting this event!

Davenport Qualifier (1/22/2012)

This past weekend, the Quad City Engineering & Science Council (QCESC) with support from the Putnam Museum hosted a fantastic FTC-Iowa Qualifier. Due to severe weather on Friday, Jan. 20, the Qualifier was pushed to Jan. 22, and despite of the delay, it was a great event!

 
Award Winners
Think Award: Team #5174,  Clinton River Kings, Clinton, Iowa
Rockwell Collins Innovate Award: Team #4296, Disco Demons, West High, Davenport
PTC Design Award: Team #5466, Combustible Lemons, West High, Davenport
Connect Award: Team #3549, Classified, Mt. Vernon, Iowa
Motivate Award: Team #3866, NC 90 Degree, North Cedar High, Stanwood
Rookie Team of the Year (Coaches Award): #5280, Regal Robots, Regina HS, Iowa City
Inspire Award: Team #458,  Activate Go Initiative!, Mt. Vernon HS, Mt. Vernon

Teams Who Advance (according to page 29 of the Bowled Over Game Manual)

1. No Host Team
2. Inspire Award Winner: Team #458, Activate Go Initiative!, Mt Vernon HS, Mt. Vernon
3. Winning Alliance Captain: Team #5466 - however, they received an invitation to advance from a previous event
4. Inspire Award 2nd Place Winner: #3549 - however, they received an invitation to advance from a previous event.
5. Winning Alliance, 1st team selected - #4296 - however, they received an invitation to advance from a previous event.
6. Inspire Award 3rd Place Winner: #5466, however, they received an invitation to advance from a previous event
7. Winning Alliance, 2nd team - #5094, Those Guys, Blackhawk County 4H, Waterloo, Iowa
8. Think Award Winner: #5174, Clinton River Kings, Clinton HS, Clinton, Iowa
9. Finalist Alliance Captain: #3788 - Benton Community #1, Benton HS, Van Horne, Iowa

In summary, Teams #458, #5094, #5174, and #3788 will be invited to the FTC-Iowa Championship in February!




Media Reports from the day:
"Teams gather for robot fight for qualifying spots", Quad-City Times, Jan. 22, 2012
"Davenport West teams excel at robotics", Quad-Cities Dispatch, Jan. 22, 2012
"Local students compete in statewide technology competition", WQAD.com, Jan. 22, 2012 (38 second video)

Congratulations to all of the teams!

Fun facts:

• One match was over 200 points (214-18)!
• Eleven matches were over 100 points!
• 21 teams competed, all teams had passed software and hardware inspection prior to opening ceremonies.
• One team raised the crate to the 9th level of the match stick - multiple times!
• Alliance Selection was very exciting! The 7th ranked team became a Captain!
• Each team competed in 5 matches. 
• Average match time was 6.7 minutes.
• A HUGE Thank you to the wonderful volunteers, including high school students, college students, recent college graduates, professionals, and retirees. Thank you!

Thank you to Patrick Barnes of John Deere for being the Event Organizer. Also, thank you, Putam for hosting this event!

Cedar Rapids Qualifier (1/7/2012)

This past weekend, FTC-Iowa hosted a great qualifier! Wow! We were very impressed! Thank you, Kirkwood Community College for hosting this WONDERFUL event!

 
Award Winners
Think Award: Team #5063,  Tipton High School, Tipton, Iowa
Rockwell Collins Innovate Award: Team #5062, Advanced, Solon, Iowa
PTC Design Award: Team #4324, Super Ninjas, Linn-Mar High School, Marion, Iowa
Connect Award: Team #4150, Outrageous Finger Socks, Linn-Mar High School, Marion, Iowa
Motivate Award: Team #5153, Benton Community High School, Van Horne, Iowa
Inspire Award: Team #4258, Bomb Squad, Jefferson High School, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Teams Who Advance (according to page 29 of the Bowled Over Game Manual)

1. No Host Team
2. Inspire Award Winner: Team #4258, Bomb Squad from Cedar Rapids, Iowa
3. Winning Alliance Captain: Team #4258 - however, since they won the Inspire Award, they received an invitation
4. Inspire Award 2nd Place Winner: #4324 - however, they received an invitation to advance from a previous event.
5. Winning Alliance, 1st team selected - #4324 - however, they received an invitation to advance from a previous event.
6. Inspire Award 3rd Place Winner: #5153, Benton Community High School, Van Horne, Iowa
7. Winning Alliance, 2nd team - none
8. Think Award Winner: #5063, Tipton High School, Tipton, Iowa
9. Finalist Alliance Captain: #367 - Organized Chaos, Solon High School, Solon, Iowa

In summary, Teams #4258, #5153, #5063, and #367 will be invited to the FTC-Iowa Championship in February!

