0. Table of Contents Our Core Values

Transcription

1 SeasonStandards Manual

2 0. Table of Contents 0. Table of Contents Purpose of this Document Starting the Season Team Information and Form Submission Tournament Registration Preparing for the Tournament Layout for Competition Day Team Check-In Team Pit Robot Game Tables Judging Sessions Awards After the Tournament Volunteer Help and Play Policy Tournament Conflict Resolution and Escalation Policy Conflict of Interest Policy Reasonable Accommodations and Accessibility Policy Global Tournament Standards / Diversity & Inclusion Advancement Policy Region Supplemental Judging Standards The Deliberations Process Core Values Concerns and Investigations Closing Our Core Values The FIRST LEGO League Core Values are the cornerstones of the program. They are among the fundamental elements that distinguish FIRST LEGO League from other programs of its kind. By embracing the Core Values, participants learn that friendly competition and mutual gain are not separate goals and that helping one another is the foundation of teamwork. * We are a team * We do the work to find solutions with guidance from our Coaches and Mentors. * We know our Coaches and Mentors don t have all the answers; we learn together. * We honor the spirit of friendly competition. * What we discover is more important than what we win. * We share our experiences with others. * We display Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition in everything we do. * We have FUN!

3 1. Purpose of this Document The purpose of this document is to fully describe participation expectations for teams in the Central Florida Area. In the following pages, teams will find information on important details and deadlines for before, during, and after official tournaments that are under the jurisdiction of Central Florida Robotics. All procedures discussed in this manual are implemented equally at all tournaments in our region. Additionally, this document sets supplementary policies and procedures for Judging, Volunteering, and Tournament Operations. This document is provided as an addition to the FIRST LEGO League Coaches Handbook. Make sure to read both the Coaches Handbook and this document to fully understand the procedures of FIRST LEGO League tournaments in Central Florida. A summary of this guide can be found in The FUN Guide: A Summary of Region Policies which is available on our website and Schoology. Contacting Central Florida Robotics We encourage teams to contact us with any questions, including Judging or Robot Game clarifications. You can always get in touch with us via the contact information provided below for any general inquires or questions you may have. Please don t hesitate to ask! The Region Program Staff and Planning Committee is the team responsible for managing all aspects of the FIRST LEGO League Program in the Central Florida Region. Each team member has an area they oversee. If you have questions related to a specific area, you can contact the respective area supervisor via the contact address provided below. Area Contact Name Contact Team Questions Karen Doyle, Team Liaison Karen@CentralFloridaRobotics.org Events or Policies JT Yoerger, Manager, Events & Comm. JT@CentralFloridaRobotics.org Robot Game Scott Clements, Head Referee Scott@CentralFloridaRobotics.org Volunteering Laura Martin, Volunteer Coordinator Laura@CentralFloridaRobotics.org Judging Lauren Dye, Judge Advisor Lauren@CentralFloridaRobotics.org Registration/General/Other Michael Schweim, Operational Partner Michael@CentralFloridaRobotics.org The Region Operational Partner is the individual responsible for the administration of the FIRST LEGO League program in Central Florida. He is ultimately responsible for the operation of all Tournaments and Events. Our Region Operational Partner s contact information is also outlined above. Please note: The Tournament Director is your first point of contact regarding any questions you have related to a competition. Otherwise, please contact the Regional Program Staff. If you have a disagreement while at a Tournament, you can follow the steps in our Conflict Resolution and Escalation Policy outlined later in this document. FIRST LEGO League teams with additional inquiries can also contact FIRST directly by ing firstlegoleague@firstinspires.org. Central Florida Robotics operates in partnership with Polk State College, our Affiliate Partner. Polk State College supports us by providing venue, financial assistance, and logistical operations support. The Polk State College staff that supports us is led by Dr. Naomi Boyer, Vice President, Strategic Initiatives/CIO. The team at Polk State College can be contacted through Christy Canady, at: ccanady@polk.edu. 2

4 Revisions to This Document This is Version 1, Revision 3 of the Season Standards Manual for the 2017 HYDRO DYNAMICS SM season. All revisions and versions will be noted here if there are any changes to this document throughout the season. This document is subject to change and Coaches are responsible for knowing all information herein. Coaches should review to check for changes regularly. Date of Finalized Changes Revision Info Content Revised August 15, 2017 Rev #2 JTY Addition of Clarifications on 2 Supervising Adults Rule September 9, 2017 Rev #3 JTY Added Event Registration and Assignment Policies Organization of This Document All information in this document is considered the official policy of Central Florida Robotics. Every coach, Tournament Director, and other key volunteers should be familiar with this entire document. As an ease of convenience for all readers, the document is ordered for coach essential information first, then Tournament Directors and Volunteers. Please reference the Table of Contents. Web Resources for Coaches and Volunteers The FIRST Website: The FIRST LEGO League Website: The LEGO Education Website: Our FIRST LEGO League Region Website: Schoology for Coaches: The Team Liaison The Team Liaison operates in support of the coaches and mentors in our region to help provide information and guidance as needed. If you are looking for advice or support, please do not hesitate to reach out to our Team Liaison. You can find her contact information in Section 1 of this document. Schoology Central Florida Robotics uses Schoology as an external service to manage files, communication, and collaboration through a special course. This course is intended for all teams, parents, coaches and their respective designees. The course was created by the Central Florida FIRST LEGO League Regional Program Staff to provide document and form based resources to the many teams within our region. Using Schoology allows Coaches and Teams to: * Review Coach and Team training materials; * Access all team-based resources; * Participate in a forum-based discussion system where you can collaborate with other coaches to ask questions, seek advice, or share ideas; * Access documents and forms that support the participation and stewardship of your team. Ready to access Schoology? Visit Commitment to Youth Protection FIRST is committed to providing a safe and secure environment in which all participants are able to freely and easily access FIRST programs. While participating, we want everyone to be safe. FIRST provides training and certification to Coaches, Mentors, and Volunteers regarding Youth Protection which is available online through Schoology. For more information, please contact: JT@CentralFloridaRobotics.org. 3

5 2. Starting the Season Welcome to FIRST LEGO League in Central Florida! The first step is to get your team registered with FIRST. All teams must first register with the national registration system. You can access a video step-bystep guide to registration on our website at: National Registration As part of national registration, teams will pay the registration fee and order the Challenge Set, formerly known as the Field Setup Kit. The Challenge Set includes the mat and LEGO elements that form the competition field. There is an option to order an EV3 MINDSTORMS Kit from LEGO, if needed. Registration for New Teams All teams will need to register two coaches with FIRST as part of the registration process. It is expected that both of these individuals will be present with the team for all meetings and at any tournaments the team attends. However, it is not required that both take on the responsibility of coaching the team. One can be present to provide support while the other leads the team. Once the two coaches have passed a background check and screening, the team will be given a Team Number. This will allow the team to participate in the FIRST LEGO League Program and purchase a Team Registration, Field Setup Kit, and other LEGO products. This registration process is required and only teams with valid registrations will be allowed to participate at official FIRST LEGO League events. It is important to keep the following in mind: All teams must have a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 10 team members. Subs or Alternates are not allowed. In total, each FIRST LEGO League Team can only have 10 total student team members that work on the Robot and Project. Additional student involvement beyond 10 team members is unfair and grounds for disqualification. If you have more than 10 students that want to be involved in FIRST LEGO League, consider splitting them into multiple teams. Every student team member must be between the ages of 9 to 14 as of January 1 of the Challenge Release Year. For the HYDRO DYNAMICS SM Season, any student who is 9 to 14 or younger as of January 1, 2017, is eligible to participate in FIRST LEGO League. We greatly value older minds, but they are unable to participate. Older students that want to be involved should consider mentoring a FIRST LEGO League team or joining a higher-level FIRST program. Your team must have 2 screened adults (listed on your team roster) to supervise only your team (i.e. you need 4 screened and roster listed adults if you bring 2 teams to one event). All students can only be a member of one FIRST LEGO League Team. Registration for Returning Teams For teams returning from participating in a season with the 2014 WORLD CLASS SM Season or beyond, they will keep their team number and not need to screen any returning coaches. Coaches only need to be screened once every three years. Once a team updates their information, they will be granted access to purchase a Team Registration, Challenge Set, and other LEGO products. Forms and Team Information FIRST centrally manages the collection of Consent and Release forms. Coaches will create their roster in the online registration system and invite parents to fill out the forms online. Parents will need to create accounts with FIRST and complete the forms for their children. Paper alternatives will be in place for parents without access to the internet or a computer. Paper alternatives can be accessed on Schoology. 4

