What You Will Need at Competition

Save time and stress packing for competition by having a checklist ready to make sure you don’t forget anything!

Quick Tip:
*Label each tote and keep a list of where your materials are located in the pit. This makes finding materials a lot easier.


Sample Engineering Packing List
Tote 1:
-Cable Bag
-Zip Ties (1/4 & 1/8)
-Belt Material
-Rubbing Alcohol
-A9 Cutting Fluid
-Panasonic Battery Charger
-Impact Driver Bits
-Snap Ring Bin
-Panasonic Impact Driver & Drill
-Connector Bin
-Panasonic Batteries
-Glue Gun

Tote 2:
-Belt Welder
-Right Angle Drill
-Fastener Bin
-Flashlight
-Extension Cord

Tote 3:
-Heat Gun
-Bike Pump
-Velcro
-PWM Kit
-Hot Glue Gun Sticks
-Scrap Polycarb
-Tires/Inner tubes
-Blue Tape
-Power Strips
-Extension Cord

Sample Public Relations Packing List
-Banner - Show off your team and sponsors!
-Black PVC poles and the Bag of Connectors (for banner)
-Broom/ Dust Pan - Keep your workspace clean
-Business plan (2)
-Buttons - Show team spirit and pass out buttons!
-Business Cards - You never know when someone may want to contact and or sponsor your team ;D
-Chairman’s DVD for Pits
-Computer and Charger
-Copy of Executive Summary
-Copy of Essay Question
-Copy of Chairman’s Submission
-Clipboards - 3 or 4 with Pens
-Display Holders (2)
-Extension Cord
-Magazine
-Notebook of Documentation
-Photo Frames
-Power Strip
-Scissors
-Shelves
-Tablecloths
-Trash Can

Miscellaneous Items
-First Aid Kit

How to Bag and Tag

For the 2013 Season, all USA and Canadian FRC events (including District Events) are “Bag and Tag” EXCEPT the Championship.  

Each team received a “Bag and Tag” kit in January with their Kit of Parts. The kit contained:

• two (2) plastic bags large enough to contain your robot.
• at least six (6) numbered tags: zip ties with individual serial numbers.

Instructions on how to Bag and Tag:

1. Bag and Tag your robot on Stop Build Day, and complete the Robot Lock-Up Form you received in your kit of parts
2. The proper bagging procedure is as follows:
1. Set your bag you received from your kit of parts on the floor, leaving room for the robot in the center.
2. Place your robot in the center of the bag.
1. Make sure you leave plenty of room surrounding the robot.
3. Pull the bag up around the robot (Be careful not to catch the bag on any corners or sharp edges, use every precaution not to tear the bag).
4. At the top of the bag, firmly grasp right below the opening of the bag, closing the opening.
5. Tightly seal the bag by wrapping one of your numbered tag (zip ties) around the top of the bag, sealing the opening.
1. Make sure there are no holes in the bag, if your bag does get a tear in it be sure to tape it up, write it on your lock-up form then explain to the inspector what happened, it will be up to them if you can compete or not.
2. Complete the Robot Lock-Up Form by verifying the date and time that the bag was sealed.
3. Your team may bag their bumpers separately from their robot. However, the separately-bagged bumpers must be sealed with their own tag, and that tag number must be entered on the Robot Lock-Up Form on Stop Build Day.
4. Transport your robot to your event venue in your own vehicle. If you plan to transport your robot in a personal vehicle, please ensure that you have adequate means to secure your robot.
5. Your team must bring your own bagged, sealed and tagged robot into the venue through the designated robot entrance. Bring a rolling cart or dolly to facilitate the load in.
6. You may NOT open your bag until:
1. it has been checked, approved by an onsite inspector,
2. as well if the pits have officially been opened for robot work. You must have your Robot Lock-Up Form ready for review at the event. DO NOT forget to bring it.
7. After your Robot Lock-Up Form has been properly checked and approved, your team may open the bag and prepare to compete.
8. After the event, if you are attending another event, such as the Championship or another regional or district event, re-seal your robot following the same steps your team has learned above except with a new number tag (zip tie).
1. Once bagged, enter the new tag number on the Robot Lock-Up Form.
9. You may not access your robot again until the next event.
10. If you attend the FIRST Championship, you will receive an additional FedEx voucher (bill of lading) in your registration packet that will allow you to ship your robot home.
11. If you are attending the Championship as your next event, your robot must be shipped by the Thursday after the final qualifying event. ALL teams attending the Championship must build a crate to ship their robot in. FedEx will not pick up a robot that is not in a crate.
1. need help on building a crate check out this helpful video from Team 246: ”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39REvO7zR-g”.
12. Keep your filled crate weight below 400 pounds. Any teams exceeding 400 pounds will be charged overage fees accordingly. If you are flying to Championships be sure to box your batteries in your crate since you cannot take them on the airplane with you.
13. Remember to bring your Robot Lock-Up Form to your event. A missing Robot Lock-Up Form is one of the top reasons teams are delayed in their competitions.
14. The Robot Lock-Up Form MUST be used:

• on “Stop Build Day”;
• before you leave an event, if you expect you will/may be attending a later event.

Getting To and From Competition

Getting to and from a robotics competition can be a daunting task, especially when you start looking at the number of team member that will be traveling and getting your tools and equipment as well as your robot to the event. Breaking each task down helps make it a lot easier. When we go to our local regional we encourage all of the member of our team to attend, they have worked hard to get our team, robot and award submissions done and they should all get to enjoy at least one regional event.

Regional competition
Hopefully, your local regional is close enough to make sure your entire team is there for each day of the competition. For our local regional our team is dropped off and picked up each day at the venue. Each student on our team is assigned a regional job the week before so once we get to our event everyone knows what they will be doing and where they should be.

If you are having to travel to a regional hours away it is helpful to first consider how many student will be traveling with your team and if it is during a school vacation or will they need to miss school to attend. We have a priority list of who travels with our team if space is limited for competition travel. That list goes:

1. Drive team
2. Pit crew
3. Chairman’s presenters
4. Pit speakers
5. Scouts
6. Seniors
7. Juniors
8. Sophomore
9. Freshman

Once you know how many team members and mentors will be traveling then you should consider what will be the best way to get your team and robot to your competition. If you will need to charter a coach bus get quotes from several companies in the area, sometimes there can be hundreds of dollars difference. The cargo bay under the bus can usually hold your robot, and all totes and luggage. Remember you will be required to pay for the bus driver’s hotel room, sometimes the hotels will comp you a room for the busdriver. Do not be afraid to ask.  Also, look for a team close to you to share the bus with your team, not only does this help split the cost of the bus but it is a great way to get to spend some fun time with another team.
Flights
If you are flying with a group of ten or more contact the Group Reservations at the airlines. The prices are a little bit more than what you can get online but you have the convenience of being able to change passenger names up to 48 hours prior to the flight and you all fly and arrive together.
Take baggage fees into the total price of tickets, $25.00 per bag each way adds up when you have to check in totes.
Be careful packing your totes, airlines are really strict about the 50 pound weight limit. We zip tie our totes and tape 2 extra zip ties to the top of the totes so after they are inspected by the airline, most of the time they will re-zip tie them. Be sure to pack your batteries in your crate since they are not allowed to be checking onto the airplane.
It helps to have team members carry-on their bags and only check team supplies. Remember if your students have utility knives please be sure they are put into the totes.

Shipping your Robot to Regional or Championships
Regional Competition
FedEX no longer pays for shipping of robot crates to regional or district events so take this into consideration when choosing a regional event, shop around for pricing or see if you can find a sponsor who will pay for the crate shipping.

Remember that you need to crate and ship your robot the Tuesday after your last Regional event. You should receive your FedEx papers at your qualifying regional, if not contact your Regional Director.
Be sure that your crate does not weigh over 400 pounds! For all FIRST information about shipping your crate go to http://frc-manual.usfirst.org/viewItem/7#5.8.
Hotels
Contact Steel Meetings for rooms, they usually have deals in the area of the venue. Generally quad rooms are available at hotels, these can sleep 4 and help to bring down the cost of rooms.
Try to find a place that includes breakfast, it will save a meal cost and time in the morning.
Steele Meetings, Inc.
6346-65 Lantana Rd
Suite 117
Lake Worth, FL 33463
888-5STEELE (578-3353)
561-292-3314 (P)
561-649-5396 (F)
FIRST@steelemeetings.com
www.steelemeetings.com
www.steelehousing.com

Recommended Tools and Materials

http://team1538.com/cowtips-pdfs/recommended-tools-and-materials.pdf