Insight Into FIRST® LEGO ® League Tournament Judging Aimee Imparato Northwest Florida Regional Judge Advisor

Overview Tournament Judging Structure Previous and Current Seasons ** Spoiler Alert ** Consolidated Judging Format Spectator Policy Tips Advantages Ranking and Advancement Tournament Schedule

Tournament Components Tournaments consist of two major components: Judging sessions Robot Game Judging sessions include three areas: Robot Design Project Core Values

Tournament Judging – Then and Now In previous seasons, judging has consisted of three separate judging sessions One session for each area Each session has its own rubric 10 minutes in front of the judges for each area This season, our region is moving to a consolidated judging format All three areas will be judged in one judging session All three areas will be judged on a single rubric 20 minutes in front of the judges (includes all three areas)

Consolidated Judging – Format Team will have 20 minutes in front of judges Time will start when the door closes Format 2 min CV activity 1 min transition 5 min Project presentation 2 min Project questions 5 min Robot Design judging which includes oral RDES presentation 4 min for any questions Judges will have 10 minutes to document single/combined rubric and comments

Consolidated Judging – Spectator Policy Teams can choose to have 0, 1, or 2 adults (must be on roster) in the room as spectators Each judging room will have a designated spectator area marked off in the room Spectators enter with the team and leave with the team

Consolidated Judging – Spectator Policy Spectator Don’ts Don’t speak or make noise Don’t interact with the team (including body language… sighs, facepalm, eye rolls, pointing, saying “yes” with your fist, happy dancing) Don’t interact with the judges Don’t share information from the judging session during tournament day Spectator Do’s Do record any/all of judging session, if you choose Do take in the judging experience and be prepared to help your team improve Do show Gracious Professionalism to team and judges

Consolidated Judging – Tips Be efficient Minimize/streamline setups Time starts when door shuts Be prepared Know the format of the judging session and prepare accordingly Consider having a cart Practice transitioning presentations Be ready to explain No robot game table in judging room Explain process, not show runs

Consolidated Judging – Tips Have a plan and communicate well Use rubrics as guide on what to communicate to judges Make sure you tell the judges what you want them to know Leave a summary sheet If you would like to leave documentation, you can Include highlights of the different areas

Consolidated Judging – Advantages Teams only have to find one judging room Judges get a wider view of team (more than one area judged) Core values are evaluated throughout the judging session, not just in the “core values” portion of the judging session Fewer judge volunteers needed

Ranking and Advancement In previous seasons, Champion’s Award and Advancement Bids were ranked on how well a team did in the judging sessions with defined eligibility cutoffs determined by the Robot Game Rank Champion Award was given to the team that did the best overall in the judging sessions who also scored in the top 40% of the Robot Game scores Advancement Bids were given out to teams who ranked in the top x places in the judging rooms who also scored in the top 75% of the Robot Game scores This season, each judging area and the Robot Game will be weighted equally – 25% each. Specific information for changes to Champion Award and Advancement Bid calculations has not yet been released

Northwest Florida Tournament Schedule Registration Registration and payment will be through DI’s website Pre-Qualifier Registration will open in October Qualifying Tournament Registration will open in November Pre-Qualifiers November 2 or November 16 Multiple venues will host Pre-Qualifiers TallyRobotics – Nov 2 SRMS – Nov 16 $50 registration fee Qualifying Tournaments December 7, January 11, or January 18 Multiple Venues TallyRobotics – Jan 18 Shoal River Middle School – Jan 11 Davidson Middle School - TBD Mary Esther Elementary School - TBD Bay County - TBD $75 registration fee Championship Tournament February 22nd Plans are being made to hold the Championship in Tallahassee. Invitations are awarded at Qualifier Tournaments $125 registration fee State Tournament March 27-28 Northwest Florida State College Invitations are awarded at Championship Tournament $150 registration fee