FTCNJ (Almost) Tuesday Newsday - Sept 7 2022 ... (Sent via Google Group)
Vince Frascella
Greetings Newsletter Subscribers and FTCNJ Coaches
This email is being sent to everyone on the existing Newsletter Distribution list. Apologies for being a day late this week.
As always, you can very easily opt-out from receiving it. (See that process at the bottom of this email.)
Remember that the updates are shown in blue bold text. If you are a weekly reader, you can just quickly scan the BLUE to see what is NEW.
The black text is included for completeness sake and for our new readers.
HEADLINES:
September 10th Kick Off Events ß Good luck to all who are attending an in-person Kick-Off Event or watching on-line. More information below.
October 1st & 2nd Outreach Event ß “Raritan Valley Science & Technology Showcase”. We have half the teams needed to support this huge event. Details below.
Southern Workshops at Moorestown Friends School (Sept 24th) ß Registration Open. 8 full-day Tracks. Scheduled after Kick-Off per Coaches’ request.
Quick Links:
KICK-OFF EVENT – Registration Open
COMPETITION LOCATIONS – Confirmed to Date
FIRST & FTC COMMUNITY NEWS
FTCNJ NEWS – STEM Girls, Control Hub Plan
OFF-SEASON ACTIVITIES
In-Person Workshops (September 24th at Moorestown Friends School)
Registration OPEN for these free September Workshops. Coaches can register at: Upcoming Events - FIRST Tech Challenge - New Jersey (newjerseyftc.com)
Here are the 8 Day-Long Track Offerings at the Sept 24th Workshop
1. Basic Robotics Hardware w/ Build-a-Bot Hands-On
2. Beyond Basics / Advanced Hardware Topics & Showcased Teams
3. Introduction to Programming /using OnBot Java
4. Advanced Programming Topics including Function and Code Review by Top Teams
5. Blended Topics Track / Providing new students and adults with a great sampling of Roles & Activities on an FTC Team
6. Coaches & Team Leader Track / Featuring Team Organization & Mgmt Topics, plus Fundraising, Finding Sponsors, etc
7. Specialty Parts and Materials with a Focus on 3D Printed Parts
8. Introduction to Onshape and Hands-On Help to get your started on this year’s robot modeling.
Practice Days (October 2022)
Similar to Outreach Scrimmages, these are unofficial events at which students can compete and tinker on bots in a stress-free environment.
The big difference is that we’ll be playing on an official PowerPlay field and teams wll shaking out the new year’s “PowerPlay” robots. Super helpful and fun!
· Registration is NOW OPEN for all three October Practice Days. They are geographically spread, but sign up for the one that works best for you.
· Coaches can register via the FTCNJ website “Upcoming Events” page, … or here’s a direct link to the form (below):
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd98FKnY-3OpWcnbw3SNl4iKA9Ax4l-OwG_Sk5JfKe8BJaZeA/viewform
o “Central NJ Practice Day” – Sunday October 23rd. Co-hosted by Highland Park OWLS and Princeton STEM Academy Teams at Highland Park High School.
o “Southern NJ Practice Day” – Sunday, October 16th. Co-hosted by Toms River FTC Teams at Toms River High School North.
o “Northern NJ Practice Day” – Saturday, October 15th. Payne Tech, 498 West Market St, Newark, NJ
TEAM REGISTRATION / CONFERENCES
Season Plan – Conferences
Once again there will be 4 Leagues in FTCNJ with each comprised of 2 Conferences of 20-25 teams, organized by county.
Remember, all teams in a League may compete at any Meet within that League, regardless of Conference.
Only in February’s League Tournaments must teams play only at their Conferences season-ending tournament.
FTC NJ League / Conference Structure ß The FTCNJ Team “Pin Map” has been updated and can be found at: Team Map - FIRST Tech Challenge - New Jersey (newjerseyftc.com)
It shows locations of currently registered teams in 4 Leagues, superimposed on the map of New Jersey.