Congratulations to all of the teams!

Fun facts:

• Two matches were over 200 points (61-205 and 209-26)!
• Seven matches were over 100 points!
• 16 teams competed, all teams had passed software and hardware inspection prior to opening ceremonies.
• One team raised the crate to the 9th level of the match stick!
• Alliance Selection was very exciting! The 7th ranked team became a Captain!
• Each team competed in 7 matches.
• A HUGE Thank you to the wonderful volunteers, including high school students, college students, recent college graduates, professionals, and retirees. Thank you!!!

Thank you to all of the wonderful volunteers, mentors, coaches and teams. This event went tremendously smooth! Thank you!!

FTC Team Blast #5: Qualifier Tournaments | LabView Code Fest (1/16/2012) | FTC Success Stories | Forums | Promote Award

Hello, Teams:
We hope you all had a wonderful and safe Holiday & A Happy New Year!
2012 is going to be an excellent year for FTC in Iowa.

A few items for this message:

1. Qualifier Tournaments

a) Tournament Update
b) Remaining Events
c) Hosting Events for 2012-2013

2.LabView Code Fest: (Jan. 16, 2012)
3. FTC Success Story
4. Questions About Specific Rules: Forums
5. New Award for 2011-2012: Promote Award

1. Qualifier Tournaments

1a) Tournament update:
Wow! Qualifier Tournaments are going very well. A HUGE Thank you to the wonderful volunteers and the event coordinators!! They have done, and continue to do, a fantastic job!  Thank you, teams and coaches, who took on the stress of hosting a Qualifier Tournament.
Teams that we've seen at the Qualifiers, have also been very impressive! Kudos all around.
Check out the FTC-Iowa blog for a summary of the events: http://ftc-iowa.blogspot.com/

Qualifiers will be the norm in Iowa!

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1b) Remaining Events
We have received an interest from many teams, who want to attend additional tournaments. Although we would like to try to accommodate these requests, the remaining events are full. If additional spots open up, we will notify teams as to how to register.
Please view the site at: https://drupal.engineering.uiowa.edu/ftc-iowa-qualifier-tournaments-2011-assignments

Seeking Volunteers! If your students/mentors/coaches are not competing, but would like to watch an event, we would love to have them as volunteers!
Volunteers can sign up at: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&pli=1&formkey=dEdlcUJaT0lONS1nSHkzdjhDUm1mZWc6MA#gid=0

1c) Hosting an Event for 2012-2013
Are you interested in hosting an FTC event for next season? Many of the coaches/mentors have expressed an interest in hosting an event, either verbally or via e-mail. Even if you have expressed an interest, please send an email to Rebecca Whitaker (rebecca-whitaker@uiowa.edu) with the Subject: "2012-2013 FTC Host Event Request" so the requests can be collected - with the location (address), potential dates, etc. We will then collect these requests, look at the calendars, and go from there. Thank you, in advance for your interest and desire to host FTC events!
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2. LabView Code Fest: Jan. 16th
FTC teams who use LabView, or are interested in using LabView, are invited to attend the first ever FREE!! Code Fest! Monday, Jan. 16th at The College of Engineering from 10am-4pm. More information, including the goal of the event, is in the attached flier. RSVP to Andy Marshall (andy.marshall@ni.com) Coaches, mentors and students are invited to participate.
~Exciting Stuff!!~

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3. FTC Success Story
FTC National is looking for success stories from the teams and students who participate in FTC. Please send stories, brief or long, to stories@usfirst.org. They'll be kept as confidential as you like with names and team numbers used or not based on your preference. Feel free to share as much detail as you'd like - your privacy will be protected if you'd like to remain anonymous. We would love for Iowa teams to submit their success stories!!

