NASA Glenn Research Center FIRST Buckeye Regional

We are in need of volunteers to help out with the Buckeye Regional FIRST Competition each year.

Overview

FIRST invites luminaries from many fields to be Competition judges. These men and women serve as role models to the competitors by their actions and through frequent interactions with the competing FIRST teams while on-site. Judges do not participate in referee decisions on the playing field. Judges may not have any affiliation with any team competing.

The judging panel consists of several judges and a Judge Advisor. The number of judges required depends on the number of teams registered to compete in your regional Competition. Based on 40 teams, a panel of 11 judges plus one Judge Advisor is ideal. FIRST's Regional Manager will work closely with your Judge Coordinator in developing a judge panel, guide you in the judge recruitment efforts, and answer any questions or concerns that may arise. FIRST's Regional Manager will recruit the Judge Advisor for your regional, and will also recruit experienced FIRST judges on behalf of FIRST for your Competition. It is important to have a judging panel that reflects a good balance of veteran and first-time judges, as well as one, which achieves racial, ethnic, gender and age diversity. The veteran judges serve as mentors for the first-time judges during the event, and guide them through the intense judging process.

FIRST's Regional Manager will recruit the Judge Advisor and veteran judges for your regional panel and will discuss with you the appropriate number of new judges you need to recruit for your regional Competition. Please note that having too many judges on the panel is detrimental to the judging effort.

Judging is demanding work, very intense, but also very rewarding.

Judges are responsible for their own travel/accommodation expenses and arrangements. Each judge will be given one golf-style FIRST JUDGE shirt to wear during the Competition. Judge attire is casual, and comfortable shoes are a must! Judges do a lot of walking between the playing field, the pit area, and the judge room!

Judge Coordinator

The planning committee should designate a Judge Coordinator to recruit first-time judges for your regional Competition and to function as an on-site contact for the judges during the Competition. During the Competition, the Judge Coordinator functions as an assistant to the Judge Advisor. The Coordinator keeps the Judge Advisor and the panel on schedule throughout each day. This is VERY important. The Coordinator also helps the judges and the Advisor in writing the award scripts each day and getting them to the Master of Ceremonies each afternoon at the agreed upon time. The Coordinator is on radio communication throughout each day and communicates any changes in playing schedule/timing to the Advisor and the panel as needed. This person needs to have an outgoing personality, a lot of energy, and strong writing skills (including basic word processing). The Coordinator keeps the judge panel motivated and spirited throughout each day.

Thursday Night Judge Dinner Meeting

A Thursday night orientation dinner meeting is held the night before the Competition begins. This meeting is mandatory for all judges. At the dinner meeting, the judging panel will have an opportunity to meet each other, their Judge Advisor, and some FIRST managers. An overview of FIRST, the game, judging responsibilities, awards, and judge schedule will be discussed. Note: this dinner could be held at the designated VIP hotel or another nearby location. The Event Manager and Regional Manager will work with your planning committee in identifying a suitable location.

Criteria for Regional Judges

- Typically, individual maintains an upper management position in his/her company or

is a professor/dean at the university level

- Individual possesses an engineering, technical, or science related background, education or interest

- Judge candidates should not be affiliated with any university or company, which is

sponsoring a team registered to compete in your regional

- Judge panel should reflect diversity

Judge Biographies

Once a candidate has agreed to become a judge, he/she needs to provide a brief (no longer than 50 words) biographical paragraph, which highlights their career achievements, awards, affiliations, etc. These biographies may be printed in the regional program, and abbreviated versions may be used by the regional emcee on-site to introduce the judges each morning during the opening ceremony. Your planning committee's Judge Coordinator should email these biographies to FIRST in keeping with the program book-printing deadline. Typically, this deadline is in early to mid-December.

Role of the Judge Advisor

The Judge Advisor facilitates the panel discussions and the judging process throughout the event. He/she organizes the judge panel into groups, sets the schedule for the day's judging process, assigns the judging tasks, and writes the awards script. The Advisor does not vote unless absolutely necessary. FIRST will recruit a Judge Advisor for your regional Competition.

