CT FLL TOURNAMENTS FIRST University September 12, 2015

CT FLL History Current Structure Established in 2004 – First Official CT State Championship – 4 Local Events as Qualifiers (Old Lyme, Enfield, Berlin, Bridgeport) – Advancement based on lottery or Award Winners – Teams allowed to attend multiple events 6 Venues in 2011 – One event per team based on FLL growth 8 venues in 2012 – State Qualifications based on Champions’ Award rankings

CT FLL TOURNAMENT STRUCTURE Qualifying Events FLL Lyme-Old Lyme Lego ® Corp. Open Enfield Where Is Wolcott Invitational Wolcott Robo Fest New Haven Ragged Mountain Invitational Berlin Tolland Open Tolland Circus Robotix Shelton Week 1 – Saturday November 14 Week 2 – Saturday November 21 CT FLL State Championship New Britain Sunday December Backyard Blizzard Greenwich 6

CT FLL TOURNAMENT STRUCTURE Qualifying Events 8 Qualifying Events 24 Teams/Event ⁻Some Events will be Larger or Smaller Golden Tickets/Event based on the Number of Teams Attending Golden Tickets are Awarded Based on Champion’s Award Criteria 3 Robot Rounds Minimum – 6 Typical Teams Advance to the CT State Championship

CT FLL TOURNAMENT STRUCTURE Championship Event Teams 3 Robot Rounds Traditionally held at Central Connecticut State University

CT FLL TOURNAMENT STRUCTURE Qualifying Events Typical Day ⁻7:30-8:30 Teams Check-In ⁻8:30-9:00 Coaches Meeting ⁻9:00-9:15 Opening Ceremonies ⁻9:15-12:00 Robot Rounds/Judging ⁻12:00-12:30 Lunch ⁻12:30-15:30 Robot Rounds/Judging Deliberations ⁻15:30-16:00 Awards Ceremony

CT FLL TOURNAMENT STRUCTURE Qualifying Events Register for You Event at Eventbrite.com

AWARDS FLL Qualifying Events – Champion’s 1 st & 2 nd Place – Core Values 1 st Place – Project 1 st Place – Technical 1 st Place – Robot Performance 1 st & 2 nd Place – Judges’ Award 6

TEAM AWARDS CT FLL State Championship – Champion’s 1 st, 2 nd, & 3 rd Place – Mechanical Design 1 st Place – Programming 1 st Place – Strategy & Innovation 1 st Place – Research 1 st Place – Innovative Solution 1 st Place – Project Presentation 1 st Place – Inspiration 1 st Place – Teamwork 1 st Place – Gracious Professionalism 1 st Place – Robot Performance 1 st & 2 nd Place – 3 Judges’ Awards 17

AWARDS Share the wealth – A single Team Wins Only 1 award Robot Performance is the exception – Awards Recognize Teams and are an Enticement for them to Continue in the FLL Program

JUDGES & REFEREES Adults FRC/FTC Mentors FRC/FTC Parents FLL Mentors FLL Parents Co-Workers Experts Students FRC/FTC Team Members Scouts FRC/FTC Alumni Everyone is a Volunteer

JUDGE TEAMS Each Qualifying Event Decides but generally… An adult is paired with a Student Two or more Students supervised by an adult head judge Or some other combination

JUDGE TEAMS FLL Qualifying Event Coordinators endeavor to: – Get Qualified Judges – Bring Back Veterans – Provide Exposure of the Judging Process to FIRST ® Students and Coaches –Make Sure That the Judging is Fair and Unbiased –Provide Training and Materials to Assure Consistent Quality Between Groups and Events

JUDGING PROCESS Multiple Teams for Each Award The Rubrics are Used Raw Score Helps to Normalize Differences Between Different Judge Groups Identifies the Top Teams

JUDGING PROCESS Raw Scores by Themselves are Not Relevant A different Day or Time Might Produce Different Results – Relative Rankings Would be Similar Day for Day or at Different Events or With Different Judge Groups Negotiations Determine the Award Winners – Each Group has Their Favorite Despite the Score – But Decisions Must be Made in a Timely Manner

JUDGING PROCESS Automation Helps Raw Scores are Entered into a Computer – Rankings are Generated – Adjustments Can be Made Easily – Decision Time is Reduced

REFEREE PROCESS Official Score Sheets are Designed by FIRST® Referee’s Review the Score Sheet with the Students at the End of a Round Scores are Entered into a Computer – FIRST ® has Software Available – Customized Software is Used By Some Qualifiers Software Tallies and Ranks the Teams

CONCLUSUION CT FLL Judges and Referees are Serious They Genuinely Care About the Teams They Want Them to Succeed

QUESTIONS