6 Local Registration Registration for the FIRST LEGO League HYDRO DYNAMICS SM season will open on October 2, 2017 at 8:00 AM for the Pre-Qualifying Tournaments in the Central Florida region. Pre-Qualifying Tournaments serve as great practice opportunities for teams in the region and will take place in October and November. We strongly encourage all teams to participate in at least one Pre-Qualifier Tournament. Tournament assignments for Pre-Qualifying Tournaments will be on a first-come, first-served basis and teams are allowed to participate in as many as they would like. Qualifying Tournament registration will open on October 16, 2017 at 8:00 AM. A high ranking at a Qualifying Tournament will earn the team a bid to the Central Florida Regional Championship. Qualifying Tournaments will take place in December and January. Each team will need to pick three Qualifying Tournaments and rank them in order of preference that they will be willing to attend. Tournament assignments will be based on registration time, keeping teams from the same school/group together, and the team s proximity to the event location. Event Registration and Tournament Assignment Policies The process for Tournament Registration is outlined in Chapter 4 Tournament Registration. This section refers exclusively to policies that apply to Event Registration or Tournament Assignments. * Once an assignment has been made for any event, it is final and will not be changed. * We do not maintain a waitlist for any events. Teams who do not make it into their preferred event(s) will be offered another event that they can choose to register for. * Teams can indicate preference for up to 3 events but are limited to attending 1 Pre-Qualifier and 1 Qualifier Event. This limitation does not apply to supplemental seasonal events, including the Coach Conference, Kickoff Events, Team Advancement Practice Events (TAPE), or any other special event. * We do not over-fill events. Team capacity is set by a contractual agreement between Central Florida Robotics and the event hosts based on team concentrations and venue safety constraints. * We do not give preference to rookie or veteran teams when making event assignment decisions. All assignments are made in accordance with the specific policies noted below. * In the event of technical difficulties encountered with registration, Central Florida Robotics will notify teams via a team blast to explain the issues and place registration on hold. A new registration date and time will be communicated via a team blast and teams will be given at least 3 days notice, including at least 1-full business day of notice for a new registration date and time. Previous registrations made when technical difficulties were encountered will be wiped and not apply. * Pre-Qualifying ( Scrimmage ) or Practice Event Assignments are made and based solely on the timestamp the application was submitted. Registration opens at the time outlined above and every team is automatically assigned to the event they request (in order of preference indicated), based on their timestamps, until the events are full. * Qualifying Event Assignments are made based, first, on the timestamp of your registration. The second factor considered is keeping multiple teams coached by the same individual together. Finally, we take into account geographical location to try and prevent teams from traveling long distances to attend events (but sometimes, unfortunately, this is unavoidable) so we strongly emphasize the importance of submitting your event application(s) as soon as registration begins. * If all events that have been indicated as a preference are full, Central Florida Robotics will contact the Primary Coach of a team and offer a different event with openings instead. This event may or may not be in close proximity or the date desired, however, we again emphasize the importance of registering in a timely manner. 5

7 Event Drop Policy NEW THIS SEASON It is important for teams to understand that all Tournament Hosts and Event Managers are volunteers and giving many hours of their time to provide them with a fantastic tournament experience that allows all FIRST LEGO League Participants to celebrate their accomplishments and enjoy a journey of discovery. For this reason, once a team commits to attend any Pre-Qualifier or Qualifier Event and the assignment has been confirmed by the Program Staff, the team is required to attend the event. Except under extreme circumstances, which must be approved by the Regional Program Staff, teams are required to attend every event to which they are assigned. If the team did not want an assignment, they should not have applied to attend the event. If a team drops or cancels from any event after they have received an official confirmation of assignment, the following policies are in effect: * The team must find a replacement team to fill their spot; OR * The team will pay the registration fee for their attendance, even if they are not attending the event. If the team fails to pay the registration fee or find a replacement team, it will be considered a serious violation of Gracious Professionalism and the team will be disqualified from advancing beyond a Qualifier Event (to the Regional Championship or beyond). Teams who are unable to make the event must notify the Tournament Director or Event Manager and the Regional Program Staff by contacting Events@CentralFloridaRobotics.org at least two weeks prior to the event. 6

8 3. Team Information and Form Submission Once you have successfully registered, it is important to return all of the required paperwork to Central Florida Robotics. Step 1: Update Your Team Information Create your Team Information Sheet by downloading the document from our website and completing it. You can access it here: -- You will provide this document to the Tournament Director for any event(s) you attend. Please be sensitive to any team names that might be offensive or violate branding standards (see below). Any serious concerns will be addressed to the coach via . Branding and Design Standards FIRST and LEGO own trademarks to their brands and require them to be used in specific ways. The list below details proper usage of some FIRST LEGO League word marks. * When using the FIRST Word mark, always do the following: o FIRST should always be in italics and always in CAPITAL LETTERS. o No periods between the letters. o Registered trademark symbol should always be superscripted. (This: Not: ) * Do not alter the FIRST or FIRST Program Logos. ONLY use as distributed. o Do not change the colors, alter the icon, typographic elements, rotate or distort. o Do not put in tight graphics or add borders. * LEGO should always be in all capitol letters and have the registered trademark emblem superscripted as well. o Example of correct full program name: FIRST LEGO League. * Do not use the abbreviated program name: FLL. For more details about FIRST trademarks, refer to the Policy on the Use of FIRST Trademarks and Copyrighted Materials available online at: You can also find the general Branding and Design Standards and logo images for the Central Florida FIRST LEGO League program on the Teams Schoology course. Step 2: Update Your Team Information Coaches will need to add all members of the team into the national registration system. Central Florida Robotics needs this information to ensure compliance with the FIRST LEGO League participation rules and to ensure that all forms get processed appropriately. You will need to ensure that you have the full name and birth date for all team members, including coaches and mentors. Step 3: Submit the Required Forms Ensure that a Consent and Release form is submitted for all participants through the Student Team Information Member System (STIMS). You can find more information about accessing STIMS and updating your Team Roster by logging into the FIRST Dashboard. Any paper version(s) of the form will need to be turned in directly at Registration for any Tournament you attend. 7

9 FIRST LEGO League requires the following information on each Consent and Release form: (This refers to the paper version only. Otherwise, the forms will be rejected.) * Participant full name * Physical Address or Address (both preferred) * The Parent/Guardian name and Date of Birth of the Student * It must be signed by the Parent/Guardian. Step 4: Like our Facebook Page Our Facebook Page is a great supplemental source for information and updates. Additionally, to promote growth and expansion, we host exclusive contests and giveaways that are exclusive to Facebook. Like our Page at: Step 5: Attend Webinars (or host one!) This year we will be hosting a series of Webinars (online meetings, usually lead by a PowerPoint) that will discuss various topics related to the season and give you the opportunity to ask questions directly to the Program Staff. Coaches interested in supporting Professional Development in our region can also host webinars. Contact JT Yoerger via if you re interested. Find out when we ll be hosting Webinars and how to sign up at: 8

10 4. Tournament Registration For the FIRST LEGO League HYDRO DYNAMICS SM season, Pre-Qualifying Tournaments will take place in October and November and Qualifying Tournaments will take place on Saturdays in Early December and January. The Regional Championship will be held in late February or early March at Polk State College in Winter Haven, FL. The Florida FIRST LEGO League State Invitational will take place in April in North Florida. Specific date information can be found on the Central Florida Robotics Calendar. You can view a full schedule of events during the season at: or view a Tournament Listing at: Register for Events In the official FIRST Dashboard (where you completed registration), the designated Head Coach can register for the Tournaments their team would like to attend. For questions regarding the Tournament Registration process, please contact Michael Schweim, the Region Operational Partner. Payment Instructions and Restrictions After receiving a confirmation notice for tournament assignment, an invoice will be made available with all of the specifics for sending payment to the tournament host. All payments will go directly to the location indicated on the invoice. Payments are expected within one month of registration confirmation. If a team fails to pay for a tournament in a timely manner, their spot in that tournament will be offered to another team. For Pre-Qualifying Tournaments in the Central Florida region, the cost per team is $50. Qualifying Tournaments in the Central Florida region cost $75 per team. The Central Florida Regional Championship tournament registration fee is $125 for teams that earn a bid and qualify to advance to the Championship. For teams that advance to the Florida FIRST LEGO League State Invitational, the registration fee is $150 per team. Requesting Change of Tournaments All Event Assignments are final. Once a tournament assignment has been finalized, no changes can or will be made. With so many teams in the Central Florida region, tournament space is a very prized commodity. Team Information Sheet The Team Information Sheet is one of the most important documents for the Judges. A well written profile helps judges remember a team, and the pictures are key in helping judges remember judging sessions. Judges can see up to 16 teams on a given event day, so it is critical that teams make themselves stand out to the judges. Important: (New This Season) The Team Information Sheet is not optional. Your Tournament Director for the event(s) your team attends will provide you with instructions on how to get the document to them. This will likely be via or they will ask you to bring 4 or 5 printed copies on Event Day. The Team Information Sheet will be made available to Judges, the Judge Advisor, the Head Referee, and possibly the Event Emcee. 9

11 5. Preparing for the Tournament As the tournament approaches, it is critical that coaches prepare their team for the day. All team members should know in what room their pit is located, how the day is laid out, along with many more details. Here is a checklist list of action items to help you prepare: Coaches Tournament Checklist (bring these to the tournament) * Important: A printed copy of your FIRST Roster that indicates that all parents or guardians of every student participate have digitally signed the Consent and Release Agreement form or a paper copy of the Consent and Release Agreement form for every student participant that does not have a digital signature on file. A combination is allowed. This is outlined in Section 7. * Robot, batteries, accessories and extra parts. * Collect anything required at check-in. More information is available in Section 7 of this manual. * A safe container to carry the robot in protecting your robot from being jostled around. * Presentation with props/supplies. This includes any video equipment you need. We do not supply any equipment for team presentations. * If you wish to program at the event, bring a laptop computer. But remember to bring a cable as Bluetooth is not allowed. * In the event you need more than one electrical outlet, bring an electrical/power strip. * Money for concessions and merchandise. * Core Values Poster. * Robot Design Executive Summary. * Students may want to bring a book or homework for downtime. * Decoration materials for your pit table area. (Optional but remember, it s about having fun!) * Label everything with your team number (masking tape or with a Sharpie). Do not label the LEGO pieces that form your robot. * All the loose field setup pieces to work with on the practice table. You need to bring all other pieces that are NOT dual locked to the mat. Mark all your pieces with your Team Number! Before the Tournament * Know the location of the event and directions on how to get to the venue. * Make sure you contact the Tournament Director (if they have not communicated it already) to get a layout of the venue. Where will the pit be? Judging rooms? Etc. * Review the FIRST LEGO League Core Values. * Review all rules for the challenge missions and Project presentation. * Check for Challenge Updates at * Make sure all kids have rides to and from the venue. * Inform parents and guests give them a copy of the agenda and schedule. * Invite your friends, teachers and others. All tournaments are free to attend and open to the public. Event Cancellation Policy The safety of all program participants is our upmost priority. In the event of inclement weather, or another circumstance that could adversely affect the safety of any participants, Central Florida Robotics, at the discretion of the Event Operations Manager, Operational Partner, Tournament Director, and Venue Staff, may cancel an event. If a cancellation occurs, Coaches and Volunteers will be notified by and phone based on the contact information listed in the FIRST Dashboard/Volunteer Registration System. Central Florida Robotics will work with the Venue and Tournament Director to reschedule the event, if possible, or will work to make other accommodations for teams as necessary to ensure a globally consistent FIRST program experience. 10

