FLL Coach Conference Call – February 18, 2025

By Mel Wade |

FLL Coach Conference Call-20250219_004007-Meeting Recording.mp4

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Meeting notes:

  • Tournament Season Overview: Mel provided an overview of the current tournament season, mentioning that they have had two tournaments so far and are preparing for the third one in Auburn, WA, with a series of tournaments following in rapid succession, ending in the first weekend of April.
    • Upcoming Tournaments: Mel mentioned that the third tournament is scheduled for the coming weekend in Auburn, WA, and there will be a series of tournaments in rapid succession, concluding with the final tournament in the first weekend of April.
    • Preparation: Mel acknowledged that many teams are preparing for their upcoming tournaments and highlighted the busy schedule for the next month and a half.
  • Resources and Rubrics: Mel highlighted the importance of the resources available on the website, including guidebooks and challenge updates. They emphasized the new rubrics for the season and the importance of teams being able to articulate their problem and follow the engineering design process.
    • Website Resources: Mel directed attendees to the website adventistrobotics.net, where they can find guidebooks, challenge updates, and other important documents under the ‘about’ section.
    • New Rubrics: Mel emphasized the new rubrics for the season, explaining that teams need to articulate their problem clearly and follow the engineering design process, which includes identifying, designing, creating, iterating, and communicating.
    • Judging Feedback: Mel explained that all rubrics will be done electronically this year using a new judging and event platform, and teams will receive electronic feedback on their performance.
  • Judging and Core Values: Mel explained the judging process, including the integration of core values into the rubrics for innovation projects and robot design. They emphasized that teams are judged on the process, not the product, and that core values are evaluated in both the judging and refereeing processes.
    • Judging Process: Mel detailed the judging process, highlighting that teams are evaluated on their adherence to the engineering design process rather than the final product. The core values are integrated into the rubrics for both innovation projects and robot design.
    • Core Values Evaluation: Mel mentioned that core values are assessed during both the judging and refereeing processes, with specific indicators for teamwork, inclusion, and other core values.
    • Gracious Professionalism: Mel noted that referees will also provide a gracious professionalism score, which contributes to the core values evaluation.
  • Awards and Scoring: Mel discussed the different awards and the scoring system, explaining that each part of the program (robot design, innovation project, core values, and robot game) is equally weighted at 25%. They also mentioned the policy of awarding only one judged award per team to ensure a fair distribution of awards.
    • Scoring System: Mel explained that the scoring system equally weights robot design, innovation project, core values, and robot game at 25% each, contributing to the overall performance evaluation.
    • Champions Award: Mel clarified that the Champions Award considers all four components equally, and it is possible for a team with the highest points in the robot game to not win the Champions Award if they do not perform well in other areas.
    • One Judged Award Policy: Mel mentioned the policy of awarding only one judged award per team to ensure a fair distribution of awards, preventing any single team from dominating multiple categories.
  • Judging Session Flow: Mel provided details about the judging session flow, including the time allocation for each part of the session. They advised teams to be prepared for technology issues and to focus on connecting with the judges and demonstrating core values during their presentations.
    • Session Time Allocation: Mel outlined the judging session flow, specifying that teams have 2 minutes to set up, 5 minutes for the innovation project presentation, 5 minutes for questions and answers, 5 minutes for robot design explanation, and additional time for final feedback from judges.
    • Technology Preparedness: Mel advised teams to be prepared for potential technology issues and recommended having alternative presentation methods, such as poster boards or skits, to ensure smooth presentations.
    • Connecting with Judges: Mel emphasized the importance of teams connecting with judges and demonstrating their understanding and core values, rather than just reading from a script.
  • Tournament Day Procedures: Mel outlined the procedures for the tournament day, including the coaches’ meeting, practice matches, and the importance of communicating with referees about field setup. They also mentioned the need for teams to bring their own mission models and the process for the afternoon matches and awards ceremony.
    • Coaches Meeting: Mel mentioned that there will be a coaches’ meeting first thing in the morning to go over tournament processes and procedures and to answer any questions.
    • Practice Matches: Mel explained that practice matches will take place in the morning, providing an opportunity for teams to test their robots and clarify any rule-related questions with referees.
    • Field Setup Communication: Mel stressed the importance of teams communicating with referees about the field setup to ensure everything is correct before starting their matches.
    • Mission Models: Mel advised teams to bring their own mission models for practice tables, as these may not be provided at the tournament.
    • Afternoon Matches: Mel described the afternoon schedule, which includes the opening ceremonies, three robot matches, and the awards ceremony at the end of the day.
  • Team Member Changes: Laurie asked about adding new team members during the season, and Mel confirmed that it is possible to add or remove team members as needed, as long as the team size remains between 2 and 10 members.
  • Consent Forms and Roster: Mel emphasized the importance of having two adult coaches or mentors with completed youth protection screening and acknowledgment forms. They explained the process for obtaining parental consent forms and the need to bring a printed roster to the tournament as proof of consent.
    • Youth Protection Screening: Mel stressed that each team must have two adult coaches or mentors who have completed youth protection screening and acknowledgment forms.
    • Parental Consent Forms: Mel explained that parents need to sign consent forms electronically, which can be done via a QR code or link provided by the coaches. These forms give consent for participation and photo release.
    • Printed Roster: Mel emphasized the importance of bringing a printed roster to the tournament, as it serves as proof that all team members have parental consent. This roster is required for participation in the event.
  • Payment and Registration: Jerry expressed confusion about the payment process, and Mel clarified that there are two separate payments: one for registering the team with FIRST and another for the event itself. They offered to help Jerry resolve any issues with the payment process after the meeting.
    • Two Payments: Mel clarified that teams need to make two separate payments: one for registering the team with FIRST and another for the event itself.

Follow-up tasks:

  • Team Member Changes: Add new team members to replace those who have left or are moving.
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