North East Edge League
· North East Conference: Hudson, Union, North Essex (Caldwell, Livingston, Montclair, Nutley)
· South Essex Conference: Bloomfield, Maplewood, Millburn, Newark, South Orange, West Orange)
Northern League
· Far North Conference: Warren, Sussex, Passaic, West Bergen (Glen Rock, Ramsey, Ridgewood, Saddle River, Township of Washington)
· East Bergen Conference: (Cliffside Park, Cresskill, Demarest, East Rutherford, Emerson, Englewood, Hackensack, Lodi, Oradell, Paramus, Park Ridge, Rutherford, Tenafly)
Upper Central League
· Central Conference: Hunterdon, Somerset, Middlesex
· Morris County Conference: Morris (All)
Southern League
· Upper South Conference: Mercer, Monmouth, Ocean
· Deep South Conference: Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Gloucester, Cumberland, Salem
POWERPLAY Season Team Registration OPEN
87 of the 81 are fully registered; while six registrations are pending.
75 of the 81 are returning teams … and 6 fully registered rookies.
As of this moment, 166 FTCNJ Teams have registered or confirmed their intent to do so for the upcoming season.
WELCOME Rookie Teams!
· We are delighted to have the following new teams join us….
o 21807 (Dynabytes II) – Edison
o 21767 (Quadra) - Edison
o 21630 (Argonauts) - Somerset
o 21505 (HHS Robotics FTC Raiders) - Hillsborough
o 21480 (C3 Loco-Motors) - Elmer
o 21226 (RoboRaiders) - Hillsborough
Expansion Hubs for our Rookie Teams!
· Super kudos to the veteran teams who’ve stepped up to loan Expansion Hubs…
o 11241(Blue Steel)
o 7149…(Enforcers)
o 16367(Krypton Warriors)
o 14481…(Princeton STEM)
o 12601 (RoboStorm)
o 7040…(Cyber Falcons/Raptors)
· We are expecting the September rookies. Need more Hubs. Can your team loan a spare?
COMPETITION NEWS
September 10th Kick-Off Events
Livingston High School is host of the Northern Kick Off Event and Hightstown High School is host of the Southern NJ Kick Off Event.
For those not attending an in-person event, FIRST will broadcast the Kick-Off/Game Reveal at Noon on 09/10 at: FIRST Tech Challenge - YouTube
Here in NJ, we will follow the Game Reveal at Noon with the traditional Q&A Session (Basic Questions Only) at: FIRST Tech Challenge NJ - YouTube
Plan for Kick-Off Events in NJ:
· Game Reveal will be at noon, followed by Q&A, and a chance to view the physical field (and receive game element construction tips.)
· FTCNJ will be livestreaming the Noon segment of the Livingston event (i.e., Game Animation and Q&A by FTCNJ Head Referees).
· Per usual, the morning (at both sites) will include an informative FTCNJ Auditorium Program to explain the season, as well as a number of the special “Breakout Sessions”.
o Sessions Include: SDK-Load HELP, Java Talk, Coaches Forum, Competiveness on the Field, Judging Tips, Volunteering & Event Hosting.
§ Resurrecting a past tradition, our Hightstown Kick-Off Host has 11-12 colleges already lined up with showcase tables at the event in Hightstown.
State Championship – March 12, 2023
The FTC New Jersey State Championship will be held on Sunday, March 12th
In-Person Judging is anticipated at the State Championship, as well as at League Tournaments.
It is also our goal to have “Practice Judging” at four of the Period #3 Meets; one for each League.
Season Plan - Meets & League Tournaments
· The attached “Executive Summary” shows the dates and locations of FTC League Meets and League Tournaments in New Jersey
This document replaces the long listing that has appeared in previous Newsletters.
We continue the tradition of showing the newly confirmed hosts in blue text. Happily SEVEN have confirmed in the last week.
It appears that we will go into “Event Registration Day” (Sept 12th) with just 3 “Site Pending” events on the schedule.
This is a significant improvement over last year (our comeback year) and we appreciate all hosts who have stepped up.
FTCNJ is again planning six Meet choices per League (3 Saturdays, 3 Sunday). Teams can pick three plus apply for bonus Meets.