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4. Questions About Specific Rules: Forums
Does your team have questions about specific rules which are confusing or are not defined in the Game Manual? Check out the FTC forums. (http://ftcforum.usfirst.org/)
FYI: The most recent version of the Game Manual is #4, dated 11/28/2011
The rulings on the forums are final. Teams are responsible for knowing the information provided.

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5. New Award for 2011-2012: Promote Award
All teams, regardless if they are invited to compete at the FTC-Iowa Championship, are encouraged to submit an entry for the Promote Award. Information can be found at: http://usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/ftc/promote
Now is the time to get stock footage of your team in the building/competing phase of the season.
Details about how to submit a video to FTC-Iowa will be sent at a later date.


Thank you all!
The FTC-Iowa Team

West Des Moines Qualifier Summary (12-03-2011)

This past weekend, FTC-Iowa hosted a great qualifier! Wow! We were very impressed! Thank you, teams #3550 - Beta for hosting this WONDERFUL event!

 
Award Winners
Think Award: Team #5063, Tweener Creepers, from Tipton, Iowa
Rockwell Collins Innovate Award: Team #4175, Geek Squad from Cedar Rapids, Iowa
PTC Design Award: Team #3550, Beta from West Des Moines, Iowa
Connect Award: Team #3609, Polar Technics from Des Moines, Iowa
Motivate Award: Team #5489, Science Bound Catalyst, from Des Moines, Iowa
Inspire Award: Team #5126, InDEnProCom, from Ankeny, Iowa

Teams Who Advance

Host team: Team #3550, Beta from West Des Moines, Iowa
Inspire Award Winner: Team #5126, InDEnProCom, from Ankeny, Iowa
Captain of the Winning Alliance: Team #4325, CoBots from Walker, Iowa
2nd Place Inspire Award: Team #3550 Beta, from West Des Moines -- however, since they were the host team, they automatically advanced.
1st Team Picked of Winning Alliance: #5340, Warriors from Waukee, Iowa

Congratulations to all of the teams!

Fun facts:

• Highest score of a match: 86-69
• One match ended in a tie, 80-80 (pictures below)
• 15 teams competed, all teams had passed software and hardware inspection prior to opening ceremonies.
• One of the Samanthas started smoking!
• Each team competed in 6 matches.
• Average match turnaround time was 6.5909 minutes
• 60 volunteers, including high school students, college students, recent college graduates, professionals, and retirees. Thank you!!!

Thank you to all of the wonderful volunteers, mentors, coaches and teams. This event went tremendously smooth! Thank you!!

FTC-Iowa: Ankeny Scrimmage (10/29/2011)

The FTC-Iowa team attended a fantastic scrimmage today in at Ankeny High School in Ankeny, Iowa. Thank you teams #3738 & #5126 for hosting!!

The FTC-Iowa team continues to be amazed with the tasks and challenges the teams are accomplishing at this stage of the season. Although we had seen a few of the teams at the Oct. 1 Skills Driving Event, there were a few teams who we haven't seen since Kick-Off.

Teams are getting a great start, with the mechanics of the robot, if they follow the TETRIX Getting Started Guide. Kudos, to the folks at LEGO Education who developed the Guide! Also, teams are also benefiting from the redesign of LabView for LEGO Mindstorms. Kudos, National Instruments!

During the scrimmage, we held two workshop sessions of LabView training. Thank you, Andy Marshall, for leading these workshops! We also had hardware and software inspections. Thank You, Leon Turner, Art Roderick, and Craig Martinson for being our inspectors!

What we learned at the scrimmage:

1. Bowling balls (and racquetballs) have a mind of their own.
2. Everyone on the team should be familiar with the Game Manual.
3. Adaptors help with "flashing" the Samantha. (These are USB A-USB B female adaptors, see picture.) 
4. if the team does not want to have "drop-outs" during a match, the Samantha module needs to be properly and securely mounted onto the robot. (See recommendations on usfirst.org website)
5. Teams learn so much when they work with, and next to, other teams. 

If you haven't attended a scrimmage, our last one is next week! Also FTC-Iowa Qualifiers start on Nov. 19. If you don't know your assignment, visit
http://drupal.engineering.uiowa.edu/ftc-iowa-qualifier-tournaments-2011-assignments

Thank you to all of the teams, coaches, mentors and volunteers who attended the Ankeny Scrimmage!