12 6. Layout for Competition Day A standard tournament day is broken up into four to five parts. They are briefly described here and some are fully described later in this document. These sections usually correspond to time blocks listed on the Tournament's Agenda. Check-In The day always starts with check-in, a period of time where teams finalize their enrollment at the tournament. This period usually lasts an hour and occurs before the event officially starts. You will turn in any required forms as specified in this manual. Following Check-in, teams will head to their pit to unload and head to Opening Ceremonies (if applicable). Coaches Meeting The Final Coach Meeting usually precedes the Opening Ceremonies and is run by the Head Referee, Judge Advisor, and/or the Tournament Host. The Judge Advisor will cover expectations at the event and any last minute announcements for teams. The Head Referee will explain the queuing and Robot Game process at the event, as well as announce any new official Robot Game Updates. (The latest that updates will be posted by FIRST will be at 3:00pm on Friday afternoon for the tournaments to be held that weekend. No other updates will be applicable until the following week.) The Tournament Host will cover any tournament or campus-specific logistical concerns. Opening Ceremonies All tournaments will hold some sort an Opening Ceremony. This ceremony will formally kickoff the tournament and any last minute changes will be announced during the ceremonies. The Tournament Following the Final Coach Meeting, the tournament begins. Teams will follow the official schedule and head to their scheduled events. The tournament is composed of two types of events: Robot Game Matches and the Judging Sessions. Teams will attend three different Judging Sessions and three Robot Game Matches. If time allows, teams will also have the opportunity to complete a practice Robot Game round that will not count. Judging Deliberations Judges start to deliberate before the Robot Performance Rounds finish. However once the Tournament officially ends (no more Robot Game Matches or Judging Sessions), the judges will finalize which teams they want to recognize. This is usually a waiting time (aka party time) for teams; however, judges may wish to call a team back to ask additional questions. Closing Ceremonies This is the awards ceremony for the tournament. Any final remarks from sponsors or other speakers are made and awards are handed out to teams to be recognized for their hard work. Any teams advancing to the next level of competition are also announced at the Closing Ceremonies. 11

13 7. Team Check-In The very first item on the team's tournament agenda is check-in. Teams must finalize their registration for the tournament by turning in any paperwork or payments (for food, etc. Tournament Registration Fees are due in November) during check-in. Only one Coach needs to be present for Check-in. The list of items due at check-in is below. Due at Check-In * FIRST Roster, with paper copies of any signed Consent and Release Agreement Forms * Any qualifier-specific order forms. Some qualifiers may offer a prepaid lunch option or snacks. These forms may be due at check-in. * Other items and forms may be required at check-in. Teams are expected to communicate with their Tournament Director in advance of the event to ensure all necessary materials are turned in at Check-In. Received at Check-In After successfully turning in the above items, teams will receive the following list of items from check-in. Some items may be sent out to teams in an communication from the Tournament Director as well. * Event Map * Pit Map * Event Schedule Check-In Policies Only a Coach of a team may check the team in. Coaches are not allowed to send any other designee to complete the check-in process. Coaches must present a valid Photo-ID to the Check-In staff or they will not be allowed to complete the check-in and registration process, nor will they be able to receive their event map, pit map, and schedule. The Team Roster The Team Roster can be accessed and printed from the FIRST Dashboard. You must bring a printed copy of the roster with you to every event you attend. This document will indicate your total number of student team members and if their parent/guardian has digitally signed the Consent and Release Agreement form. In order to participate in the event, all student team members must have a signed copy of the Consent and Release Agreement form. This requirement is either met by: * You sending an invitation to STIMS from the FIRST Dashboard so you can invite the parent/guardian of every student team member to digitally sign the Consent and Release Agreement Form. OR * You printing a paper copy of the Consent and Release Agreement Form and having the parent/guardian sign and return it to you so you can present it on Event Day. Note: if you complete this process, a signed paper copy will be required at every event you attend. Parents or Guardians that successfully digitally sign the Consent and Release Agreement form will make a check mark appear next to the student team member s name on the FIRST Team Roster. If your roster does not have this check mark next to every student s name, a paper copy is required for those missing a checkmark. If you have any questions about how to access, print, or interpret the Team Roster, please contact firstlegoleague@firstinspires.org 12

14 8. Team Pit The pit is the team's home base during the tournament. This is where teams can work on their robots, prepare for judging sessions, or just relax. The pits may also have practice tables. Tournament Officials may need to find your team during the tournament. Therefore, it is best to always be at your assigned pit location whenever your team is not at a scheduled match or judging session. If space is an issue, leave a note indicating where your team is located. The Pit Areas are open to the public. You should always have an individual watch your team s belongings when the team is away competing. Central Florida Robotics, FIRST, nor the venue or event managers, or volunteers are responsible for lost or stolen items. Pit Administration The main point of contact in the pit is a group of volunteers known as Pit Administration (or Pit Admin for short). This group oversees check-in, pit safety, queuing, practice tables, and answers questions from teams and the public. These volunteers are led by the Head Pit Administrator. Pit Admin is the first place to go with questions. The Pit Admin staff can relay questions to the rest of the event staff over radios, and help escalate any questions as needed. Pit Admin also handles all sign-up sheets for the Official Practice Tables. The Head Pit Administrator has final authority on any safety, practice table, or queuing issues at the event site. Please report any medical incidents (no matter how small) to Pit Admin immediately. Layout Each team will be assigned a pit location and a table to use. This table will be approximately: 2.5' by 6'. The Tournament Page on our Website will include the Pit Map for use by teams to locate their practice tables. Note that in some cases, teams will need to share a larger table. (i.e. a cafeteria table at an elementary school) Teams are encouraged to make their pit stand out with decorations, team banners, etc. However, please be respectful of any adjacent tables where other teams may be situated. Please also keep team number and name in view for runners to find your team, if needed. Any aisles around team pit locations will need to be kept clear of obstacles. Teams must respect all requests from Tournament Officials to move obstructing items from aisles. If your team is not at your pit location and an item needs to be moved, Tournament Officials may move items for you but they are not liable for any damages to the items. Practice Tables Practice tables may be available for teams to test new code and make final tweaks to their robot. Qualifying Tournament hosts will provide at least one practice table at each event but that may not be sufficient for the number of teams attending the event. Therefore, we ask teams to let the tournament borrow their field mat and dual-locked models for the duration of the day (more below). For the purpose of this section, a FIRST LEGO League Game Field is the mat and models in which the robot competes, and may include a wooden game table as well. 13

15 Definition of a Practice Table The official definition of a practice table at Central Florida Robotics events is as follows: Any game table brought onto the event venue that is not in the Robot Design Judging Room or the Robot Game Arena is a Practice Table for the day. Furthermore, there are two types of practice tables: Official Practice Tables An Official Practice Table is a FIRST LEGO League Game Field that follows the official setup standards as listed below. It will also have a signup sheet with slots in 5- to 15-minute increments that teams must follow. All tables brought into the pit areas will be considered Official Practice Tables. Open Practice Tables An Open Practice Table is a FIRST LEGO League Game Field located anywhere outside of the Pits, Robot Design Judging Room, and Robot Game Arena. These tables may meet or exceed the setup standards listed below. If an Open Practice Table is setup anywhere, no matter who owns it, it is expected that the table will be shared (remember Gracious Professionalism ). Not every team has the resources available to bring a practice table to events and therefore, it is expected that all teams help each other and support the ideology of giving every team equal opportunity to succeed. Restrictions on Practice Tables Due to safety and traffic concerns, the following restrictions are in effect: * Teams cannot setup any other FIRST LEGO League Game Fields anywhere in the Pits. (This includes laying a FIRST LEGO League Game Field out on the floor.) This also includes any areas directly outside of the Pits. * Teams will not be allowed to setup practice tables or fields in any part of the event venue that might impede or restrict traffic. Teams must comply with event staff requests to move or tear down practice tables. Sharing The Tables All Official Practice Tables will include a sign-up sheet. Sign up will be available from Pit Admin following Open Ceremonies. Open Practice Tables are available for anyone to share, and we expect teams to share the tables (regardless of who owns that table). Remember that Gracious Professionalism is a key attribute of every FIRST LEGO League team. Teams that hoard tables excessively may impact their ability to win awards at tournaments. Practice Table Setup Official Practice Tables will have only the field mat and the dual-locked models. These are the models that use the Velcro-like material to affix to the mat. Any free-floating models will need to be brought by the team to the table. Practice tables will be setup to the best of the tournament host s ability; however, we cannot guarantee that they will be perfectly in line with the specifications of the Challenge. 14