Event registration opens on the Monday after Kick Off (e.g., Sept 12th at Noon)
Here is a direct link to the Registration webpage that coaches can use on the 12th : Event Registration and Acceptance Criteria - FIRST Tech Challenge - New Jersey (newjerseyftc.com)
FIRST & FTCNJ Community News
FIRST!
Game Reveal
If you are not joining FTCNJ for the Kick Off / Game Reveal, remember that you can easily tune into FIRST.
Here’s their link for the Sept 10 Reveal … Join FIRST on YouTube at 12 noon Eastern Time!
Kickoff Sweepstakes
Re-registering your team soon? Do it asap, on or before September 15th, to be included in the sweepstakes described below.
Four winners will receive a 2022-2023 POWERPLAYSM presented by Raytheon Technologies partial game set and scoring elements.
All teams need to do to enter is complete their 2022-2023 FIRST Tech Challenge team season registration before September 15, 2022, for a chance to win the 2022 Kickoff Sweepstakes.
The sweepstakes prize package includes one (1) 2022-2023 FIRST Tech Challenge POWERPLAY season partial game set and scoring elements, a total approximate retail value of $290.
The package does not include field perimeter or soft tiles.
If a team has already completed their FIRST Tech Challenge season registration for this season, they are already entered into the sweepstakes.
FTC SIM Grant
This opportunity was brought to our attention by our FIRST Senior Mentor, Chris N.
Rookie FTC teams who leverage the FTC SIM tool, developed in Canada, may want to check this out! https://www.firstroboticscanada.org/ftc/sim/grants/
Participants need to use the FTC SIM tool to do the exercises in this block-based (or Java) programming that's relevant to FTC, and earn "lightning bolts" that go towards the grant eligibility.
There are a limited number (140) of these $1000 grants available, so teams should act soon if they want to be a recipient.
Game Manual Release
FIRST has released both versions of their Game Manual Part 1, as planned. We expect to be using the “Traditional” version, or course.
· Traditional: https://www.firstinspires.org/sites/default/files/uploads/resource_library/ftc/game-manual-part-1-traditional-events.pdf
FTCNJ News
Raritan Valley Science & Technology Showcase (October 1st/2nd)
FTCNJ has been invited to provide a full FTC Outreach area for this event at the Bridgewater Common Mall.
Interested mall-patrons are invited/directed to the areas of interest. This is a great Outreach opportunity for all FTCNJ teams!
Check out the description of 4 FTC Exhibition Activities and the Layout Concept on the attachment.
This will be the largest Outreach Event of the coming season. A big deal. If interested in participating, contact vfras...@aol.com
For a full description of this unique event, please see the website: rvsts.org (Note – The off-season competition mentioned is FRC, not FTC)
The following teams have stepped up to support the big event:
· 7026(Jdroids)-Saturday
· 7040/8812(Cyber Falcons/Cyber Raptors)-Saturday
· 7350 Watt NXT – Say Watt Robotics) - Saturday
· 6037(WAGS)-Sunday
· 6934(Transisters)-Sunday
Optimum staffing is 6-8 teams each day. We currently have 3 for Saturday, 2 for Sunday.
Can your team step up to be part of this outstanding Outreach opportunity?
Note: While we’d love you to bring a Freight Frenzy robot to demo, or a partially completed Power Play robot, but …
…. since 2 of 4 activities are displays or driving zones, teams can still participate without a robot!
Coaches Caucus Returns
The Coach Caucus has come off of hiatus and resumed on Sept 2nd. The voluntary Zoom occurs on 1st Fridays of the month.
New and veteran coaches met at 8pm to discuss Kick Off, Workshops, and other topics of mutual interest.
Thanks to all of the Coaches who attended and participated on September 2nd. The Coaches Caucus is October 7th.
Captains Caucus Returns … (09/16)
As we move into September, the Captains Caucus is coming off of hiatus. The voluntary Zoom session is 3rd Friday of the month.
Captains and Team Leaders will be meeting at 8pm to discuss Workshops, Practice Days and other topics of mutual interest.