P.S. No racquetballs were "injured" at the Ankeny scrimmage.

FTC-Iowa: Oelwein Scrimmage (10/22/2011)

The FTC-Iowa Scrimmage in Oelwein was a huge success! We had seven teams attending and one brand new team who observed. Amazing! Thank you, team #4329 for hosting!!

A few things we learned:

• With the new TETRIX Getting Started Guide, teams were more prepared when they attended the scrimmage event. All of the teams had some sort of robot and many of the teams were focusing on manipulation of the scoring elements (whether it was the crates, racquetballs or the bowling balls.)
• The new LabView for LEGO Mindstorms (LVLM) software is giving teams is great start on programming through the tutorials and the schmatic diagram.
• Several teams had autonomous programs for the robots! (This is a HUGE advancement from last season, again, thanks to LVLM!)
• Some of the racquetballs will break (see picture)
• Robots will cause chaos on the field with 100 racquetballs.
• Bowling balls have a mind of their own. They won't necessarily do as they are "told".

Overall, we were very impressed with the level of achievement and stage of development of the robots and teams.  We ran about 20 matches and several of them were full matches -- meaning four robots were on the field.

Be ready! The teams are going to do some amazing stuff this season!!

Our next scrimmage is this Saturday (Oct. 29th) in Ankeny, Iowa.

FTC-Iowa Qualifying Tournament: Registration Round #1

Qualifying Tournament Announcement

In order to allow teams to compete, and fulfill the criteria for the many team grants, we are implementing Qualifying Tournaments in Iowa.

Teams MUST compete at a qualifying tournament to advance to the FTC-Iowa Championship. To register for the Qualifying Tournaments, visit: k-12.engineering.uiowa.edu and under "FTC-Iowa Qualifying Tournaments" is information on how to register.

This is Round #1. It will close on Tuesday, Oct. 11. Round #2 will open on Friday, Oct. 14 and will go through Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011


Frequently Asked Questions

• What is a qualifier tournament?
  Qualifier tournaments are small tournaments between 12-16 teams competing. Teams compete in order to advance to the FTC-Iowa Championship.

• Is there a max of number of qualifiers for each team?
  Teams will be able to participate in 2 qualifiers. The idea: Teams should play early and play often.

• How do teams register?
  Teams have one week to register for their first qualifier tournament. We will close that registration after one week. The next week, the second round of qualifier registrations will open, which will close after one week. Teams and qualifier hosts will be notified as who will be attend the events.
  
• What happens if I do not sign up during these two rounds?
  If teams do not sign up for a qualifier event during the registration weeks, they will forfeit the opportunity to compete and will not be able to compete at the FTC-Iowa Championship.

• Payment Information
  After the two rounds to qualifiers close, teams will receive an invoice for the registration fees. Payment must be received before teams can participate in the qualifier tournaments.
  
• Other Information
  If a team registers for two qualifiers, and earns a bid to the FTC-Iowa Championship from the first one, they will still be RESPONSIBLE to attend the second qualifier. If a team does not attend the second qualifier, they will forfeit their bid to the Iowa Championship. As a Qualifier Tournament host, you are counting on having the registered teams attend.

Again, please visit: k-12.engineering.uiowa.edu and under "FTC-Iowa Qualifying Tournaments" is information on how to register.

Good luck!

FTC Team Blast #2: Welcome to Bowled Over!

Hello, Teams!
We hope everyone has been "Bowled Over". This following topics are covered in this message.
Also, an archive of this can be found on our blog at: http://ftc-iowa.blogspot.com/

1. Upcoming Events
2. Team Status Check
3. Bowled Over Field & Materials
4. Excellent Resource "FTC Teams: Tips, Tricks, Strategies & Secrets (new edition!)"

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1. Upcoming Events
The best way to get some experience, and see what other teams are doing, is to attend some pre-competition scrimmage events. These events, are FREE! Teams are encouraged to attend at least one, if not two of them.

