Unofficial FLL FAQ06-c - Team
UFAQ Table of Contents
Q5.1) What is a team banner/poster?
A) Many teams will create some kind of banner/poster to 'mark their turf' in the pit area. The item usually has the team name and number. It might have pictures of the robot and or the kids. There is no right or wrong here, but having one is fairly important to show your team spirit. A 'tri-fold' science fair display is a popular choice because it is free standing.
Q5.2) Is there a standard size and information content for a team banner?
A1) There is no standard for a team banner. Not all teams will even have one. Some tournaments will provide a fabric backdrop to pin your banner to, others will not. What is pretty sure to work is a tri-fold display board. This can stand on its own on the table you are likely to be provided. You put whatever info you want on it. I have seen pictures of the team in practice, information on research projects, printouts of tricky code, or just fancy art work logos. You should contact your tournament director for specifics.
A2) We've used an extra team t-shirt and PCV pipe to "hang" the shirt from to use as a banner for carrying onto the competition floor before. Just make a T with PVC. We've also used a roll of banner paper, decorated it, and then taken it to a teacher supply store to be laminated to create a banner. It's was very cheap to laminate it there.
Q5.3) Does anyone know any good team names?
A1) Sorry, all good FLL team names are currently in use!
A2) Try a brainstorming activity! Make a list of names and do not stop till you get at least 30. Then go back and talk about them. Delete your 10 least favorites. Add another 10 names to replace them. Sleep on it. Come back and take the top 10. Add 10 more. Sleep on it. Take your top 10. Now say the names like a radio announcer would. "And now at table 2 all the way from Franklin middle school above the Arctic Circle are the 'Insert your name here'". Now yell the names like you are cheering on your team. Now you should be ready to pick your favorite two or three. Sleep on it, than pick the favorite. Try to make sure the vote is not a simple majority. A split decision makes half the team fell left out.
Q5.4) How do you assign roles to team members if all the kids on a team want to be builders/programmers/...?
A1) Each team is different. Some teams assign roles from day one. Other teams assign roles as it becomes obvious who is good at what. Others reject the ideas of roles and have all kids cycle through all roles.
A2) Within reason, let the kids self select.
A3) Let the team brainstorm what roles they see as being needed (Builders, Programmers, Project Leaders, Documentation…). Let them self-selected so that they have a pair for each category with the understanding that everyone gets an opportunity to do a little of everything. The head honcho in each area is there to guide, assign, teach, etc...
A4) What's worked best for us is to divide the team into pairs, with one builder, one programmer in each pair. Each pair works on different tasks. To share the robot, when one pair works with the robot, everyone else works on research, artwork, etc. Another advantage is that at tournament time, the pairs will be used to working together and can tag team for the different missions they've worked on.
A5) Every member on my team participates with every "job". I do not want the year to end and have a child that did not experience every aspect of the event.
Q5.5) How do you keep all my team members busy?
A) FIRST dictates a maximum team size of 10. If you have 10 students on your team and only one Mindstorms kit, you are in for a rough ride. Having six team members with one kit seems to be about right. If you are in the 'danger' zone, here are some ideas:
1) Buy or borrow another Mindstorms kit. This will allow you to try parallel development and keep the kids on task.
2) Have the others work on the research project, team spirit, and other tasks.
3) Have a dedicated testing team besides your hardware and software groups.
4) Have them work on the team banner/poster/thing.
5) Have them work on a hardware and software specification summary sheet to hand to the judges.
6) Ask that some students skip meetings to cut down the numbers (reminding them they are still needed).
Q5.6) What if the entire team cannot make the tournament?
A) FIRST puts a limit on the number of students on a team during the season. The lower limit is ignored at the time of the competition. I have seen a single student at a competition when the rest had the flu (they won the Against All Odds award). Of course, demonstration of teamwork and team spirit becomes problematic.
Q5.7) Why do some teams have more than ten team members?
