FIRST Robotics Competition Blog

Kickoff Week!!!!

Dec 31, 2018 Written by Frank Merrick.

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Kickoff

Excited for Kickoff FIRST Robotics Competition

This dog is all in for FIRST Robotics Competition 2019 Kickoff!

Oh boy. It’s coming. A flash in the sky, bone-shaking thunder and the clouds part to reveal a rocket the size of the Saturn V, engines burning like the sun, delivering Destination: Deep Space presented by The Boeing Company to the FIRST Robotics Competition Community. I can’t wait!

 

You can watch kickoff on Saturday, January 5 on our Twitch channel. Is your Kickoff in a school or other location that you think may block access to Twitch? Contact the location’s IT department and explain your need. Chances are they will unblock for this special event.

 

Here’s the schedule for January 5:

10 AM ET: Pre-show. This will give you a chance to make sure your connection is working while you watch local speakers from Manchester, New Hampshire, USA, including Dean and other guests.

 

10:30 AM ET: Main Show. The show with all the goodies, revealing the game!

 

11:15 AM ET (Approximately): Deeper Space. We answer your questions about the field live! Send them through the Twitch chat! Important note: we will not answer ‘rules’ questions about the game. Please read the Game & Season Manual carefully then submit any remaining rules questions you have to the Q&A when it opens Wednesday, January 9.

 

12:00 PM ET (Approximately): Broadcast ends.

 

And a bonus show the evening before Kickoff, January 4!

 

6:30 PM ET: Founder’s Reception and Tour of Dean’s Home. Never been to Dean’s home? Here’s a chance for you to take a look!

 

Plus, we have a Build Show on Sunday, January 6!

3:00 PM ET: Join Deejay Knight with some great guests as he builds and programs the 2019 Kit Of Parts Drive Base!

 

Please join us for this worldwide party!

 

Safety

We say it every year, and we’re saying it again: Nothing you do in FIRST is worth getting hurt over. As the build season is poised to start, please keep safety in mind in everything you do and please read and follow the 2019 Safety Manual, posted here.

 

Buttons

Check out a sample below of the buttons we’ll be using at the 2019 Regional and District Events!

Technician Button FIRST Robotics Competition

 

 

Weather

I checked with top NASA Meteorologists and they confirmed that once again there will be weather during FIRST Robotics build season. In fact, they promise that there will be weather every single day during build season. Some of the weather will be good, and some of the weather will be so terrible that schools will be closed, travel will be hazardous and you won’t be able to work on your robot. And I can promise that once again FIRST will not be granting build season extensions for weather-related issues. Teams, regardless of location, should be building enough slack in their build season plans to cover unexpected delays, whatever their cause.

 

The good news is, come 2020 and the retirement of Stop Build Day, many teams that had weather-related delays in the past may find those delays less burdensome as they will have more time to work on their robot.

 

I can’t wait to get this show on the road!

 

Frank

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Comments

When I click on the safety manual it takes me to the page but it appears there is no file associated with it. 

Hi Christopher!

Thanks for letting us know! It should be fixed now!

Jamee Luce

Team Advocate, FIRST Robotics Competition

Is the only broadcast option twitch.tv? That could be a real problem for our local kickoff watch party since the company that hosts the facility blocks twitch.

Hi Michael!

Our Kickoff broadcast is only available on Twitch. You can find the link here: Twitch.tv/firstinspires 

We recommend that you either ask the Administrators of the WiFi system to either unblock Twitch just for Saturday or unblock the sub url /firstinspires at Twitch.tv permanently. 

Thanks!

Jamee Luce

Team Advocate, FIRST Robotics Competition

How can we get the part about the general for air force saying that the look at frc for recruitment? We would like to get that section of video to use as recruiting new members and stuff for our school.

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