On Saturday, Oct. 1, Team #3550 - Beta, will be hosting our first event, the Skills Driving Challenge. Check out the events website at: http://staging1.engineering.uiowa.edu/ftc-iowa-2011-events
The Skills Driving event is a GREAT way for teams to get experience with the Samantha, how to drive a robot and to meet with other teams. This event was VERY popular last season.

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2. Team Status Check
We are asking for ALL teams to complete a brief on-line form about how your team is doing. (If you have multiple teams, you will need to complete the form multiple times.) This form gives our team a great snapshot of the progress of all of our teams and see if there are areas in which we can help you. The online survey can be found at: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&formkey=dENtNi16UGJ0aXRMRlQ2MHZvUi1DeGc6MA#gid=0

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3. Bowled Over Field & Materials
We have been asked, by many teams, as to where they can purchase the items for the Bowled Over game. Thank you, to Oregon FTC, for putting together this list.
**Please note: It is not required for teams to have a complete field to participate. If teams are only able to build a quarter of the field, that works as well.**

• Bill of Materials - Official "Bowled Over" Bill Of Materials
• The crates -  Sterilite 1695. Teams can also find them at Wal-mart. Teams don't need the clear ones. They are cheap at $1 per crate.
• Racquetballs - Teams don't need 100 of them for practicing. You can order them from AndyMark (www.andymark.com) at $16.28 for 24.
• Bowling Balls - check with your local bowling center and tell them what you are doing and ask if they would sell you a used 6lb. ball OR ask if they could order one at the their cost for your team. If your team decides not to attempt the bowling ball ramp part of the challenge you can skip purchasing one.
• Lights on the off-field goals - Teams don't need the lights in the ball containers at the side of the field and teams really only need to build one ramp.
• Low Cost Perimeter Option - Check it out on the FTC website: http://www.usfirst.org/uploadedFiles/Community/FTC/FTC_Documents_and_Updates/2008/Low%20Cost%20Field%20BOM.pdf
• Field tiles - The official tiles used for the FTC field floor are sold through Soft Tiles (www.softtiles.com), as they are the vendor for the official FTC Field Floor. They are offering FTC teams a 10% discount. To get the discount you must place your order by PHONE 888-477-6532 (toll free) (9am – 5:30pm EST). Ask for the 2’ x 2’ gray tiles 5/8” thick and tell them you are a FTC Coach. 12’ x 12’ field = 36 tiles = $187.92 + about $50 S & H.  Please note: You still get the discount if you order less tiles. 

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4. Excellent Resource: "FTC Teams: Tips, Tricks, Strategies & Secrets" (new edition!) A huge "Thank You" to Bill Mattaliano, of Solon Robotics Teams #367 & #5062, for letting us know about an updated version of the FTC book called "FTC Teams: Tips, Tricks, Strategies & Secrets". Although it is not required for teams to have a copy, teams can learn a lot from this book. Amazon is selling them for about $10. ISBN-13 #: 978-1463788728.
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Looking forward to working with your team! Hope to see you at one of the scrimmage events!

The FTC-Iowa Team
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FTC Team Blast #1: Welcome to Bowled Over!

Hello Teams,

This is the first official FTC-Iowa team email blast for the 2011-2012 season. Please share this and all other team email blasts with your team. Unless you have made other arrangements with me, the only people on your team that receive this email are the main and alternate team contacts that are listed in the FIRST Team Information Management System that was used to register your team with FIRST. All of the FTC-Iowa team email blasts are placed in an archive on the FTC-Iowa blog: http://ftc-iowa.blogspot.com/

Topics in this email include:

1. "Bowled Over" Kickoff
2. Tournament Structure for FTC-Iowa (New for 2011/2012)
3. New FTC-Iowa Website
4. Non-Competition Events are Open!


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1. "Bowled Over" Kickoff

Welcome to "Bowled Over!" Thank you to all of you who were able to attend the FTC-Iowa Kick-Off Celebration on Saturday, September 10, 2011 at Vinton-Shellsburg High School. (Huge thank you to the teams who hosted, #3548, #4371, and #5153!) It was a great day!! If you were not able to attend, the game video, game manual and field bill of materials can be found at: http://www.usfirst.org/2011-2012-ftc-game-preview

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2. Tournament Structure for FTC-Iowa (New for 2011/2012)

The FTC-Iowa program runs a two-tier tournament structure - local qualifying tournaments and a FTC-Iowa Championship. The Qualifying Tournaments are hosted in various communities, beginning on Nov. 19th, and will typically have between 12-16 teams competing. Approximately four teams, per qualifier, will advance to the FTC-Iowa Championship.

