FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge
Team Update
Hi Friend,
This is the fifth email blast for the FIRST® LEGO® League World Festival at the FIRST® Championship presented by BAE Systems in Houston, TX, USA. If your team recently registered for the event – welcome! Catch up on previous email blasts on our blog.
Important event information is contained within these emails. Please read ALL information as it may pertain to your team and/or travel arrangements.
🤖 Items in yellow require action.
🤖 Items in green are specifically for teams outside the United States and Canada.
🤖 Items in blue are specifically for United States and Canadian teams.
What's New?
Team Pits:
Your team will be assigned to a 10 feet x 10 feet (3 meters x 3 meters) Pit space which will be your home at the World Festival. Each Pit space will have one standard-sized table and two chairs. Short pipe and drape will frame the Pit space on three sides, but any Pit decorations you bring must be supported with a structure you bring or create. You may decorate it in a way to showcase your country, state, your Innovation Project, and/or your unique and fun team identity. We encourage you to be creative, but please consider the following limitations and restrictions:
🤖 Decorate within your 10 feet x 10 feet (3 meters x 3 meters) Pit space. Also, consider 10 feet (3 meters) as a height limit as well. For safety reasons, your decorations must remain within this space.
🤖 You will have access to one (1), 120-volt electrical outlet. We encourage you to bring an extension cord and a power strip for you to plug in multiple devices simultaneously.
🤖 Please do NOT bring or use helium balloons or open flames. No team should cook or prepare food in the Pit area.
World Festival Robot Game Clarifications:
⚡ Wind Turbine model issues – we are aware that at some competitions during the season, when the robot pushes the model, the Energy Units don’t always roll out. This happens more often when the model is not well maintained. Referees will do their best to maintain the models throughout the competition, but issues still may occur.
- Teams are expected to know this model does not always work as intended and should plan accordingly.
- Teams will have the opportunity to ask the referee to test the model by hand before the start of their match.
- Energy Units not rolling out when the robot activates the model will not be a reason to rerun the match.
⚡ Robot interrupted when partly in Home and transporting objects that are completely in Home:
- If the Robot is interrupted when partly in Home area and transporting mission models or equipment that is fully in Home when robot is interrupted (Mission models not with robot at launch): Team keeps the objects.
- Objects partly or fully out of Home are taken by the referee.
⚡ Robot interrupted while transporting Dinosaur:
- During an interruption where the robot is completely outside home, and the dinosaur toy is in the possession of the robot, the team has the option to take the dinosaur toy (and any energy unit or rechargeable battery inside the dinosaur toy) to either the left home area (where it will not score for being in the left home area based on rule During the Match: Outside Home 3) or to the right home area (where the team would have the option to try again to move the dinosaur to the left home area).
- The robot itself may be moved to either home area in accordance with rule Outside Home 1.
⚡ Smart Grid – Bonus points scored only if both orange connectors are fully raised, regardless of whether there is a team on the other table or not.
⚡ Hybrid car – If the hybrid unit extends out from back of car, the team will score because there is no requirement for completely in.
⚡ Inspection and Set Up: Reminder that when a team arrives at the table they should immediately start setting up for the inspection (teams will have 1 minute to get their equipment ready for inspection). Once the inspection is complete, they will have 1-2 minutes to prepare the robot to run (rule Before the Match: Match Set Up 3). Teams should practice setting up for inspection and preparing to run after the inspection. Due to the limited time in the schedule, matches may start before a team is ready if they exceed these time limits.
⚡ Storage: Reminder that all team equipment must be stored on the table or in the hands of one of the technicians at the table (rule Before the Match: Set Up 2). Teams will not be allowed to store equipment on the ground, with team members not at the table or on side tables/carts.
⚡ Lighting: While the organizers will do their best to have uniform lighting on each table, there is a strong possibility that there will be variations from table to table so teams should be prepared for that. Additionally, the practice tables will be in a different area from the competition tables and will almost certainly have different lighting.
⚡ Because the pits and robot game queuing area are in a separate room from the competition area, teams should plan to arrive at the queuing area 15 minutes prior to their Match starts will not be delayed to accommodate teams that arrive late.
Register for the Encore Celebration!
The encore is a celebration for all teams on Saturday, April 22. Each team will be assigned an Alliance Partner and together, will play a robot game that will be released at 8:00 a.m. CT. Bring your robots, computers, extra parts, and join us for lots of fun! This is for bragging rights only - game on, everyone!
To participate in the encore, please complete this form by April 20 at 2:00 p.m. CT.
Prayer Room Availability:
There will be two prayer rooms available for anyone wishing to observe religious practice onsite during event hours. Prayer rooms are located on the 2nd level of the Marriott Marquis Houston in Montgomery rooms A&B. The Marriott Marquis Houston is attached to the George R. Brown Convention Center and can be accessed from the level 2 skybridge located north of Mezzanine A.
Important Reminders:
Consent and Release Forms - Teams outside of the U.S. and Canada
The link below contains the mandatory consent and release form that must be completed for every student on your team by April 7. Please ensure that all students complete this form including a parent/guardian signature. Be sure to have them all list your registration team number (starting with 59xxx) in the “Team Number” cell:
https://waiver.smartwaiver.com/w/giqck94g4jawj7g2tabyhp/web/
Please note that any student without this required form signed by a parent/guardian may not be able to participate in the event.
Championship App:
Download the FIRST Championship App for interactive maps, the event guide, team info, volunteer info, alerts, and more! Scan the QR code or visit the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to download.
Translators:
As the World Festival will be held in English, your team will be responsible for identifying a person within your group to serve as an interpreter for your team. If your team needs a translator button, please request one at Pit Admin when your team checks in on Wednesday.
Event Registration and Badging:
FIRST requires every event attendee to be registered and badged. Attendee registration grants access to participant-only activities and increases the security of the event. Learn more about how to register.
FIRST partners with ConferenceDirect to bring teams, volunteers, and all attendees more than 30 FIRST-reviewed hotel locations to choose from during the 2023 FIRST Championship in Houston. All housing for the 2023 FIRST Championship is now open.
We are looking forward to seeing you in two weeks! Stay tuned for our next email, which will contain more details about the event.
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