A) They should not. Sometimes an organization has registered several teams. These teams may all have the same shirt design and travel as a group cheering each other on. Add parents and coaches and it may look like the team is a thousand strong.
Q5.8) How can I increase the commitment of my team? Kids are forever missing meetings in favor of other activities.
A1) Have the students and parents sign a contract with you at the start of the year. A sample contract can be found at www.hightechkids.org/fll.
A2) Make sure the students and the parents know in advance what your expectations will be.
Q5.9) When should I expect my team to be done programming?
A) Never! Changes are likely to occur right up to the competition. Some coaches impose a 'code freeze' a few days before a tournament. Only critical changes are allowed and only if the whole team agrees.
Q5.10) Does my team need tee-shirts?
A) Many teams do make custom tee-shirts. It is a great way to show team spirit. They are certainly not required. Lots of options exist to keep the cost down. You can use ink-jet iron-on transfer paper. You can do each by hand with 'puff' paint. Some tee-shirt shops may have a photographic method that might be cost effective.
Q5.11) How can it be fair to have 9 year old compete against 15 year olds?
A1) In my experience, the question should be asked the other way around. The younger kids are eager and will listen
to a coach's instructions. The older kids start to have social issues that prevent them from working together well. Older kids also tend to design overly complex robots that do not perform as well.
A2) Who said life is always fair?
A3) While trophies are a great bonus at the end of a tournament, the mere act of working to develop a robot, its programming, and a presentation leads to some great opportunities for personal development of your team members. Take time with your team members to emphasize on doing their personal best. A FLL tournament, much like a golf game or a music competition, is about striving to do your personal best, overcoming obstacles, working together as a team to solve a common goal, and above all, having fun.
A4) Just remember your 9 year old gets to compete next year as a veteran.
Q5.12) How can it be fair for a homeschool team to compete against a public school team?
A) This comes up each year when homeschooled teams start winning tournaments. People falsely believe that homeschool
teams spend every moment of each day working the problem as some kind of long term project. For the most part, this
is absurd. The reason they tend to do well is that the team starts as a cohesive group from day one. They share
some kind of bond that pulls them together. This might be a religion or simply surviving in an area without a
public school. They also have parents that are very supportive. So is it fair? It is not unfair. If you can bind a
team together and get the parents to be supportive you are on equal footing.
Q5.13) At a competition it became clear to me that one team's robot and software was not the product of the kids but that of the coach. What should I do?
A) The ideal answer would be that it does not matter. When the team is interviewed by the tech judges they will
spot the ringer. I think this is a reasonable expectation from a tournament that has fairly competent judges. A
few pointed questions that are met with blank stares speaks for itself. They are out of the running for a tech
trophy and probably for the Director's Award as well. Of course we do not live in an ideal world. A private word
with the coach to remind them of the FLL values and the FLL Honor Code they signed would be my next step.
If the abuse continues at the competition, inform the tournament director. If the abuse continues on a subsequent
year, I would alert the tournament director in advance of the tournament.
Q5.14) How can I get girls interested in joining an FLL team?
A) When recruiting, downplay the LEGO aspect. Talk about technology, teamwork, team spirit, and research projects. For whatever reason, PARENTS think boys when they see LEGO. You can also mention that the team will have X girls on it. When a parent sees this in writing, they start to think about their daughters!
Q5.15) I have heard rumors of community service requirements. What are they?
A) There are no requirements. The FIRST high school program does get points for community service. This is probably where the confusion comes in. Of course, a little service would not be amiss. These types of activities go a long way for the FLL Values category for the Director's Award.
Q5.16) How can we raise the money to register an FLL team?
A) You can:
1) Try approaching technology companies. They may be able to help you with money or mentors.
2) Old fashioned bake sales etc.
3) Share the cost across the students.
4) Parent teacher organizations may help.
5) Small companies may make cash donations or donations of services or goods.
Q5.17) What is the difference between a challenge kit, an FLL kit, and a Mindstorms kit?
A) The challenge kit changes each year. It contains all the LEGO pieces needed to make the various doodads on the
playing field with which your robot interacts. An FLL kit contains the basic LEGO pieces that you need to build your
robot. An FLL kit and Mindstorms kit differ in the number and type of parts provided. Notably the Mindstorms kit only has 2 motors, 1 light sensor, and no rotation sensor. An FLL kit has three motors, 2 light sensors, and one rotation sensor. It will be rare that a top competitive team will have limited themselves to the parts in the FLL robot kit. They will have included all the parts from previous year's challenge kits as well as inventories collected from garage sales and other sources. You can never have enough LEGO!
Q5.18) I am a rookie coach, of a team that only got started in November. We dont really know what we are doing. How will we be viewed at a competition?'
A) I would be shocked if you were not well received even celebrated. FLL is all about the kids doing the best that they can. Being a Tournament Director is not a paying job. They do it because they want to give kids a positive experience. The judging will be conducted in private. The judges are instructed to question at the level of the team. In just a few moments the judge team can figure out the level of the team and ask questions at their level. Of course, the final score will vary based on the degree of difficulty. Treat this year as a building year (you are coming back next year right?). Learn the tricks. Watch the other teams compete at the tables. Ask the judges/director for a copy of your judging sheets to know where you need work. Stress the importance of all aspects of the challenge not just the robot performance. Remember the robot score is only worth about 25% of the total score. Team spirit is worth the same amount. How about a team stunt/song? There is a wealth of information on the web. Talk to your state Tournament Director about possible classes and training. If none are available, consider trying to coordinate some yourself. You may not be able to teach a class, but you might be able to find space and a willing veteran coach.
Q5.19) My team will not be ready for our tournament. Should we still go?
A1) If you have qualified for the tournament then you can go regardless of what you can or can't do. I would highly encourage your team to go and participate in the tournament, regardless of their state of readiness. The coach should prepare the students to win no awards, and have scores which are far short of other teams. However, there is no substitute for going to a tournament. Even if the robot has only one mission it can do, just doing that is a significant accomplishment!!! The attitude of all FIRST tournaments I have attended is that all participants should be treated as WINNERS! Having an opportunity to demonstrate what the team has learned (even if that is not a lot in an absolute sense) is a valuable experience. Good judges will be encouraging to the students, regardless of their level of readiness.
A2) Before canceling, I would highly suggest that the team coach talk to the Tournament Director and get their perspective. The goal of going to the tournament is not just winning, but is to have an opportunity for the students to demonstrate what they have learned, have others appreciate their work, and be a part of the FIRST Lego League experience. I have seen teams with a robot which could only do two missions, but with students who were completely elated that both of their missions worked! As long as the expectations and attitudes are set appropriately, even the last place team should have a lot of fun at an FLL tournament! That said, if you decide not to compete, going as spectators is an absolute must!
Q5.20) Our team won a LEGO trophy at a competition. Is it possible to order more so that each student can have one?
A) No. The LEGO trophies are only provided to official regional tournament partners. A solution is to make your own mementos to hand out. Perhaps distribute the field models on plaques, or build your own custom trophies from scratch. For No Limits, I was able to build five “mini stairs” from the parts of the stair model. These I mounted on plaques with an engraved plaque.
Q5.21) What does a Documenter do?
A) A Documenter’s job (if you even have them) is to document! They take pictures, take notes, take video, and otherwise record what the team has done.
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Disclaimer: This FAQ is not an official FIRST document.
It is an accumulation of knowledge derived from six thousand messages posted to
the FLL forum over three seasons. It has been reviewed by numerous people, but may
still contain errors. Use at your own risk.
Readers are encouraged to submit errors, suggested wording changes, new topics,
or comments to Skye Sweeney at skye@fll-freak.com
Copyright 2003-2006 Skye Sweeney; Last Updated on 10/28/2006