16 9. Robot Game Tables One of the core components of the FIRST LEGO League Challenge is the Robot Game. This is where your team's robot will compete against the clock to score as many points as possible in the 2 ½ minute match. Each team has three tries at the table to get the most points possible. The highest score from the day is the one that counts. The next highest score is only used to settle any ties. The tables are setup in adjacent pairs. Each team will run head to head against another team during your match. Some tournaments will have more than one pair of tables and may alternate tables for each match. Robot Game Clarifications and Questions As of the 2015 season, FIRST has decentralized the process for asking Robot Game questions for clarifications. If you have a question, please contact the Region Head Referee at the specified in Section 1. The Five Parts of Robot Performance Queuing Teams should arrive at the dedicated queue area about 1-2 matches before their scheduled match. (This equates to about 7-10 minutes depending on the event schedule.) All events will have a dedicated queuing check-in table or volunteer for the Robot Game area. Teams must check-in prior to heading to their table queuing line. For events with multiple table pairs, the queuing area may be roped off into separate lines for each table pair. Only Coaches and Team Members will be allowed into the queuing area. Parents and other guests must view from the designated spectator area. Teams will wait in the queuing area until the Referee calls them to the table. During Team Check-In, the Robot will also be inspected using an official inspection sheet to ensure it is in compliance with all of the Robot Game rules. Approaching the Table Teams are allowed to bring the following to the table: * One robot in compliance with all the FIRST LEGO League Robot Game Rules * (optional) A box to store items outside of base * (optional) A TV tray or rolling cart to set the box on Do NOT bring the following: * Another robot or any other electrics for mission activity, including a computer. Programming must be done in the pits. * Any mission models. You must use the ones provided at the table. Only two team members may be at the table at any given time, including before and after the match. The rest of the team must stand behind a designated line (about 3-5 feet from the table). Coaches may not approach the table before, during, or after a match unless to help the team move bulky/large equipment before/after a match (i.e. the TV tray or a large box). 15

17 Before the Match The team should get their robot and all materials set up on the table and get ready to go. Teams will have at least one minute to get their robot ready but may have more time depending on the schedule of the event. Any additional setup actions as required by the Robot Game are also completed during this time. Tables are set up by the Field Reset Crew at the tournament. While they try to set it up to the best of their ability, they are still human and may make mistakes. It is crucial that the team verifies the setup of the field. In the event they feel there is a discrepancy, they must notify the Referee BEFORE the match starts. Teams are not allowed to touch the field outside of base, except as described in the rules. Once the match starts, the field cannot be changed even if it was setup wrong. The match starts at the end of the countdown sequence. In Central Florida, we use the countdown LEGO! Per the FIRST LEGO League rules, the official start of the match is defined as the moment the first syllable of LEGO is spoken. Please try to keep any official mission models on the table in view of the Referee. This will help prevent your team from accidently carrying them off with you and ensure that the Referee scores them properly. During the Match The match lasts for 2.5 minutes. During this time, only two team members are allowed at the table. These members are known as Technicians in the official rules. Team members at the table may swap out with team members behind the line. Additional team members will be allowed at the table in the event of a catastrophic robot failure. Members may also hold equipment back in line to assist with their upcoming mission(s). Teams will run their robot on the field for the duration of the 2.5-minute match. The robot may return as many times as necessary to base and team members may only interact with the robot in base. Interacting with the robot or models outside of the Base area is not allowed and may be subject to penalties as described in the Challenge Rules. The match ends right when the buzzer sounds and the Referee will score the field based upon the state of the field when the buzzer started sounding. Teams should stop their robot as soon as the buzzer sounds. Any modifications to the field after the buzzer sounds will be ignored. After the Match Once the buzzer sounds, only two team members will remain behind with the referee. The rest of the team (including coaches) must head to the Team Waiting Area to wait for the remaining team members at the table. The team should take as much of their supplies as possible with them (i.e. box of materials, TV tray, etc.). Everything on the table should be left alone until the Referee clears the table for reset. Be sure not to take any Mission Models with you! The team should not touch the robot or the field unless instructed by the Referee, except for stopping the robot as indicated in rules. Once the Referee finishes scoring the table, he/she will go over the score sheet with the team. Once a team member initials the score sheet, the score is considered final and the referee will clear the field for reset. The team members at the table will collect their remaining robot materials and rejoin their team. 16

18 The Head Referee Teams with any comments or questions regarding their match should consult with the Head Referee(s) for the tournament. Only student team members may talk with the Head Referee. The Head Referee's job is to ensure consistency and fairness throughout the competition. Any decisions made by the Head Referee are considered final. Requesting a Score Verification As mentioned above, the score sheet is considered final once a team member initials the score sheet. Later in this document, we outline the situations where contesting a score (after leaving the table) can be considered a Core Values Concern. However, there are situations where the score sheet does not get properly entered into the scoring computer. If a team feels that their score sheet was not entered properly, a student team member can approach the Head Referee and request that the score be verified. (Team members, coaches, and parents cannot approach the Scorekeeper.) The Head Referee will then decide if a score verification is necessary. A warning to teams: abuse of this ability can result in a Core Values Concern being reported to the Judge Advisor or may prevent the team from asking for score sheet verifications in the future. All score sheet verifications will occur at the discretion of the Head Referee. Resources and Score Sheets The Robot Game documents and other resources can be downloaded via Schoology. 17

19 10. Judging Sessions There are three judging components to the FIRST LEGO League Challenge: Project, Core Values, and Robot Design. Each session is weighted equally (one-third each) when judges consider teams for the Champion s Award. (Robot Game is a separate component from Robot Design. It is evaluated as a threshold that teams must meet in order to be eligible to move on or to earn a Champion s Award.) Teams must attend all three judging sessions in order to be eligible for any awards at the tournament. Each team will have a time slot in which to report to their assigned judging block (please follow the signs to your team s room as designated on the Tournament Schedule). Please arrive 5-10 minutes before your scheduled time. The Queuing Staff will help teams get to their scheduled events on time. Teams travel through judging sessions using the Judging Block schedule. This means that teams will attend all three judging sessions in one window (with no robot game matches during this time). There will be 3-4 judging blocks at each tournament, so a portion of the teams will be in judging at any given time. In the event of a conflict between the Robot Game match schedule and the judging schedule, teams will attend their judging sessions. The Head Referee will schedule additional matches as needed. Teams are not allowed to enter the room prior to the start of their judging session. (No surveying the room in advance.) Region Spectator Policy This policy, like all policies in this document, applies at every Tournament in the Central Florida region. We have implemented a revised Spectator policy that changes who is allowed to enter each judging room. Please read the official guidelines below. These guidelines apply at every tournament. Qualifier Tournament staff cannot overrule these rules. * All Judging Sessions: A single Historian (if your team choses to employ one) that is over the age of 18 will be allowed to enter the judging rooms to record the session. In addition, a Coach must enter the session but will not interact with the team in the Project or Robot Design judging rooms except in extenuating circumstances that require adult intervention (ie. health concern, student behavior concern). Normal interaction is expected and encouraged in the Core Values judging room during the Teamwork Activity portion. A Coach of the team must stay with the team at all times and must enter all 3 Judged Sessions. Definition of a Historian: A Historian is an adult (over the age of 18) that will enter a judging session to record it for archive, sharing, or educational purposes. The Historian must stay on the marking on the floor that indicates where he/she should stand. Judges will direct the Historian to the floor marking. (New This Season) A Coach or Mentor that has completed screening can act as the Historian as long as they notify the Tournament Director of their intention ahead of the event. A Coach must still stay with the team at all times. The only adults that will be allowed inside the Judging Area will be 1 coach and 1 historian (if applicable). The Historian must apply in the VIMS system to fill the role of Historian and pass background screening or they will not be allowed to enter any Judging Sessions. Tournament Directors or their respective KEY Volunteers will provide some sort of marking (like a badge or button) to indicate who the approved Historian and Coach are that will be allowed to enter the Judging Sessions. Historians must present valid Photo-ID to receive their Historian designation (badge or button). 18

20 The Core Values Judging Session The Core Values judging session evaluates the unity and teamwork skills of each team. The format and timing of the session is as follows: (This is official policy. All judging sessions in the region will follow this format) * 2 minutes - Core Values Poster: When the team enters the room, they will present to the judges their Core Values Poster. They will have 2 minutes in total to introduce themselves to the judges and describe poster content. * 5 minutes - Teamwork Activity: After the team has finished presenting their poster, they will be given a short, fun activity while the Judges observe how the team works together and demonstrates their FIRST LEGO League Core Values. * 4 minutes - Team Interview: Time reserved for the Core Values Judges to ask questions about the Teamwork Activity, the Poster and the season. Core Values Poster Instructions To help the Core Values Judges learn more about your team and its unique story, we are requiring every team to create a simple Core Values tri-fold or poster. The topics highlighted on the poster are typically the most challenging for Judges to explore during judging sessions. The poster is intended to help your team consider, in advance, how best to present its strengths so that the Judges can consider all teams equally and have the most information possible to provide meaningful feedback. Feel free to use creativity and originality! Important Poster Rules and Guidelines: * Time Investment- While your team is free to determine how much time to spend, please know that realistically, for most teams, it should only take a few hours from the initial brainstorming discussion to the completion of the poster. This poster is NOT intended to be on the same scale or an extension of your Project presentation. Remember the Judges are more interested in your team s story than fancy graphics. * General Layout- The poster layout should follow the design below. The overall size of the poster should be no more than the measurements shown and it may be smaller, especially if required for travel needs. The poster may also be rolled or assembled on site. 19

21 Defined Poster Areas: There are four areas on the poster where specific information should be provided. These are the most important areas of the poster and should be the main focus of your work. * Discovery - Provide examples from the season of things that your team discovered that were not focused on gaining an advantage in the competition or winning an award. Tell the Judges how you balanced all three parts of FIRST LEGO League (Core Values, Project, and Robot Game), especially if you really wanted to focus on only one sometimes! * Integration - Provide specific examples of how your team applied Core Values and other things you learned through FIRST LEGO League to situations outside of FIRST LEGO League. Let the Judges know how you integrated new ideas, skills, and abilities into your everyday life. * Inclusion - Describe how your team listened to and considered ideas from everyone and made each team member feel like a valued part of the team. Share with the Judges how you worked together and accomplished more than you could have by working alone. * Coopertition - Describe how your team honors the spirit of friendly competition. Include on your poster information about how your team provided assistance to and/or received assistance from other teams. Share with the Judges how your team members help each other, and help other teams to prepare for a potentially stressful FIRST LEGO League competition experience. The Middle Area: * The area in the middle of the poster is for your team to highlight anything else you would like to share with the Judges about the remaining Core Values criteria. Maybe consider sharing examples of Team Spirit, Respect, and Teamwork. You may also include examples of how your team has fun or shares with others how amazing science, technology, engineering, and math can be. The Teamwork Activity After sharing the Core Values Poster, the judges will present a teamwork challenge. The team will then be observed for five minutes and evaluated on how well the team works together. The team does not necessarily need to complete the challenge in five minutes; they just need to attempt it. Some sample items that the judges will look for: * Does the team collect ideas as a group to solve the problem or does one person take charge and only follows their idea? * Does the team work jointly on the problem or split of into separate groups to problem solve on their own? * Does one member do all the work or does every member contribute to the problem solving process? The Interview After the five minutes have passed, the judges will interview the team for the remainder of the session. They will ask the team about their season and their experiences working as a team. They also will look at how effective a team is at getting other teams and individuals excited about science and technology while gaining awareness and understanding about the world and themselves. Finally, the judges will evaluate the teams understanding of Gracious Professionalism and the FIRST LEGO League Core Values. 20

22 The Robot Design Judging Session The Robot Design judging session evaluates the team's Robot characteristics and performance. Each team must bring their robot(s), any and all manipulators, and a copy of code to this session. If a team has multiple robots, all robots must be presented during the session. Teams may bring a physical laptop with their code or a printed copy. The format and timing of the session is as follows: (This is official policy. All judging sessions in the region will follow this format) * 6 minutes - Robot Design Executive Summary: Broken into the following parts: o 60 Second Introduction - When the teams first enter the judging room, they will provide the judges with a sixty-second introduction and overview of their robot and give a brief introduction to their team while they make any necessary preparations for their robot run, such as calibrations. o 2:30 Robot Run - The team will have the standard 2 minutes and 30 seconds to complete a robot run as a demonstration for the judges. o 2:30 Minute Executive Summary - The team will have an additional 2 minutes and 30 seconds to present their Robot Design Executive Summary. * 5 minutes - Team Interview: Time reserved for the Robot Design Judges to ask questions about their robot, design, and planning. Judges may also ask follow-up questions related to content presented by the team within the Robot Design Executive Summary. The Robot Design Executive Summary As an aid to our judges and to promote a more consistent and fair judging experience, Central Florida FIRST LEGO League is requiring students to present a Robot Design Executive Summary (RDES) within their Robot Design Judging Session. An executive summary is often used by engineers to briefly outline the key elements of a product or project. In other words, the purpose of the RDES is to give the Robot Design judges an outline of your robot and all that it can do. The RDES is intended to help your team consider, in advance, the most important information to share with the judges. What you chose to share will enable the judges to effectively evaluate your team and provide more helpful feedback. Important Rules and Guidelines: * Time Investment - Your team is free to determine how much time you invest but realistically, it should only take a few hours to develop and practice the RDES. The RDES is NOT intended to be as extensive or time consuming as your Project presentation. * General Format - Your team will present your RDES at the beginning of your Robot Design judging session. The entire presentation, including the robot run, should not take any longer than five (5) minutes. Following your Robot Design presentation, the judges will pose questions for your team to answer. You are not required to provide a written version of the RDES to leave with the judges. Basic Outline: When presenting your Robot Design Executive Summary, be sure to share the following with us: * Robot Facts- Share with the judges a little bit about your robot, such as the number and type of sensors, drivetrain details, number of parts, and the number of attachments. The judges would also like to know what programming language you used, the number of programs and the amount of memory used by each program, and your most consistently completed mission. 21

23 * Design Details o Fun: Describe the most fun or interesting part of robot design as well as the most challenging parts. If your robot has a name, who chose the name and why. If your team has a fun story about your robot, please feel free to share. o Strategy: Explain your team s strategy and reasoning for choosing and accomplishing missions. Talk a little bit about how successful your robot was in completing the missions that you chose. Judges may like to hear about your favorite mission and why it is your favorite. o Design Process: Describe how your team designed your robot and what process you used to make improvements to your design over time. Briefly share how different team members contributed to the design and how you incorporated all the ideas. o Mechanical Design: Explain to the judges your robot s basic structure, how you make sure your robot is durable, and how you made it easy to repair or add/remove attachments. Explain to the judges how the robot moves (drivetrain) and what attachments and mechanisms it uses to operate or complete missions. o Programming: Describe how you programmed your robot to ensure consistent results. Explain how you organized and documented your programs and mention if your programs use sensors to know (and ensure) the location of the robot on the field. o Innovation: Describe any features of your Robot Design that you feel are special, different, or especially clever. The Robot Design Notebook Teams should provide the Robot Design Judges with a notebook (binder) that documents their robot design process and programming. If needed, the Robot Design Notebook should contain a bibliography. It is helpful to also include written explanations of your choices for mechanical design, programming, and innovation. Need more ideas? Have questions? Get in touch with our Region Judge Advisor or Team Liaison. (See Section 1). The Project Judging Session The Project judging session evaluates the team's Project research and presentation. Teams will present their research, solution, and how they shared with the community to the Project judges at the tournament. More information about the project is available on The format and timing of the session is as follows: (This is official policy. All judging sessions in the region will follow this format) * 5 minutes Research Presentation: Teams will have 5 minutes (starting when the last team member enters the room) to present the research presentation they have prepared for the judges. * 6 minutes Team Interview: Following the Presentation, the judges will interview the team about their work on the project and discuss their problem identification, innovative solution, and how they shared that solution with others. Each team will be allotted 5 minutes to setup and present their research project. The timer starts when the last team member enters the room. There will be a 6-minute Q&A session following your team s presentation, for a total of 11 minutes in the Project judging room. Please do everything you can to make your presentation portable and easy to setup and take down, as the time constraints in the judging rooms are very tight. Coaches may assist with setup of bulky or large objects, where student safety is a concern, prior to leaving the judging room. Once the judges have dismissed the team, Coaches may assist with 22

24 cleanup of bulky or large objects. Excessive prop size relative to the size of the students should be a consideration when planning the team s presentation. (Note: this is not a full exemption from any Coach Involvement concerns. Excessive setup assistance may result in investigative action from event officials.) There may be a power outlet to provide power for any electronic equipment. See the Tournament Page on our website for more information. No other equipment will be provided (i.e. projector, screen, computers, etc.). At some events, judging sessions will take place in classrooms. Teams are not allowed to use any materials in the room that are owned by the venue or school site. There are three key components to the Project. To be eligible for Project Awards, Advancement, or Champion s Awards, teams must demonstrate the following three components: 1. Research and identify a problem. 2. Create an innovative solution to the problem. 3. Share your research and solution. The Project Notebook Teams should provide the Judges with a notebook (binder) that documents their research process throughout the season and all of the research they have conducted. The notebook should include a detailed bibliography. Have questions or need more information? Get in touch with our Team Liaison or Region Judge Advisor! (See Section 1). The Judge Advisor Every competition will have a Judge Advisor who is the KEY Volunteer responsible for Judging. Judge Advisors are responsible for overseeing the Judging Process and training and supervising of Event Judges. They also lead deliberations. If you have any questions or concerns about Judging at a Tournament, your first point of contact should be the Judge Advisor. They are similar to the Head Referee but for judging. All decisions made by the Judge Advisor are final. All Judge Advisors are responsible for abiding by FIRST LEGO League Global Standards and the Supplemental Region Judging Standards. Both are outlined later in this document. If you do not believe these standards have been followed, you should immediately contact the Regional Judge Advisor, who oversees all Judging in Central Florida. Her contact information is outlined in Section 1. Judging Rubrics and Resources Throughout the season, we will host various webinars and workshops so be on the lookout for these educational opportunities. We will post upcoming webinars at: and other events will be listed on our Calendar at: You can access the Rubrics (new for 2017) for each Judging Area on the Teams Schoology course. It is very important that the Coaches and team members review the Challenge Document and supplemental Challenge Updates in full. They can be found on the FIRST LEGO League website and contain all rules and guidelines regarding the FIRST LEGO League Challenge (Project and Robot Game). If you have any questions or concerns about Judging, please contact the Region Judge Advisor, who oversees the Judging Operations and Experience for Central Florida. Her contact information is outlined in Section 1. 23

25 Global Innovation Award Nominations (Regional Championship Only) The Global Innovation Award (GIA) encourages teams to further develop their innovative solutions to realworld problems. It builds upon the work teams have done for the FIRST LEGO League Project. Previously, teams applied directly to FIRST for this award, and judges assessed teams only on written submissions. At the Championship this year, Judges will nominate one team to submit their project solution to the next round of judging. Judges will use the Innovative Solution section of the Project Rubric to rank teams for this nomination. Therefore, the nomination will likely go to the Championship Innovative Solution Award winner or one of the Regional Championship Champion s Award winners. The recipient will be announced during closing ceremonies. Visit the Global Innovation Award website to learn more: 24