Here is the Registration Link for interested Captains & Team Leaders: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUsceqvrTsvGdMEdriuVvQeQDFfQEoNwq0S
Students only please.
Recognizing our Supportive Teams!
We really want to recognize those who make the FIRST Tech Challenge New Jersey Community so successful!
FTCNJ is a 100% Volunteer-driven organization. Members of the Board of Directors & Planning Committee receive no compensation for all of their work. They are the heart of FTCNJ!
We also have between 200-300 Dedicated Volunteers who make possible the ~45 events we conduct each year. Our teams are also extremely important to keeping the FTCNJ Community robust and healthy.
Supportive FTCNJ Teams provide many essential needs including hosting events, supporting FTCNJ run events, providing volunteers, and providing training and support directly to other teams.
FTCNJ Website visitors will soon note a new tab “Team Supporters of FTCNJ” that will be used highlight those teams going the extra mile to support our family of FTCNJ teams.
Control Hub Shortage – FTCNJ Community Support
FIRST has issued a call for veteran teams to graciously “share a spare” and advise their PDP (i.e., FTCNJ) if they are able to loan their spare.
Beyond that FTCNJ is creating a pool of spare Expansion Hubs that can be loaned to a rookie, or a Donor/Loaner veteran team overnight, in a pinch.
Details: 5-Point Plan
1. FTCNJ is compiling a list of teams that are willing to be Donor/Loaners. (That means lending your spare Expansion Module into our pool for rookie teams.)
2. FTCNJ will match the need of the rookies with the maintenance of the pool. Responding veteran teams (based on date stamp) will be asked so send in their Hub, as the need is determined.
3. Any team which is officially requested to loan their Hub, and does so, will receive 50% off of next year’s FTCNJ Season Fee.
4. If a team that has loaned its spare Expansion Hub suddenly finds themselves in urgent need of one, FTCNJ will ship an emergency replacement.
5. At season’s end, or when the Controller Hub situation is resolved, Expansion Hubs will be sent back to all teams who graciously loaned one.
If your team has a spare Expansion Hub and is interested in getting onto the Donor/Loaner List, please write back to vfras...@aol.com
VOLUNTEERS – Tech Crew Initiative
Hoping to see more folks step up to assist in the Tech Crew. The October Practice Days coming up are another opportunity to serve, and learn.
Coaches interested in learning more about FTA and FTAA volunteering, please let us know. Our growing Program can surely use the help!
In-Person Event Policy
Last year, among other things, FTCNJ had a “mask mandate” in place; this season we are considering “Masks Optional” unless required by the venue.
We will defer to the venue and pass along any other requirements, as they are known. FTCNJ events will comply with any tighter requirements set forth by the venue.
While spectators will be allowed this year, headcount limits may be in place for smaller venues based on team count and space.
Hoping for a continuation of a return to normal during the coming season.
Excess Material Request
If you are a team that has successfully made the switch to the Driver Hub and have excess Android phones, FTCNJ has a good home for them
Whether they are legal or no longer legal (e.g., ZTE’s), your old phones have value to FTCNJ if you would like to donate them. A thought! Thanks.
Thanks to Blue Steel (Howell FTC) and Princeton STEM Academy for the donation of Android Phones J
STEM GIRLS News!
STEM Girls PowerPlay Season
Meetings being planned soon for the September kick off of the new season. We look forward to field-side Tech Talks resuming in the Fall, as well as other remote sessions.
For any girls interested, it’s not too late to join the STEM Girls community! It’s very easy! Action starting soon.
Simply use the link, below, to “opt-in” and receive the periodic notices of STEM Girl Happenings!
You can “opt-out” at any time!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfca5j11yjtAW6OJmRzbbwKyrSOrt8a5tty9SojZkwYLJLvCw/viewform
Our next newsletter will be on September 13, 2022.
If you have any questions, comments, or needs as you read this newsletter, simply write back and we’ll be happy to assist.
Making that comment here, rather than embedding it throughout the long newsletter above.
Thanks again for the interest in FIRST Tech Challenge New Jersey and being part of our community
Thanks much, Vince Frascella
FIRST Tech Challenge New Jersey