Sample Judge Schedule and Responsibilities

The time commitment required of a judge candidate begins with a Thursday night dinner meeting and runs through the close of Competition on Saturday late afternoon. It is important that a judge candidate be able to commit to that entire time period. The judge panel starting time on Friday and Saturday morning is finalized at the Thursday night dinner. A sample itinerary and regional awards is on the following pages. As the information specifies, travel, transportation, and hotel expenses are not paid for by FIRST.

Planning Timeline Note:

Judge recruitment should begin in September. A final judge panel should be in place by early December. It's always a good idea to have one extra judge candidate standing by in case of a last minute cancellation from someone on the judging panel. FIRST's Regional Manager will let your Judge Coordinator know how many judges he/she should recruit for the panel.

Sample Regional Judge Schedule

Thursday

6pm - 8:pm Judges meeting and dinner

Friday

8 am - 9 am Judges Breakfast/Meeting

9 am - 4 pm Matches

12pm- 1 pm Judges Lunch/Meeting

4 pm Awards

6 pm - 9 pm Team Party

Saturday

8 am - 9 am Judges Breakfast/Meeting

9 am -4 pm Matches

12pm -1 pm Judges Lunch/Meeting

4 pm Awards

Regional Judge Responsibilities

When on-site, judges interview FIRST teams in the Pit Area, as well as watch the Competition on the playing field. Award categories for the 2002 Competition season are currently under review.

SAMPLE FRIDAY AWARDS SAMPLE SATURDAY AWARDS

Volunteers are one of the most critical elements of hosting a successful regional Competition. Although FIRST provides staff members to maintain vital event areas, regional volunteers are needed to round-out the staffing efforts.

Dress Code
Volunteers will receive a complimentary FIRST T-shirt (provided by FIRST) to be worn on-site at all times when they are volunteering. The dress code is casual: the volunteer T-shirt, blue jeans, and comfortable shoes. The volunteer T-shirts will be available on-site when volunteers first arrive to work the event or may be distributed at the Volunteer orientation dinner.

Volunteer Name Badges: The Volunteer Coordinator is responsible for providing legible name badges for each of the volunteers (including FIRST JUDGES) to wear. These badges should be computer generated, clip-on/pin back style, rather than hand written or self-adhesive style. Volunteer name badges should be available at the Volunteer Check-in Table from Thursday morning through Saturday. FIRST Judge badges should be given to the Judge Coordinator on Thursday morning for placement in the judges' room. Wednesday Night

FIRST requires that ALL volunteers attend an on-site Wednesday night orientation/dinner meeting. Please note that even people who have volunteered for FIRST in previous years need to attend. Typically, this meeting is scheduled for a 6:00 pm start time and should last around 1 1/2 hours. This meeting gives the volunteers an opportunity to meet FIRST staff members, event managers, and receive a guided tour of the Competition site and their assigned task area. Responsibilities and procedures for the event and assigned areas are reviewed. It is also an opportune time for the volunteers to ask questions regarding event logistics and their roles. It also helps to build a bond between the volunteers and the FIRST staff. The Volunteer Coordinator in conjunction with FIRST staff leads the meeting. This meeting is mandatory to all volunteers, even if they have previously volunteered for a FIRST event. Keep in mind that Thursday (team check-in, practice rounds), Friday and Saturday (show days) are event days and it is extremely difficult to train volunteers on the fly during the Competition. For this reason recruitment of volunteers who can work all three event days is preferred.

FIRST requires any volunteers who are referees to attend an on-site orientation/dinner meeting on Thursday evening. Typically, the meeting is scheduled for a 6:00pm start time and should last around 2 hours. The meeting gives the referees an opportunity to meet the Head Referee and FIRST staff members, review the playing field and their responsibilities, and ask questions. This meeting is mandatory for all referees and is led by the Head Referee appointed by FIRST. Referee manuals will be provided in February. Please distribute to the referees so they may read the rules and scoring procedures in advance of the Competition.

Volunteer Task Assignment descriptions are provided on the following pages. These descriptions will help you to identify which positions require a technical background. Furthermore, some critical volunteer positions necessitate that the same volunteer fill this role throughout the Competition (ie Thursday through Saturday, or, in some cases Friday and Saturday).

For any positions where prior knowledge of the game or rules, etc. is required, FIRST will provide the appropriate learning materials in advance.

General Note about Volunteer Duties All volunteers are expected to help with clean up efforts at the end of each event day. It is very important that the event site is "show ready" when people arrive each morning. The task leader for each area will let the volunteers know what needs to be done. Also, the pit area opens at a specified time each morning of the event. All volunteers and FIRST staff are expected to help keep team members from entering the pit area before the specified time. This is to prevent any team from having more time to work on their robot resulting in an advantage over the other participating teams.

These individuals will be scattered throughout the event site in areas assigned by their Task Leader. In all areas, the basic task is to keep walkways and aisles clear and keep the crowd flowing. Many people like to stop and watch the game in areas that need to remain "open", so individuals on crowd control duty need to be assertive. Effective crowd control is critical to a safe and well-run event.

This individual reports to the Event Assistant and is responsible for the unpacking, cleaning, marking, organizing and distribution of the various awards, trophies and medallions awarded at the Event ceremonies. The volunteer should plan for a minimum of three hours before the ceremonies to begin this process. Although it may not actually take that long, there will be interruptions. Actual cleaning of the awards must be done with the materials provided by FIRST. (No Windex or glass cleaner or paper towels, use only the materials acrylic/plastic polish and cloth provided by FIRST or it will ruin the award).

It is the responsibility of the Awards Assistant to obtain a copy of the Awards script from the Event Manager prior to award set up in order that the awards are arranged in the order they will be announced. The Awards Assistant must also pay particular attention to the script and the speakers in case there is a change of order. It is the responsibility of the Awards Assistant to make certain the presenter has the correct award to be presented. There are two trophies for each award, one for the sponsor and one for the team. No additional trophies are to be supplied under any circumstances (not for more than one sponsor or multiple schools). The answer, when asked is always to be "We are sorry but NO". The trophies are to be handed to an adult and a student from the team.

The Awards Assistant will need to recruit 2-3 additional volunteers to set up the medallion stands and assist with medallion distribution to the team members in advance of the participants reaching the stage/presentation area. The teams will come from a variety of areas around the arena. Medallions should be handed to the participants so that they may put them on themselves. Do not recruit Referees or Judges to hand out the medallions.

Individuals assigned to this area will direct robots to their starting positions, perform power checks on the robots. Field attendants should be comfortable troubleshooting robot problems on the field and assisting teams to move on /off the field. The Field Attendants must also check field components, i.e. balls, inner tubes (the game components used to score points) for any field re-set inaccuracies. Advance knowledge of general robot construction, the control system, and field construction is necessary. A manual will be provided in February to assure that the attendants are familiar with the game design and process. Field attendants work in conjunction with the Field Reset Attendants and Field Manager (appointed by FIRST). Included in things to check: debris on field, carpet runs, team safety glasses and robot starting positions.

This individual works with the Field Attendants, Scoring and Referees. They are located at the Scoring/Announcing table. Responsibilities include powering up or down the player stations during Competition matches. The device used is an electronic box of data and power switches controlled by toggle switches. The task needs no technical experience. The role is critical to the timing of the event.

Individuals assigned to this area are responsible for setting the field for match play, and re-setting game objects between matches. They will also need to make simple/easy repairs to the playing field as needed, general field cleaning, and assist in the set up and tear down of the field. This position is very active.

Game Announcer

The Game Announcer is the "sports color commentator" at the FIRST Robotics Competition event. Not only does the Game Announcer announce the teams, but he/she must make sure the game is interesting to the fans even when nothing appears to be happening on the field. This position requires the ability "to think on your feet". This individual should be somewhat familiar with the game and keep track of not only who is on the playing field, but who is due up next.

The Game Announcer works closely with the Master of Ceremonies introducing teams, providing play-by-play commentary for the spectators, reporting the scores, and assisting the Master of Ceremonies with details about competition agenda, team information, and tournament status.. There is a lot of back and forth interaction between the two in a well-organized event. Essentially, they will work together as a team. The individual chosen to the the Game Announcer needs to be a gregarious individual, not intimidated by microphones and large crowds.

This person is the audible presence at the competition and must be vocally energetic, creative, organized, and very clear that their role is to assist the Master of Ceremonies to produce a seamless polished event.

These technically competent individuals will perform robot inspections on Thursday (first day of the Competition) and possibly Friday depending on the number of teams that passed inspections on Thursday. Inspectors must remain unbiased and should not be associated with any team or corporation directly involved with the robotics Competition. This task requires knowledge of The Competition rules (which FIRST will provide) and attendance at mandatory inspectors' meetings. An inspection checklist will be filled out for each team and will be filed with FIRST. The Inspectors are checking for robot compliance in accordance the robot construction rules provided. A weigh-in station and sizing box are centrally located in the pit area. The remaining inspection process is performed at the team pit stations. Basic knowledge of electronics is helpful. Mechanical aptitude is required.

Individuals are needed to help to unload FIRST equipment from the truck upon its arrival at the Competition site (usually two or three days prior to The Competition). Assistance with breaking down Competition-related equipment and loading it back onto the truck is also needed on Saturday immediately following the closing award ceremony.

Machine Shop Shuttle Driver (driver may not be needed depending on the site).

Two individuals may be needed to drive a utility van between the machine shop and the event site during the three days of the Competition. This person will be given a radio from the event office that they must sign out on a daily basis so contact can be made if he/she is needed to transport. It is imperative that this person stays in contact with the pit and does not leave the vicinity. When teams need to go to the machine shop during an event, it's usually urgent. The driver cannot honor individual team requests for rides to locations other than the Machine Shop. A valid driver's license is required.

Note: The Competition site or regional sponsor is responsible for providing a utility van or a passenger van with a removable back seat. Vehicle insurance is necessary and is required for the drivers.

These individuals need to be familiar with the machine shop facilities and should be qualified to operate machine tools. Teams are helped on a first come, first served basis.

Master of Ceremonies

The FIRST Master of Ceremonies is traditionally an engineer/scientist role model responsible for opening and closing the competition, introducing teams, dispensing FIRST competition overview, agenda, awards, etc. This person is the visible presence that must embody the spirit and professionalism of FIRST, be energetic, accessible to the teams, and able to clearly "drive" the event. This position requires "presence" and animation. A commitment of 2 days is required.

The Master of Ceremonies begins the event, welcoming the judges and teams and starts each game. The Master of Ceremonies works closely with the Game Announcer and there is a lot of back and forth interaction between the two in a well-organized event. Essentially, they will work together as a team.

These individuals assist the Pit Manager, and must be somewhat familiar with the Competition

site, The Competition, and FIRST team materials. They will process teams through registration (as the teams arrive). Throughout the Competition, these individuals provide on-going support in the pit to all teams, make general announcements, and provide general information dissemination.

This individual, preferably a male, announces teams for their Thursday practice rounds, and their Friday and Saturday seeding matches and double elimination tournament matches. This individual must be well organized A clear speaking voice is required. The pit announcer is linked via clear com headsets to the team queuing position to ensure accurate timing of team matches. The same volunteer must handle this critical role Thursday through Saturday.

This person assists the Pit Announcer in identifying teams to be announced to the playing field. This individual must be organized. Communication between the Traffic Coordinator and this individual is required.

These technically oriented individuals (pneumatics, mechanics, electronics, computer programming) ensure the robots are working properly in the pit area, as well as on the field. This will require troubleshooting of the robots throughout the Competition on an on-call basis. Prior knowledge of general robot construction rules and operation is necessary. A general familiarity with items contained in the kit of parts, and how they interface, is required. Teams request technical support at the Pit Administration area. Friday and Saturday support is critical.

