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FIRST� Tech Challenge is half way through our season and for many of you, that means that your League and even Regional Championships are just around the corner! For most of our events (Qualifying Tournament, League Championship, Regional Championship, Super-Regional Championship, and of course, our World Championship) the Judging Interview comes into play. The Engineering Notebook plays a key role in the judging process, and is a key requirement for all Judged Awards. Throughout the season, we have been hearing about some great lessons learned that we hope to share with all of you. Tips and Tricks that will hopefully either give you an edge at your next event, or just set you up for a stronger interview. Lessons Learned TWO Engineering Notebooks means only TWO Engineering Notebooks. - It is great that your team has recorded every part of your season, however, as per Game Manual Part I rules, each team is only allowed to turn in two engineering notebooks. Tucking...

One of the best things about being a part of FIRST� is joining a community of like-minded individuals who work toward a common goal. In the short term, that may be building an awesome Robot, but in the long term, that means changing the culture we live in. For every one of us who works for FIRST, participates in the Programs, and most especially donates our time, energy and resources, we do so with the goal that we are making a difference. Where all that starts is within the team environment. Both students and Mentors/Coaches learn and teach each other more than just how to build and program a Robot. They learn about Leadership , careers that are open to them in the future, and the how to work as part of a team. In the majority of careers, knowing how to work as part of a team is essential . There are very few jobs in this very connected day and age where people work completely alone. Within a FIRST� Tech Challenge team, by working on teambuilding , team members benefit in the areas o...

New Year, renewed focus!  And regardless of how or where you celebrate the new year, there is never a time of year that it isn't important to think about  giving back . That means something different to different people. For some, it's giving back to their community: community service, donating time or money, and even volunteering. For others, it's spending time with family: building snowman, taking a hike along a beach, or even just staying home and playing board games. There are thousands of ways to define giving back, and one of those ways within our FIRST � community, is Gracious Professionalism� . Gracious Professionalism is "a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community." Our top teams and volunteers exhibit this quality on the competition field, at home in their communities, and even online. This characteristic is strongly represented in our teams that become our Inspire ...

2016 Dean�s List Winner, Colleen Johnson explains how the skills she has learned participating in FIRST programs has changed her perception of herself, what she can accomplish, and her goals for the future. FIRST has changed my life. You hear that sentence over and over again, tens, or even hundreds of times, at different FIRST events, but let�s take a moment to really step back and think about what those words mean.   FIRST has taught me so many different valuable lessons, and helped me identify such a wide variety of passions, that I honestly don't know where I would be without it. Now, before we go any further, there�s something you should know. I love to create videos.   Training videos, advertisements, audition tapes, dumb little videos with my friends, whatever.   And I�ll talk about how FIRST helped me discover that a bit later, but for right now I want you to imagine this.   A young girl sits in the middle of the Smart Move FIRST LEGO League course ...

2016 Dean�s List Winner Luz Moreno explains how the skills she has learned participating in FIRST programs has changed her perception of herself, what she can accomplish, and her goals for the future. If you would have asked me five years ago what my plans were for college, I would have laughed and explained to you how college �is just not for me�. I was always told that once I turned fifteen I would become just another number on a graph. I never had college in mind until I started my FIRST team back in the fall of 2014. During our first competition with an incomplete robot, a referee asked me my plans for college and I stayed silent because I had no answer to it. What do I say? What should I say? So many thoughts were going through my mind, and not having an answer terrified me. I cannot thank that referee enough, he gave me a pamphlet about the FIRST Scholarship Program and said: �I know you will do great here in the FIRST Tech Challenge, welcome to the family�. He was the first ...

Have you ever been at an event, rocking out to the music that was playing between matches and wondered "How on earth does  FIRST  choose these songs?" Well, with a dash of magic, a sprinkle of funkiness and the help of folks who do the research to find the songs, here are our  Top 20 Favorite Songs of All Time!  The ones you hear often and still have yet to get tired of. The songs that you secretly (or for some of us, not so secretly) dance to in grocery stores and whilst driving. The ones we sing along with, we rock out to, and just plain have a blast listening to. Title Artist Uptown Funk Mark Ronson f./Bruno Mars Watch Me [Nae Nae] Silento Cha Cha Slide DJ Casper Cotton Eyed Joe Rednex Cupid Shuffle Cupid YMCA The Village People Chicken Dance � -  traditional version Kids Songs Macarena Los Del Rios Jump on it The Sugarhill Gang Put Your Hands Up In The Air Daft Punk Twist & Shout The Beatles We Will Rock You Queen Harlem Shake Baauer SHOUT Jackie Wilson ...

FIRST Tech Challenge season is here and now! Teams are building, programing, performing outreach, fundraising, and gearing up for an exciting event just around the corner. For many of our teams, this may be their first event. For Rookies (and even Veteran teams looking for a reminder) it is highly recommended to check out the Preparing for Competition Resources Page. This resource goes into great detail on: �          Competition Preparation (Review our " How to Prep for and Event " article) �          Inspection Process �          Judging Process However, as most experience event goers would say, "You truly will not understand until you go to your first, FIRST Tech Challenge event. " In an effort to paint a better picture, here are some key areas and timelines most** events will cover. �          Set-up, Pit Displays - Events ...