FIRST Contest - Skyline HS this Fri & Sat (3/12, 3/13/10) - FREE TO SEE!
Keith Mc
Cost? This is FREE TO ATTEND!
NOTE: BRING SAFETY GLASSES, and you can even visit the pit area!
Cheap safety glasses are available at any Dollar Store like Dollar Tree, Meijers, Walmart, etc.
WEBCAST: For those that have to work, there is a "FIRST in Michigan" video steaming
Web Cast, courtesy of Code Red Robotics. Check out their web site to watch the event LIVE:
... http://www.coderedrobotics.com
This year's game, "Breakaway", is basically a 3 vs 3 robot soccer event, with a few tweaks:
a) The field is divided into Zones, with Bumps, Towers and Tunnels, making navigation difficult.
b) There are TWO goals per end zone, but your alliance may only have ONE robot
in the back most zone guarding it.
c) There are 12 soccer balls on the field at the same time.
d) For the first 15 seconds, the robots have to try to drive and score BY THEMSELVES
on their half of the field, after which the students may use radio control to drive them
(almost) anywhere on the field for an additional two minutes.
e) During the last 20 seconds (the "Finale"), you may try to earn Bonus Points
by climbing the towers, the platforms, or even attempting to hang from your partners.
f) There are a LOT of penalties for things like letting a ball get under your robot,
carrying balls, holding on to too many balls, etc., so the final scoreboard score may NOT
immediately reflect the winner. (Watch for referees waving flags and pointing at robots...)
g) Note that any "team" (robot) has NO idea who their two partners (alliance) will be,
until the day of the contest, and it CHANGES EVERY MATCH during the qualifiers.
All three teams share the same match score, but a robot's total win/loss/scoring
performance under the various "alliances" allows you to rank them.
h) Once the Qualifiers are over though, the top 8 teams will choose two partners
each, and remain together as an Alliance for a Double Elimination Tournament
on Saturday afternoon, to determine who will earn the winning trophies, medals, and banners.
DETAILS - FIRST Robotics Contest "Breakaway" - Ann Arbor District Competition
Where:
... Skyline High School, 2552 North Maple Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48103
When:
... "Week 2" - March 12 - 13, 2010
... Friday and Sat AM are Qualifying Matches. If you want to see ALL teams play, come then.
... Sat PM is the Elimination Tournament, where the top 8 teams each choose
two partners, and battle it out double elimination style for trophies and medals.
If you only have a short time to visit, come Saturday. See the pits in the AM, and the ET.
FULL Schedule of Events (times, etc.):
... http://www.firstinmichigan.org/filemgmt_data/files/Michigan%202010%20District%20Event%20Public%20Agenda.doc
Who will be there? Of the 40 teams, SIX Washtenaw County teams will be present:
- Team 66, Willow Run HS "Flyers" - (Won the Silver last week, in Traverse City)
- Team 470, Ypsilanti HS "Alpha Omega"
- Team 830, Ann Arbor Huron HS "Rat Pack"
- Team 1502, Chelsea HS "Technical Difficulties"
- Team 2627, Ann Arbor Grace Academy "Techies"
- Team 3322, Ann Arbor Skyline HS "Eagle Imperium"
Here is the FULL Team List (all 40 Teams), and links to their websites:
... https://my.usfirst.org/myarea/index.lasso?page=teamlist&menu=false&event=WC&year=2010&event_type=FRC
There are other events in Michigan as well:
2010 Michigan Team District Competition Calendar
------------------------------------------------------
Week 1 - 3/5 - 3/6
... "Kettering", Kettering Univ, Flint MI
... "Traverse", Traverse City MI
Week 2 - 3/12 - 3/13
... "Ann Arbor", Skyline HS, Ann Arbor MI
... "Cass Tech", Cass Technical HS, Detroit MI
Week 3 - 3/19 - 3/20
... "West Michigan" Grand Valley State University, Allendale MI
... "Detroit" Wayne State University, Detroit MI
Week 4 - 3/26 - 3/27
... "Troy" Troy Athens HS, Troy MI
Week 5 - 4/1 - 4/3 (THURSDAY through Saturday)
... "Michigan State Championships" EMU Convocation Center, Ypsilanti MI
Week 6 - 4/8 - 4/10
... (ALL TEAMS REST)
Week 7 - 4/15 - 4-17
... "Championship" (International event) Georgia Dome, Atlanta GA
Each team chooses two events. Here is the schedule for all of the Washtenaw County teams:
Team (week#) Loc (week#) Loc
-----------------------------------------------------------------
66 (1) Traverse City, (2) Ann Arbor
470 (1) Kettering, (2) Ann Arbor
830 (1) Traverse City, (2) Ann Arbor
1502 (2) Ann Arbor, (3) Detroit
2627 (1) Kettering, (2) Ann Arbor
3322 (2) Ann Arbor, (4) Troy
For More Information on FIRST, the District Events, or the contest itself, see:
FIRST in Michigan website:
... http://www.firstinmichigan.org/
A Full description of the game, and an animation explaining it:
... http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/content.aspx?id=16209
... http://www.usfirst.org/uploadedFiles/Robotics_Programs/FRC/FRC_Communications_Resource_Center/Communication_Assets/2010_Archive_Assets/2010Game.pdf
The Build Rules (The massive Manual all teams must build to):
... http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/content.aspx?id=452
I hope to see you there!
- Keith Mc.
WAFL - Washtenaw Alliance of FIRST Leaders