About one year ago, in this blog, we revealed the results of an extensive survey we did of the community regarding their thoughts on Stop Build Day. No survey is perfect, but if this one showed anything, it showed that there is no strong consensus one way or the other on this topic so fundamental to our culture and how we operate.
Stop Build Day 2018
Oct 05, 2017 Written by Frank MerrickBehind the Lines Premiere and 2018 Medals!
Oct 04, 2017 Written by Frank MerrickSeason 4 of Behind the Lines will premiere tonight!
Tonight's Season 4 premiere episode features FIRST Robotics Competition Team 2614, MARS, 2017 Chairman's Award winners at FIRST Championship St. Louis.
Registration Issues Update #2
Oct 03, 2017 Written by Frank MerrickThis blog is an update to the registration issues we talked about here.
On Friday, we sent emails to the 148 teams affected by our error offering them slots to the preferred event to which we should have assigned them originally.
Free Event!
The mission of ROBOTICON is to increase public awareness of and engagement in the power of hands on, mentor driven youth engineering and robotics programs like FIRST, and to provide participating youth with a low stress, high-quality competitive event with opportunities for skill building, networking, and college and career readiness experiences.
Youth Registration and Drive Base Kit Option
Oct 02, 2017 Written by Frank Merrick
Youth Registration
FIRST Alumni Spotlight: Peyton Fitzgerald
Oct 02, 2017 Written by Peyton Fitzgerald FIRST AlumFIRST Alum Peyton Fitzgerald is from FIRST Robotics Competition Team 5459 T.I.G.E.R.S. in Ipswich, Massachusets. Peyton received a FIRST Scholarship to attend Northeastern University.
Registration Issues Update
Sep 29, 2017 Written by Frank MerrickYesterday, I noted we had an issue with first-round event assignments, in which approximately 5% of teams were not assigned the correct event. I apologize again for this.
Kit of Parts – 2018 Drive Base Kit Option and International Game Pieces
Sep 29, 2017 Written by Jonathan Bryant, Kit of Parts EngineerEdit 9/29/17: Added start date/time of Drive Base Opt Out period, highlighted in yellow below.
Drive Base Kit Option
Your 2018 Kickoff Kit will again include a drive base kit! Maybe; it’s up to you.
Event Assignment Issues
Sep 28, 2017 Written by Frank MerrickWe found a bug in the software that was used today to assign teams to events. I apologize for this. Approximately 5% of teams were not assigned the correct event.
We kept the lottery numbers teams had been assigned during the first run of this process and re-ran the process with the bug corrected. We then compared the first-run results with what the results would have been if the bug had not been present.
It’s a Big Day! And Some Numbers
Sep 28, 2017 Written by Frank MerrickThe Big Day
The event preference system closes at noon Eastern Time today! Please, please, get your preferences in if you have not already done so.
Here’s the rough sequence of events for today: