1. Things Every FRC Team Should Know
Speaker: GS Hosts, introduce Glenn and Collin
Glenn Lee – Team 359 – The Hawaiian Kids
Collin Fultz – FRC Team Advocate

2. FIRST is not just for Technology Enthusiasts…
Variety of skills are needed
Marketing
Business
Team Spirit
Technology
FIRST Promotes Inclusion
Opportunities for hands-on STEM learning for non-traditional or underserved populations
Speaker: Glenn

3. FRC Calendar Year FRC Calendar: Pre-Season
Kickoff (first Saturday in January)
Build Season (6 weeks)
Week Zero Events
Stop Build Day
Competition Season (7 weeks)
Championship (April)
Off Season (mid-May to mid-November)

4. It’s Going To Take Time (a whole lot of precious time)
Average Mentor Volunteer Hours/ Week
In Season (Kickoff to Championship)
4-7 Hours: 5%
12-19 Hours: 25%
30+ Hours: 28%
Off Season
4-7 Hours: 31%
12-19 Hours: 10%
30+ Hours: 4%
Tips to Avoid Burnout
Take breaks
Don’t completely abandon your non-FIRST friends and family
Get others involved to share the load and maintain energy

5. It’s Going To Take Money (a whole lot of spending money)
Registration Fee
Regionals vs. Districts
Other Costs
Robot Parts (including spares)
Construction Materials (for robot and practice field)
Tools/Equipment
Team Uniforms/Mascot
Travel to Events
Outreach Activities
Unexpected Costs (be prepared!)

6. How Much Spending Money?
Example Budget from Team 2470 (The Blitz Team), posted to the FIRST Fundraising Toolkit
NOTE: Team Budgets vary widely
Range: $6,000 to $100,000+
Most Common: $10,000-$20,000 (28%)

7. Where to Find Resources & Support
Know what you Need
Develop a Budget & Business Plan
Examples in the FIRST Fundraising Toolkit
It’s Difficult to Meet Needs Through Fundraising Alone
Seek out partnerships and other long-term resources
Apply for grants
Seek In-Kind Donations, Not Just Cash
Ask for donations of service/equipment- from equipment rental to pizza
Find Local Resources
Meet with parents and mentors to develop a list of possible sponsors/partnerships
Grants
NASA Grants
Rookie Grants

8. It’s Going To Take Mentors (to give their patience and time)
Mentors and Parents are the Backbone of your Team
Where to Look:
Schools
Colleges
Sponsors
Parents
Alumni
What to Look For:
Skills your team needs (technical and non-technical)
Redundancy is good

9. What Kinds of Mentors?
From the Business Plan of Team 1625 (Winnovation), posted to the FIRST Fundraising Toolkit

10. Be Organized Run your Team like a Business Peer Mentorship
Provide leadership opportunities for experienced members
Train new mentors (ensure knowledge/experience stays with the team)

11. Robotics Administration
Team Organizational Chart
Robot Construction
Robotics Outreach
Robotics
Documentation
FRC Team 359
Robotics Support
Robotics Administration

12. Robotics Administration
Coordination
Planning
Finances
Fundraising
Class Setup
Schedule
Team meetings
Purchase Orders
Team Travel
Grant & Financial Support

13. Robot Construction ROBOT CONSTRUCTION
Rules of Competition
Kick-Off Meeting
Rules Person: Student Team Captain
ROBOT ASSEMBLY & COMPETITION TEAM
Autodesk Inventor, SolidWorks, AutoCAD
Operational Prototype
Final Robot
Controls Fabrication
Spare Parts
Pit Crew
Driver Selection
Tactician
Scouting
ROBOT SUPPORT
Field & Goal Fabrication
Crate Modification
Cart Modification
Control Fabrication
Fabrication Training
Field Setup
Safety Captain
Control Systems
Robot Programming
Autonomous Mode
Electrical
Pneumatics
Controls Layout
Driver Station

