FLL Coach Call – October 2025

By Mel Wade |

FLL Coach Conference Call-20251009_190340-Meeting Recording.mp4

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Meeting notes:

  • FIRST LEGO League Resources and Rule Structure: Mel provided an overview of essential resources for coaches, including the FIRST LEGO League website, the structure of the rule book, challenge updates, and the importance of understanding rule precedence for successful team participation.
    • Resource Overview: Mel directed participants to firstlegoleague.org, highlighting the importance of accessing the season page for guidebooks, engineering notebooks, rule books, and challenge updates, and explained how these resources form the foundation for team preparation.
    • Rule Book and Challenge Updates: Mel explained the structure of the Robot Game Rule Book, emphasizing that missions can override general rules, and that challenge updates take precedence over both, with updates issued based on team feedback and clarifications.
    • Mission Scoring and Equipment Constraints: Mel detailed how mission descriptions and scoring work, including the significance of the ‘no equipment constraint’ symbol, which means a mission model cannot earn points if touching equipment at the end of the match.
    • Field Setup and Technician Roles: Mel described the field setup, launch areas, and technician rules, clarifying that two student technicians are allowed per side, and that robots cannot be handed across the field after the match starts.
  • Team Meeting Guide, Engineering Notebook, and Program Structure: Mel reviewed the team meeting guide and engineering notebook, outlining the four core areas of the program—core values, innovation project, robot design, and robot game—and explained their equal weighting in team evaluation.
    • Team Meeting Guide Usage: Mel described the team meeting guide as a coach’s resource for planning 12 two-hour sessions, adaptable for both beginner and advanced teams, and emphasized its role in structuring team preparation.
    • Core Values and Program Areas: Mel explained the importance of core values, gracious professionalism, and ‘cooperatition,’ and outlined the four program areas: core values, innovation project, robot design, and robot game, each weighted equally in rankings.
    • Engineering Notebook Purpose: Mel introduced the engineering notebook as a student-focused resource, detailing the design process steps—identify, design, create, iterate, communicate—and its use in brainstorming and documenting the innovation project.
    • Innovation Project Prompt: Mel highlighted this year’s innovation project prompt, which challenges teams to identify and solve a problem faced by archaeologists, encouraging outreach to local experts and use of available resources.
  • Judging Rubrics and Competition Preparation: Mel explained the judging rubrics, session flow, and the importance of understanding evaluation criteria, providing guidance on how teams are assessed and how to prepare for competition judging sessions.
    • Rubric Structure and Scoring: Mel described the rubrics used for core values, innovation project, and robot design, explaining the scoring system, the meaning of gear symbols for dual-weighted criteria, and the need for clear evidence to achieve top scores.
    • Judging Session Flow: Mel outlined the 30-minute judging session, including time allocations for team introductions, innovation project presentations, Q&A, robot explanations, and judge feedback, and emphasized the importance of reviewing rubrics in advance.
    • Awards and Feedback: Mel noted that judges provide feedback sheets covering core values, innovation project, and robot design, and described the different awards available, encouraging teams to review award descriptions and prepare accordingly.
  • Team Registration, Dashboard Management, and Compliance: Mel guided coaches through the team registration process on firstinspires.org, emphasizing the need for two cleared coaches, correct region selection, and parent consent for youth members, and addressed common dashboard issues raised by David and Tarkyshia.
    • Coach Clearance and Youth Protection: Mel explained that each team must have two primary contacts who are cleared through the Youth Protection program, clarifying that the second coach can be any adult and that clearance is separate from school-based background checks.
    • Region Selection and Team Profile: Mel instructed teams to ensure their region is set to ‘Adventist Robotics League’ in the team profile, explaining the implications of incorrect region selection and how to request changes if the field is grayed out.
    • Youth Member Registration and Parent Consent: Mel described the express enrollment process for youth team members, including generating QR codes for parent consent, and stressed that all youth must be registered and consented before competition participation.
    • Troubleshooting Dashboard Issues: Mel addressed David’s and Tarkyshia’s questions about dashboard errors, clarifying that both coaches need to log in for clearance, that event registration is handled separately, and that unresolved technical issues should be directed to FIRST support.
  • Event Registration and Local Competition Logistics: Mel provided updates on event registration timelines, described the locations of upcoming competitions, and clarified procedures for local and Explorer events in response to questions from Ria.
    • Event Registration Status: Mel announced that event registration is slightly delayed but expected to open soon, listed competition locations including a new event in Tennessee, and explained that teams can choose any event to attend.
    • Local and Explorer Events: In response to Ria, Mel clarified that local Explorer events are not managed through the main dashboard, offered support for organizing local events, and described Explorer events as shorter, science fair-style gatherings.
    • Region and Communication: Mel explained the importance of selecting ‘Adventist Robotics League’ for communication and support, and provided background on the league’s history and structure, especially for teams in states with multiple regions.
  • Technical Support and Missing Parts Resolution: Mel and Daniel addressed questions about missing LEGO model parts, advising teams to contact LEGO Education for support and to check for unnumbered bags, with Daniel providing additional clarification.
    • Contacting LEGO Education: Mel recommended contacting LEGO Education directly for missing parts, provided their website and support options, and offered to assist if teams do not receive a response.
    • Unnumbered Bags Clarification: Daniel explained that some parts may be in unnumbered bags, which are often overlooked, and Mel reiterated the importance of checking all packaging before requesting replacements.

Follow-up tasks:

  • Coach Clearance Issue Resolution: Contact FIRST support to resolve issues with coach clearance and dashboard access for the second coach if problems persist after following standard procedures. (David)
  • Missing Model Parts Resolution: Contact LEGO Education support directly to resolve missing parts for the model, and follow up if no response is received. (the team)
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