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 

I.Am.FIRST

Check this out:
Sunday, August 14 at 6pm CST on ABC!!

Update! Update! Update!

Wow! Summer in Iowa is HOT! Hot! Hot! We hope everyone, robots included, are keeping cool and not over-heating.

Similar to Ken and the FTC Blog, FTC-Iowa also got a notice about this blog.

Ok, here's an update!

What have we been up to....

Green City Challenge

• Summer Camps: This summer we have been busy hosting a TON camps. Of our three LEGO Robotics Camps (VERY POPULAR!), two are now "In-The-Books".  (We used the Green City Challenge, which is pretty cool!) In addition to the LEGO Robotics, we've also had several camp focused on Renewable Energy and Sustainability and a camp about engineering/pharmacy and medicine. We have worked with over 100 children, and its great to see their excitement!
• Traveling Demo & Soccer Bots: With some huge help from some wonderful helpers (Ben B. & Darren Y.), we have put together a traveling FTC demo, called Soccer Bots. We have taken this demo to several county fairs, several schools, and several STEM Conference. Watch for it at the Iowa State Fair on Aug. 19/20 in Des Moines.

Preparing for FTC 2011/12 Season: We are finalizing the agenda for the FTC-Iowa Kick-Off (Save the Date: Sept. 10th), arranging for a series of workshops, and working

Soccer Bots

through the logistics of Qualifying Tournaments. This is going to be a great FTC Season!!


What to look forward to....

• Upcoming Events: Teams, be ready for several opportunities during the season, including the following events:

--Iowa State Fair (Aug. 19/20) Des Moines - Visit our booth in the Varied Industries Building.

--PTC Workshop (Aug. 27th) University of Iowa

--Season Kick-Off (Sept. 10th) Vinton-Shellsburg High School, Vinton

--Qualifier Tournament (Various dates & Locations)

--FTC-Iowa Championship (Feb. 25, 2012) University of Iowa.

• Qualifier Tournaments

As posted on May 7, 2011, FTC-Iowa is moving to a qualifying system in which team will need to compete and "qualify" prior to attending the FTC-Iowa Championship.

• Revamped Website

In September, 2011, be on the look-out for a  New & Improved FTC-Iowa Website.  The URL will be published at a later date.

And, don't forget....

• The Rockwell Collins Funding for FTC-Iowa teams is still OPEN! Check out information on the website at: https://sites.google.com/site/ftciowa/ The deadline is the end of August, 2011.
• E-Watt Program through FIRST!  A great way to get started with some team fundraising!

FIRST Championship Video

If you weren't able to attend the FIRST Championship Event in St. Louis, here is a great video to show you the action! FTC-Iowa FTA, Dan Edwards, is the one in the FTA vest.

Very cool stuff!

Global Collaboration | Workshops | Grants for FTC-Iowa teams

On Monday, we were fortunate to meet with a representative from PTC, Jordan Cox. There is some exciting stuff for the upcoming season.

1. FTC Global Collaboration
2. PTC Workshops
3. Rockwell Collins Grants

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1. FTC Global CollaborationPTC is starting a new program called the "Global Collaboration Project". This would be to pair-up successful Iowa teams with teams in different countries, specifically India. The Iowa teams would help mentor the teams from India via Skype and use the WindChill collaboration tool and ProE/MathCad (this is where PTC is interested). The India FTC season will start June 1 and the Championship will be on Aug. 15. The game they will be playing is "Get Over It!". On Aug. 15th, the goal is to have an area where the Iowa teams can "watch" how their counterparts in India are doing at their Championship, all via Skype. Our team is trying to organize a location for this.

Consider this an opportunity for your team to: 1) meet and work with students from different countries; 2) have the ability to use and gain knowledge with using the PTC software: Pro/E, WindChill, and MathCad, so you can be proficient next season; 3) have the ability to work through Get Over It! a second time and look at the challenge in a new prospective.  If you are interested in helping teams from India, please let me know by Monday, May 23rd. I will then forward your contact information to PTC and they can get WindChill accounts set up for your team members.

(FYI: all of the students from India do speak English, to some extent.)

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2. PTC Workshops
One thing we discovered by attending World Championships, a few weeks ago, was the amount of teams who used Pro/E to design their bots. We understand using another software program takes time, which many teams do not have, but please think of it this way:

• If you do not use Pro/E or a CAD program to build your robot, you can get the structure done faster. However, what happens if an internal part disconnects? What happens if the center of gravity is off? You would need to dismantle the bot or it may tip over and not function.
• If you do use Pro/E or a CAD program to help build the bot, the bot may not be constructed quickly, but your team will be able to test the center of gravity and you'll be able to see how the internal dimensions of the bot. In addition, you will know the exact dimensions of the bot, which comes in handy for inspections.
  
• *Remember, Pro/E and the other PTC software applications come when you purchase the kit of parts and/or the Software Renewal Package.*

About 95% of teams, who competed at Worlds used Pro/E or a CAD software.

In August and throughout the early next season we will be hosting PTC workshops. If you are interested in attending or even hosting a workshop, please let us know by Monday, May 23rd so we can arrange dates and locations.

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3. Rockwell Collins Grants
Please don't miss out on this opportunity to get support through Rockwell Collins. They are now accepting applications for FTC team grants. More information can be found on our website: https://sites.google.com/site/ftciowa/

Historically, their policy is to award grants to non-profit organizations, such as schools, 4-H Clubs, Girl/Boy Scouts, etc. In addition, they will award up to 2 grants per location - so, if you had one team last season, and would like to start up a second team, please submit an application for your team from last year and another one for your new team. (If you are not adding any more teams, please submit an application for your team from last year.)