14. Fabrication Training Tasks
Work Flow
Week 1 2 3 4 5 6
Robot Assembly Tasks
Prototyping, Drive/Chassis Fabrication & Subsystem Design
Subsystem Fabrication & Drive/Chassis Assembly
Drive/Chassis Testing & Subsystem Bench Testing
Driver Practice
Subsystem Integration & Final Assembly
Final Testing
Robot Support Tasks
Fabricate Field, Goals, Etc.
Complete Field & Start Fabrication Training, if any
Build/Update Control (wood) & Cart
Build/Fix Crate
Dead Time
Fabrication Training Tasks
Mill, Lathe, Cut-Off Saw, Band Saw, etc. Familiarization
Continue As Time Permits
Robot Parts & Continue As Time Permits
Robot & Spare Parts Fabrication
Spare Parts Fabrication
Game & Parts Overview
State the Challenge
Brainstorming
Select Robot Design Parameters
Define Human Player & Other Team Functions

15. Robotics Regional Support Robotics 6-week meal schedule
Robotics Support
Robotics Support
Coordination
Planning
Robotics Regional Support
Team Uniforms
Team Agenda & Booklet
Team Schedule & Activities
Spirit items-Buttons, Pencils, Magnets,
Calculators
Banners
Collection of Payments/Dues-Admissions
Meals
Raffles and Trivia
Robotics 6-week meal schedule
Snacks
Lunch
Supervision support

16. Team Documentation Team Documentation Team Web Page, Animation
Digital Media Production
Multimedia Presentations
Facilities Tours
STEM Outreach Events
Team Web Page, Animation
Video, Team Video Documentary
Web page design-Adobe,
Animation Tutorials
Team Roster and Organization
Video Tutorials
Team Updates
Photos, Instagram, Twitter, FaceBook
Evidence of Student Learning
Post-Secondary Plans
Competition Awards, Mentor/Student
Awards, Pit Crew Manual,
Engineering Design Manual,
Safety Manual, Business Plan,
Annual Team Documentation
Supporting documents
Media, newspaper, Interviews

17. Community Recognition & Outreach
Participate in Community Events- as much as possible!
Join local parades and other activities
Set up a display at your local library, sporting events, etc.
Press releases to local media
Show Off Awards & Trophies
Display in school/organization trophy case
Post to social media
Reach out to Alumni

18. FIRST Mentoring & Collaborations
TEAM 359
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Maintaining robotics in Hawaii & the Hawaii FRC Regional:
●Hawaii Robotics Planning Committee
●Waialua STEM Learning Center
Promoting STEM in Hawaii:
●Working with Governor Lingle to promote STEM & FIRST in Hawaii
●Robot demonstrations at engineering events:
Ex: Engineering Week (Kahala Mall)
FIRST & STEM
FIRST Mentoring & Collaborations
Community & School
Sponsorship of School- oriented Projects & clubs:
●Blood Drive
●Christmas Parade
Community Service:
●Beach Clean-up
●Annual Robotics Open House
Dole Robotics Fundraiser Luau
Other Teams
-Uses of facilities, materials and equipment
-Access to mentors
-Sharingideas
Support Feeder Oranizations
-Through funding & coordination
STEM Workshops
-Sustainability
-Grant Writing
-Business Plan

19. Don’t Know Where To Start?
Reach out to:
Regional Director
FIRST Senior Mentor
VISTA
Other FRC Teams
FRC Team Support
, x0

20. Other Resources Progression of Programs (Jr.FLL, FLL, FTC)
Chief Delphi
FRC Resources:
Kit of Parts (
Technical (
General (
Look for changes to the FRC website to make these easier to find

21. 2015 Control System Introduction
Thank You for Watching!
Next Behind the Lines Episode:
2015 Control System Introduction
Wednesday, October 15th
8:00 PM (ET)
Experts:
Representatives from the Control System Design Team
This episode will be followed up with another discussion featuring Beta Test Teams
Speaker: GS Hosts