Attached is the FTC-Iowa Tournament Policies. In addition, they can be found on our website (k-12.engineering.uiowa.edu, click on "FTC" -->2011/12 FTC-Iowa Events --> Information about the Qualifier Tournaments)

Registration for qualifying tournaments will be performed through the FTC-Iowa web site starting in October.

If you have any questions about the Qualifying Tournaments, please do not hesitate to ask.

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3. New FTC-Iowa Website

During the off-season, we have been very busy revamping the FTC-Iowa website. The new URL is k-12.engineering.uiowa.edu, and click on FTC.
The old "google site" eventually will be removed. If there are things you don't see on the new site, please let us know and we will make sure it gets over to the new site.

Please keep in mind, there are a few items on the new site that may change, eventually. This includes the specific URL and the "Home" button, which doesn't work, at this time. (In the mean time, please use your browser's back button).

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4. Non-Competition Events are Open!
We encourage all teams to attend as many non-competition events as possible. If your team would like to register for the Skills Driving Event or any of the Scrimmages, you can do so at this time, via the new website. A listing of events is attached as well. Non-competition events are THE BEST way to improve your robot and see how other teams have taken on the "Bowled Over" Challenge.


Thank you and we look forward to a great season!

The FTC-Iowa Team

A Few Thoughts Before Kick-Off...

 

Its hard to believe that we are just days away from the 2011 FTC Kick-Off. Its so close, we can almost count down the hours! I feel as giddy as I did on the nights before a new school year/the start of a new job, etc. To put it simply, I am giddy. I cannot imagine what the staff at FIRST is feeling; and the Game Design Committee members, they must be over-excited.


One important note: The FTC staff and GDC member should be thanked a million times, and then thanked again. These folks work all year long on the game, in fact, they probably started brainstorming last fall. They are truly an amazing group of folks and I personally admire each and every one of them. As you read the Game Manual on Saturday, take a look at the first few pages and send a thank you to the magical/brilliant/amazing members of the GDC & FTC staff. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
To them, I say "Oink! Oink!" :-)

Kick-Off in Iowa: A Celebration
On Saturday, Sept. 10, the FTC-Iowa program is hosting its annual Kick-Off Celebration. This is our 3rd Annual Kick-Off Event, and it really is a celebration. We are celebrating the new season. We are celebrating the wonderful volunteers, who dedicate their time to FTC. We are celebrating the returning coaches who are offering FTC to their students - again. We are celebrating the rookie coaches who are willing to offer FTC to their students. We are celebrating. (We anticipate nearly 270 students/mentors/volunteers/coaches who will be celebrating with us.)
Check out the FTC-Iowa Celebration website.

Its time to "Get Over It"...
Last season, FTC-Iowa had many highs and many lows and I, personally, was not prepared to handle all of the peaks and valleys of last season. However, I got through them because of the wonderful support I received from the members of FTC-Iowa Advisory Group. To these guys, I am forever grateful. You are my brothers. :-)
In addition, the coaches and students were just amazing. You kept me going - You gave me the steam to continue. Thank you.
Its official. Its time to Get Over It.

Thank you!
A huge thank you to Rockwell Collins, as they are the Official Program Sponsor of the FTC program. In Iowa, we are very fortunate to have such a great relationship with Rockwell Collins. Their employees/retirees/interns serve as coaches, mentors and volunteers for the FTC-Iowa program. Thank you. 

Game Hints
Although Ken has revealed some Game Hints on his blog, I'm hoping for water balloons. Sorry, but I don't have any game hints. ;(

And Finally...
Good luck to the FLL teams on "Food Factor" and Jr. FLL teams on "Snack Attack". May those students continue with FIRST and we'll see them in a few years in FTC. Please wish me luck as I coach my first FLL and Jr. FLL teams. (I have REALLY been bit by the FIRST bug.)


Wishing all of the FTC teams a great Kick-Off and a wonderful season!

See you out there,
Rebecca Whitaker

FTC-Iowa Affiliate Partner