This individual directs teams to the correct field, ensure teams have safety glasses, and verify that the correct teams are playing. This individual must be able to work well under pressure. The Pit to Field Traffic Coordinator works directly with Team Queuing.

Pit Replacement Parts Person

Referees calculate and determine the official score of all matches and make all decisions on the playing field under the guidance of the Head Referee. Attentiveness is essential. Referees play a diplomatic role during the event; diplomacy is a necessary attribute to the referee's enforcement of rules and regulations. These enthusiastic individuals need to know the rules of play, which FIRST will provide in advance of The Competition. Referees do not serve as Judges in the award process and do not evaluate and/or assist the teams. Referees must remain unbiased and should not be directly involved with a team competing in the Competition. This task requires a 2-½ day time commitment, as well as advance study of the game rules. A mandatory referee orientation dinner meeting is held on Thursday night at the Competition site.

Scoring

This position requires one scorekeeper and a backup scorekeeper for each playing field in use at the event.

The volunteers who set up and run the scoring systems needs to be proficient with Microsoft Access and/or Visual Basic, Microsoft Windows 95/98, Windows Networking (TCP/IP, dial-up networking and Windows File Sharing) and have the ability to set up a simple Ethernet network. Ideally, he/she has been on a FIRST Robotics team in the past and is familiar with FIRST scoring methods.

These volunteers (we recommend two, one of which is a relief and back-up) will be responsible for setting up and tearing down the scoring system hardware. They must be extremely well organized so that all equipment supplied by FIRST is packed at breakdown in the same manner as it was received for set-up. This is imperative, not only due to the value of the equipment, but due to the critical need for it at each event site.

Although FIRST supplies all the hardware needed for the events, the criteria listed below has been supplied so that a mock-up can be created in order to adequately simulate what will happen at each event. This will be useful as these individuals will be responsible for setting up the scoring system at the event

In addition, one PC must have access to the Internet (dial-up PPP link or faster) with the ability to access external sites on the HTTP and FTP protocols (in case they go through a firewall).

Approximately 1 month prior to the events, all scorers will be sent a CD with the scoring system and a training session will be conducted via teleconference. At that time the volunteer responsible for the scoring system will need access to a PC.

These individuals will be placed on clear-com (radio) to work in conjunction with the pit announcer. These individuals are responsible for staging teams and getting teams into their appropriate spots for the start of their round on the playing field. These individuals keep track of when teams are playing. These individuals must possess leadership qualities, organizational skills, strong verbal communication skills and work well under pressure. It requires high energy, stamina (standing all day), and mental alertness. It is imperative that the same volunteers are assigned to this position Thursday through Saturday in order to achieve a smooth flow of Competition play.

This technically oriented individual assists with robot troubleshooting, such as, electrical, mechanical and minimal software and basic programming. The position is required on the field or in the pit, as needed. Prior knowledge of the entire game is preferred (field and robot construction and the control system). This position requires a full 3-day commitment by one individual. A manual will be provided in advance of the Competition. Expertise obtained through prior team involvement is beneficial.

This is a volunteer role to ensure that the marriage between the venue, caterers, and attendees is complete on site.

The following details can be executed by one or several individuals. The role will vary from city to city. The onsite Event Manager will give the final responsibilities on site. These duties may include:

This individual assists the VIP Coordinator on-site in disseminating general information about The Competition, maintaining an accurate list of VIP's and Media personnel in attendance, etc. The VIP/Media table should be staffed in accordance with the sponsor's VIP/Media schedule. These individuals also need to be familiar with the layout of the event site (ie location of restrooms, playing field, Pit Area, public phones, etc)

These individual assists the Volunteer Coordinator on-site in greeting and checking in of volunteers, and disseminating volunteer-related materials (name tags, shirts, schedule, etc.). The Volunteer table area should be staffed throughout all three-event days. It is the Volunteer Coordinator's responsibility to ensure that the people staffing this table are well informed about volunteer roles and responsibilities. These individuals also need to be familiar with the layout of the event site (ie location of restrooms, Volunteer Dining Area, playing field, Pit Area, public phones, etc) in order to direct arriving volunteers.