26 11. Awards We recognize teams with highest achievement with trophies. The judging volunteers at the tournament deliberate almost all of the Core Awards. Common exceptions are the Robot Performance Award and Volunteer Award. As stated in the Team Agreement and Coach Agreement, all team members, coaches, and parents are expected to uphold the FIRST LEGO League Core Values at all times during the FIRST LEGO League Event. Additionally, FIRST LEGO League is built on the fundamental idea that the kids do all of the work. Should the need arise at events, FIRST LEGO League has defined a specific workflow when dealing with Core Values Concerns. The methodology for investigating and handling Core Values Concerns is outlined later in this document. Awards at FIRST LEGO League events are determined through a deliberative process that is based around group discussions with every judge at an event. The process is unique in that it generates no numerical scores for each category. The Deliberations process is outlined later in this document. Award and Advancement Eligibility FIRST LEGO League teams participating at events in the Central Florida Region must meet these criteria in order to be eligible for awards. In order to be considered for any Award, teams must: * Match maximum age requirements, which state that youth must be 16 or younger globally, or 14 or younger in the US, Canada, and Mexico. * Have 10 or fewer team members. * Participate in all three judged areas and the Robot Game. * Be at their first official event at each tournament level during the season. * Have all team members participate in each judging session this rule means that teams cannot divide their team to go to judging. * Demonstrate Core Values and have no behaviors serious enough to warrant disqualification. In order to qualify for Advancement (moving on to the next level of competition) teams must: * Meet all aforementioned Award Eligibility Requirements, and: * Complete all required sections of the Project (Identify a problem, create an innovative solution, and share that solution with others) * Perform well in all three judged areas (Core Values, Project, and Robot Design) * Meet the minimum Robot Performance hurdle percentage for advancement. Special Award Eligibility Requirements and Considerations: * To be eligible for the Champion s Award, teams must have a Robot Score in the top 40% of all team s high scores. * To be eligible for Project Awards, teams must complete all three parts of the project. * To be eligible for Robot Design Awards, the Robot must be built within the rules of the Robot Game. * To be eligible for Core Values Awards, teams and all parties associated with the team (Coaches, Mentors, Parents, etc.) must uphold and display the Core Values, Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition. Failure to do so may impact award eligibility in general. 25

27 12. After the Tournament Once the tournament is complete, it is time to relax and celebrate! Review Results Central Florida Robotics will post all award winners and final Robot Game rankings to our website as an official record of the results for each event. The Judging Rubrics are usually distributed at the end of a Tournament but may be scanned and ed later instead. FIRST Global Policy limits the information that Central Florida Robotics is allowed to release to teams. We are not allowed to release any information regarding judging deliberations or overall team rankings. All Official FIRST LEGO League Events must adhere to this policy. Please contact FIRST for questions on this policy at firstlegoleague@firstinspires.org. Advancing to the Next Level Teams that qualify for the next level of competition should keep meeting and preparing for the next level of competition. Coaches will be notified during Closing Ceremonies regarding how to register for their next tournament. Instructions can also be found on the back of the Advancing to Championship Event (ACE) Certificate received during Closing Ceremonies. The FIRST Advancement Policy (outlined later) sets specific guidelines for which teams may advance at a tournament. Alternative Bid Policy Teams attending a Qualifier Event may be offered an alternative bid. An alternative bid is a bid issued to a team that might not have met the necessary requirements to advance or was lower in overall ranking at the event so they were not selected to advance but the Judging Panel still feels strongly about. If the Judging Panel at the event believes that the team has strong potential for growth if they move forward or that they are a good candidate for replacement, they may be offered an alternative bid. Only 1 alternative bid per-event may be issued. If a team is offered an alternative bid, they are entered in as a representative for the event from which they were nominated. If a team that was offered a bid and is advancing to the Regional Championship drops or cancels from attending the event or chooses not to accept the bid, then the alternative team from that event will be invited to attend. In the event that more than one team from a single event drops or chooses not to accept the nomination, additional alternative bid teams from other events will be selected by a random lottery. Questions regarding the Alternative Bid Policy should be directed to the Event Operations Manager. Feedback to Central Florida Robotics Your feedback is essential to our success! We value input from teams to help make the next season even better. Be sure to complete the surveys sent out to all teams. This includes the event-specific surveys as well as the overall season survey. The survey links will be ed out after Tournaments or the season to the primary coach contact. 26

28 13. Volunteer Help and Play Policy FIRST LEGO League of Central Florida as an organization is driven by 99% volunteers and our mission in inspiring young people to be science and technology leaders, by engaging them in exciting, mentorbased programs that build science, engineering, and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership would not be a success without the tireless efforts of countless volunteers within our region. Sometimes, however, volunteer recruitment and retention can be difficult for Tournament Directors with limited resources. And, unfortunately, for even the most seasoned and experienced Tournament Directors, it can occasionally become a challenge to find volunteers. It is for this reason that we have created the Help and Play Volunteer Policy. 1) Every team must provide at least one (1) adult (18 years old or older) non-coach volunteer for the Pre- Qualifying (if applicable) and Qualifying Tournament that they are attending. Teams who do not meet this requirement will not be allowed to advance to the Regional Championship. The Tournament Director for the Qualifying Tournament will report a list of the volunteers to the region Volunteer Coordinator. 2) Every team attending the FIRST LEGO League Central Florida Regional Championship must provide at least one (1) adult (18 years or older) non-coach volunteer. Teams who do not meet this requirement will not be permitted to receive their registration packet and schedule for the tournament. The region Volunteer Coordinator will ensure this requirement is met before competition day. Furthermore, to aid in the training and development of our region s coaches, we recommend the following best practice: 3) Every first or second year coach of a team that registers for any Qualifying Tournament in the Central Florida region should register an adult team representative, whether it is a coach or another adult, to judge another qualifier within the region that their team(s) will not attend or be affiliated with. We also encourage coaches to bring along their team members to volunteer in other roles. It is recommended that the volunteer also complete the applicable judge certification within VIMS. This practice is recommended so that new teams can observe more experienced teams and have a representative with hands-on experience of the judging practice. This is an invaluable tool as a team because this volunteer becomes a resource for team development moving forward. 4) The Regional Program Staff, in support of our educational and professional development mission, allows for any interested individuals (parents, team members, coaches, or mentors) to sign up and complete Judge Certification. The Judge Certification Courses are created and mandated by FIRST LEGO League on a global level to train Judging Volunteers on the judging process. We strongly encourage Coaches and other interested parties to complete the certification courses to have a thorough understanding of how the judging experience works and to set expectations regarding judging operations. You can sign up to access the certification material by signing up for the Open Judging Certification event via the FIRST Volunteer Information and Matching System, which you can access by visiting: Please direct signup questions and any other inquiries to the Region Judge Advisor. Questions regarding the Central Florida FIRST LEGO League Help and Play Policy should be directed to JT Yoerger, Event Operations Manager, via to: JT@CentralFloridaRobotics.org. 27

29 14. Tournament Conflict Resolution and Escalation Policy Central Florida FIRST LEGO League takes pride in providing an environment free of conflict where the focus is on the teams and having fun. We all care about our teams and want to see every member succeed, learn and grow. Rarely at FIRST LEGO League events do we encounter conflict or disagreements that cannot be resolved. However, should a coach, parent, volunteer, or other participant feel the need to escalate an issue, here are the appropriate steps to do so: Step 1: Anytime there is a disagreement, the participant should discuss it directly with the other participant (be it volunteer, parent, or coach). If the disagreement cannot be resolved, it is then appropriate to escalate it to Step 2. Step 2: If the disagreement cannot be resolved by speaking directly with the participant, you should escalate the issue to the KEY Volunteer at your tournament who is overseeing the area in which you have a disagreement. If it is related to Judging, speak to the Judge Advisor; if it is related to Referees, speak to the Head Referee; if it is related to a general volunteer, speak to the Volunteer Coordinator. If none of the above are applicable, speak with the Event Manager or Tournament Director. Step 3: If you cannot resolve the conflict with the KEY Volunteer, speak with the Tournament Director. If it can still not be resolved, you can escalate the issue to the Regional Program Staff. Step 4: If you do not believe the Tournament Director has handled the issue appropriately or successfully, the issue can be escalated to the Regional Program Staff. The appropriate contact for these grievances is Michael Schweim, Operational Partner, who can be reached at: Michael@CentralFloridaRobotics.org. Please note: Regional Program Staff will not override the decisions of a Head Referee or Judge Advisor at a Qualifying Tournament they have the final say. You can escalate the issue to Regional Staff if you believe this issue will reoccur if a change is not made. Step 5: At this point in the process, the Regional Program Staff may make the final decision regarding the issue or they will provide you with the appropriate contacts at FIRST, should you feel the need to escalate the issue further. Got Complaints, Feedback, Disputes, or Grievances? Please Contact: Complaints@CentralFloridaRobotics.org. 28

30 15. Conflict of Interest Policy Central Florida FIRST LEGO League would like to outline our policy regarding Judge selection and assignment as an extension of our commitment to FIRST LEGO League Core Values and Gracious Professionalism. Many of our Judges are part of the extended FIRST LEGO League community, thus we have established a Conflict of Interest policy to ensure transparency around this issue for all. While we have the utmost respect and appreciation for our volunteer judging team, we want to ensure that our processes are impartial and above reproach. Any Judge or Referee who has a relationship or tie to any team or team member, no matter how casual, is asked to disclose this information to our Judge Advisors in writing prior to the event. The Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement is provided to all Tournament Directors and Judge Advisors and is available on-site for any volunteer to disclose a Conflict of Interest as required. Our judging schedule will be prepared in a way that will take these relationships into account so that no Judge will be asked to review a team that presents any potential conflict of interest. In addition, any Judges with a potential conflict will be asked to excuse themselves from the deliberations room if a known team is being discussed so that they will not observe or influence in any way deliberations or award decisions. Judge Advisors at all Central Florida Tournaments are required to follow the aforementioned policy and must also abide by the following guidelines: * Anyone in the roles of Judge, Judge Advisor, Scorekeeper, Referee or Head Referee is required to complete a Conflict of Interest Disclosure if they have a Conflict of Interest. * Any volunteer in the previously noted positions must recuse themselves from any discussion or activity related to that team while filling a volunteer role. Referees must not handle matches by that team and Judges are not allowed to judge that team and must leave the deliberation room when that team is being discussed. If the Conflict of Interest is in a KEY Volunteer Role (Head Referee, Tournament Director, or Judge Advisor), the Region Operational Partner should be advised of such a conflict so the appropriate precautions can be taken to ensure fair and equal judging for all teams. All completed Conflict of Interest Disclosure forms (available on the website) should be scanned and ed to the Region Operational Partner. If you believe this policy has been violated in any way or have any questions about this policy, please contact the Regional Operational Partner. Regional Operational Partner: Michael Schweim - Michael@CentralFloridaRobotics.org. 29

31 16. Reasonable Accommodations and Accessibility Policy Central Florida FIRST LEGO League is committed to preserving the integrity of the Judging Process while also ensuring every team and student has the same opportunity to both participate in and receive effective results from the Judging Process. Every student team member is different. The differences of each student involved in our program contributes to the amazing culture and dynamic of FIRST. We believe that our program and community will flourish from those that bring diversity, challenge, and activity. We encourage participation from those that will enhance our program and community. These guidelines are set in place to ensure that every team member has equal and appropriate opportunity to participate in Judging with mutual advantage and enjoyment. 1. Event Organizers (Tournament Directors and Judge Advisors) are required to make reasonable accommodations for student team members upon the request of a Coach. 2. All requests for any sort of an accommodation should be submitted in writing more than seven (7) days before the event. 3. Provided that a written request is made more than seven (7) days before the event, Tournament Organizers are required to evaluate the request and determine the most appropriate accommodation needed that will ensure every participant is given equal opportunity to be fairy evaluated during the Judging Process. 4. Requests such as: Allowing an additional person into the judging room for the comfort of the youth team member, simply notifying the Judges that one child may behave differently than the rest of the group, or relocating Judging to a suitable environment for the child are all examples of acceptable requests. 5. Event Organizers may determine, at their sole discretion, what is and is not an acceptable accommodation. However, Event Organizers are encouraged to consult with the Region Judge Advisor should they need consultation regarding acceptable accommodations. 6. No matter what, Event Organizers and the Event-Day Judges will always give all teams and team members the benefit of the doubt when concerns are related to an individual youth team member s behavior. 7. Event Organizers and Team Coaches should work together to evaluate the needs of their individual youth team members and determine an appropriate plan together to ensure the consistency and fairness of Judging for all teams. Questions regarding the Reasonable Accommodations and Accessibility Policy should be directed to JT Yoerger, Event Operations Manager, via to: JT@CentralFloridaRobotics.org. 30

32 17. Global Tournament Standards / Diversity & Inclusion The Global Tournament Standards were revised for the HYDRO DYNAMICS SM Season. The following is a summary of all relevant policies. A full listing of policies can be made available upon request to the Event Operations Manager (see Section 1). Participant Ages Participants must not be younger than 9 years old or older than 14 years old as of January 1 of the Challenge Release Year. In rare cases, the Operational Partner may approve an individual student to participate who is above or below this range due to special circumstances. Team Sizes In order to participate at an official event, teams must contain a minimum of 2 team members and a maximum of 10 team members. Adult Coach A minimum of 2 screened adult Coaches per team is required to participate. Training Judging at all official events must be led by a Certified Judge Advisor and administered by a panel of certified Judges. Judges All teams must be evaluated by a minimum of 2 Judges and may see no more than 16 teams in a single day. Rubrics The Global Rubrics must be utilized as distributed without modification. Award Structure Events must use either the Consolidated or Full Award Structure model. Sessions All Schedules must allow for each Judging Session to last for at least ten minutes. Teams will have 5 minutes to setup and complete a live project presentation. Award Eligibility All Teams are only eligible for awards as stated in the Participation Rules. Advancement Teams selected to advance to the next level of competition must be selected in accordance with the Global Advancement Policy. Judging Information Release A List of all award winners and the top 40% of Robot Game Scores at a minimum must be released. Judging evaluations or rankings will never be released. Commitment to Diversity, Inclusion, and Cultural Sensitivity FIRST is committed to fostering, cultivating and preserving a culture of diversity and inclusion. We embrace and encourage differences in race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, disability, age, religion, income, or any other characteristics that make our adult-force and students unique. Exploring, developing, and implementing strategies to become more inclusive and ensure access to our programs to all students (as well as access to key supports) is critical for FIRST to reach its goal and mission. ALL young people should have the opportunity to become science and technology leaders. FIRST will remove barriers to program participation for underserved, underrepresented students. Pursuant to that end, FIRST Diversity & Inclusion is a concerted, organized effort to develop strategies to make its programs more accessible and inclusive. FIRST does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, status as a veteran who served in the military, religion, gender, gender identity, or gender expression in its programs and activities. Diversity and Inclusion Training is available to aid in this endeavor. For more information, please contact the Event Operations Manager (see Section 1). Cultural Sensitivity Statement: FIRST is a non-denominational, non-partisan public charity that welcomes all cultures and religions to participate in our programs and activities. We are guided by sensitivity and respect for others, embracing a common goal of inspiring, engaging, and encouraging youth of all backgrounds to be part of the FIRST community and embrace the wonders of science and technology. 31

33 18. Advancement Policy Advancement Percentages When planning their tournament structure, FIRST LEGO League has the following recommendations for the number of teams to advance: 10% is the minimum percentage of teams that should advance Around 30% is the recommended percentage of teams to advance 50% is the maximum percentage of teams that should advance Taking into account the recommendations for advancement percentages, the FIRST LEGO League Partner for each region will determine the percentage of teams that will advance for each event. To determine how many teams will advance, multiply the advancement percentage by the total number of teams at the event. Round to the nearest whole number to find the number of teams advancing. Number of teams advancing = (Advancement %) * (total number of teams at event) Example: A qualifying tournament has space for 12 teams to attend. Starting with an approximately 30% of teams advancing times 12 teams gives 3.6 teams advancing. Rounding up, 4 teams will advance from this event to the next level. The advancement percentage for this event is 4/12 = 33%. Team Eligibility for Advancement Teams are eligible for advancement if they meet the following criteria as required by the FIRST LEGO League Global Standards and Challenge document. Teams must: Have between 2 and 10 members Complete all required sections of the Project Have no disqualifying (Red-level) Core Values behaviors Be competing at their first official FIRST LEGO League event of each qualifying level during the season Perform well in all three judged areas (Core Values, Project, and Robot Design) Meet the minimum Robot Performance hurdle percentage for advancement Robot Performance Hurdle Teams advancing must meet a minimum hurdle percentage in robot game scores in order to advance. For the HYDRO DYNAMCS SM Season, the Robot Performance Advancement Hurdle will be 75% for all events. Robot Performance Hurdles always apply to the planned number of teams at an event. Example: 12 teams are expected to attend an event, but one team does not arrive. Teams still must be in the top 75% out of the planned 12 teams (75% * 12 teams = Top 9 teams are eligible to advance). Advanced Notice of Robot Performance Advancement Hurdles Partners are required to announce the advancement hurdle to teams before the tournament. Ideally, the event announcement would include the percentage of teams advancing and the Robot Performance Advancement Hurdle. Example: There are spaces for 12 teams at this qualifying tournament. The Judges will select four teams to advance to the Championship, using the Champion s Award criteria. Teams must be in the top 75% of Robot Game scores to be considered for advancement. 32

34 The Robot Performance Advancement Hurdle may not be changed during deliberations or any other time during the tournament day. The hurdle is considered a fixed barrier that teams must meet or exceed to be considered for Champion s Award. This procedure ensures that all teams know the policy and it is applied consistently for all teams and all tournaments. Advancing Team Selection Procedures All advancing teams (except one) are selected using the Champion s Award criteria: teams must be wellrounded across all three judging areas plus meet the 75% minimum Robot Performance Hurdle. These advancing teams may be selected using the golf score approach of adding the team s room ranks to create an overall rank, then removing any teams blow the hurdle. Judge Advisors are encouraged to use the Advancement Calculator, available as a stand-alone tool or within Judging Lite to select teams. During deliberations, the Judges select one additional team to advance, who is also above the 75% Robot Performance Hurdle. The Judges may select any eligible team that they believe deserves to advance. This team could be the next team on the Champion s Award ranked list, a team who had a high Robot Performance score, a team receiving an award, a team with strong performance in judging, a rookie or rising star team, or any other team they choose. Example: 4 teams are advancing from a 12 team tournament. Using the golf score ranks, three teams are selected to advance. The team who received the Project Award received their Challenge set late, so they were only able to accomplish one mission and were ranked 9th in Robot Performance. The Judges want to give this team the opportunity to continue working on their innovative Project idea and successfully complete more missions, so they are selected as the 4th advancing team. Tournament Directors may choose whether to announce that the team that was selected by the Judges or to include them in the list with the advancing teams without special recognition. Champion s Award Robot Performance Hurdle The Robot Performance Hurdle for advancement does not impact the hurdle for Champion s Awards. Teams at all tournaments must be in the top 40% of Robot Game Scores to be considered for Champion s Awards. 33

35 19. Region Supplemental Judging Standards In order to maintain a quality standard and ensure an equal, fair, and consistent judging experience for all FIRST LEGO League teams in our region, we have enacted the following additional policies related to Judging and for Judging Advisors. All Practice, Qualifying Tournaments, and the Regional Championship in Central Florida will abide by these standards. These policies are in supplement to the FIRST LEGO League Global Tournament Standards and will be strictly enforced by the Region Judge Advisor and Region Operational Partner. 1. Judge Recruitment Requirements a. Judges must be at least 16 years old. No exceptions. b. One judge in a judging pair or trio must be an adult over the age of 21. No exceptions. c. It is strongly preferred that both judges be over the age of 18. It is best practice to ensure that no one adult is ever alone with a team. d. All Judges must use VIMS. Judge Advisors are required to ensure all Judges are registered for the event in VIMS. No exceptions. e. Judges must be ed a link to the recorded Central Florida Judge Training for their respective judging area. f. Judge Advisors must be 18 years old. Every Judge Advisor must sign the Central Florida Judge Advisor Contract to be able to act as a Judge Advisor for any Tournament in the Central Florida Region. 2. The Spectator Policy and Session Times are regional policy and cannot be changed at individual events. They are outlined earlier in this document. 3. The Conflict of Interest policy is outlined earlier in this document and must be followed at all times. 4. Volunteer Resources a. The Judge Advisor will ensure that every Judge is provided with a copy of the Central Florida Volunteer Handbook and the appropriate Judging Prep Pack for the area they will be judging. b. The Judge Advisor will ensure that all Judges have the aforementioned resources, in addition to the venue information and a schedule for the Judges at least 7 days prior to the Tournament. c. The Judge Advisor will ensure that all Judges have his or her contact information, in addition to the contact information of the Tournament Director and/or the Volunteer Coordinator. 5. Certification and Deliberation a. All Judge Advisors must complete Judge Advisor Certification as prescribed by FIRST at least 7 days before the tournament. b. All Qualifier Competition Judges must complete certification as well. The Judge Advisor must provide instructions to Judges on how to access and complete Certification. c. Judge Advisors must use Judging Lite for Deliberations. A completed spreadsheet must be ed to the Region Judge Advisor within 7 days following the completion of your Tournament. 34

36 20. The Deliberations Process The FIRST LEGO League Judging Deliberations process is used by the Judges at events to determine the appropriate award recipients. The process starts with Judging Sessions and ends with a series of votes to determine the award winners. The following is an overview of the entire process. Step 1: Judging Sessions and Room Rankings Following the morning Judge Meeting, Judges head to their rooms to prepare their room to interview teams. A judging pair will typically see between 12 to 16 teams at each event. The Judges interview each team to evaluate their achievement of the FIRST LEGO League objectives and write comments on the rubrics to give the teams feedback on how they can further develop their ideas and products. As Judges see teams, they start a ranking of teams for their room. During the breaks between sessions, judges evaluate the team they just interviewed against the teams they have already ranked from previous sessions. This creates a running ranking that is updated after every session. After the final session, the judges prepare a final ranking for their room and deliver that to the Judge Advisor. Step 2: Enter Rankings into Spreadsheet and Sort Once all teams have been interviewed, the Judge Advisor collects Rankings from every Judging Room and enters them in to a spreadsheet called Judging Lite. This spreadsheet comes from FIRST and helps facilitate Judging Deliberations at Official FIRST LEGO League Events. The Judge Advisor then acquires the most up to date record of Robot Game rankings from the Scorekeeper and enters the data into Judging Lite. Judging Lite then calculates the overall ranking at the event. The Overall ranking is composed of a sum of the three room rankings plus a threshold either met or not met from the Robot Game ranking. Teams are then sorted by overall ranking in increasing order. Step 3: Discuss Top Teams (Initial Deliberations) After all rankings have been entered, the Judge Advisor begins discussion of teams eligible for the Champion s Award. The Judge Advisor takes the top 4-5 teams by overall ranking and asks the Judges that interviewed those teams to speak about them. After all Judges have presented, the Judge Advisor sums up the discussion and asks for any other feedback or questions. If a Judge feels another team should be considered for the award, that team is also brought into the discussion. Step 4: Rank Area Awards (Initial Deliberations) Following the discussion of the top teams, the Judge Advisor instructs the Judges to break into groups based on their respective areas (Core Values, Project, or Robot Design) and decide any area awards such as the Core Values Award or Robot Design Award. The Judges create a ranking of teams for each award. Step 5: Regroup and Assign Awards (Final Deliberations) Once the Judges have completed rankings, the Judge Advisor will input all of the rankings into Judging Lite. The next step is for the Judges to vote for the Champion s Award winner. The Champion s Award winner is always decided first. After the Champion s Award winner has been determined, the Judge Advisor leads final deliberations where awards are assigned to teams. 35

37 In the event that a team is ranked equally in two area awards (For example, 1st Place Core Values and 1st Place Project), the Judge Advisors ask the judges to discuss this team further. Since a FIRST LEGO League team can only win one award, with a few exceptions, the judges must decide which award fits the team better. Once all ranking collisions are resolved, then the Judge Advisor assigns the awards in Judging Lite. Step 6: Discuss Judges Award Teams and Finalize Assignments During the discussions above, Judges will nominate teams for the Judges Awards. These awards are given to teams that do not fit into the standard award categories. The Judges are free to nominate any team that has not yet been assigned an award. The Judge Advisor then moderates a discussion for all nominated teams and the Judges vote on the teams that they wish recognize with the Judges Award(s). Once all recipients have been decided, the Judge Advisor assigns the awards in Judging Lite. The Judge Advisor then waits to receive the final Robot Game rankings from the Scorekeeper and confirms that the final rankings do not alter the eligibility of teams already assigned. In the event a team changes eligibility, the Judge Advisor then conducts a discussion and lets the Judges vote to change award assignments. Step 7: Determine Advancing Teams Judges also determine the teams that advance to the next level of competition. These teams are awarded the Advancing the Championship Event (ACE) certificates. Teams winning any Champion s Awards are automatically added to the ACE team list. The Judge Advisor lists all teams in order of Overall Rank and starts at the top of the list of teams. The Judge Advisor verifies eligibility (Robot Game ranking within limits set by Central Florida Robotics, no Red Level CV Concerns, etc.) and then asks the Judges to confirm that this team should advance. Judges discuss any experiences and weigh the merits of each team. Once the Judges have selected enough ACE teams, the Judge Advisor ask the Judges to select one to two waitlist teams in the event one of the selected ACE teams is not able to attend the next level of competition. Step 8: Prepare Award Scripts and Collect All Materials Finally, once all awards have been assigned, the Judge Advisor instructs the Judges to prepare the award scripts for Closing Ceremonies. Judges will prepare a couple of sentences to help personalize the award. The Judge Advisor then certifies all award winners. This process involves filling out the Award Record document, submitting the Judging Lite spreadsheet and award scripts to Central Florida Robotics, and packing the Judge Advisor materials to return to teams (the rubrics and robot game scores). Step 9: Closing Ceremonies Once the scripts are ready and materials safely packed away, the Judges head to Closing Ceremonies to present the awards. 36

38 21. Core Values Concerns and Investigations Types of Core Values Concerns and their Consequences Orange Level Concerns These behaviors are considered minor violations of the FIRST LEGO League Core Values and, when observed, are delivered to the Judge Advisor for the event for further investigation. For valid and proven claims, Judges will use records of orange level behaviors when deciding between teams for awards. * Team or Adult Behaviors: o Hostile or aggressive behavior o Disrespect toward others o Poor sportsmanship o Inappropriate language or topics of conversation * Adult Intervention: o Adult handling of the robot, computer, or other materials o Adult using a computer. (Further investigation required to determine if the coach was programming a robot.) o Team members cannot answer questions or demonstrate understanding of their work. (Unclear situations or Judges intuitions remain Orange without additional evidence.) o Adult speaking in judging sessions. (Occasionally there is an obvious and appropriate reason). o Adult attempting to appeal Robot Game scores Red Level Concerns These behaviors are considered major violations of the FIRST LEGO League Core Values and, when observed, are immediately reported the Judge Advisor and Tournament Director for further investigation. The Judge Advisor will contact the Central Florida Robotics Operational Partner, Michael Schweim, as part of the investigation. For valid and proven reports, the Region Operational Partner will advise the Tournament Judge Advisor that it would be appropriate for the offending teams to be disqualified from the event (including all awards) and all Robot Game scores may be zeroed. This decision is, of course, at the discretion of the Tournament Judge Advisor and Head Referee. Regional Program Staff will not overrule the decisions of Tournament Judge Advisors or Head Referees. However, Tournament Judge Advisors and Head Referees are required to consult the respective Regional Program Staff before making disqualifications or taking other actions in regards to an Orange or Red Level Core Values concern. These situations are very rare in this program. This policy exists in the event that an unfortunate situation does occur. The Region Operational Partner will be involved in all reports of Red Level Concerns. Examples of Red Level Behaviors: * Criminal behavior (stealing, vandalism, physical fights, etc.) * Clear evidence of serious bullying or abusive behavior * Clear evidence an adult did the work for the team * Adult intervention does not stop after a direct warning * Clear evidence of cheating or intentionally negatively impacting another team s FIRST LEGO League experience 37

39 The Investigative Process Central Florida Robotics treats all reports the same and investigates all reports received. The FIRST LEGO League Program operates on the benefit of the doubt and Central Florida Robotics attempts to avoid making assumptions or conclusions that are detrimental to a team unless we have clear and accurate proof. If the Head Referee or Judge Advisor receives a report from a Team Member or Event Staff, they will proceed to investigate the claim to the best of their ability. For example, in the event we receive a report of a coach programming the robot, we must first investigate to ensure that the coach was actually programming on the computer or if they were just simply checking their . We must attempt to answer the following questions: To what extent did the coach use the software? Were they showing a student where to find a block, or were they adding the block themselves? Here are some other situations: * If we see a coach handling the robot: is the coach overstepping their bounds or were they asked by the kids to investigate a problem, that they themselves could not solve? * If a Project Judge reports that a team did not meet the project requirements: Did they attempt to touch on all the required parts (identify problem, create a solution, and share)? Central Florida Robotics must be able to say with certainty that the team did not meet a requirement prior to the event day. (Note: Judges cannot truly count anything the team pledges to do in the future. All three components should be completed prior to event day) * If a Project Judge reports that a team is off-topic: Is there no way that we can make their project fit the topic? Did some part of the presentation get misinterpreted? The Judge Advisor or Head Referee will proceed to interview staff members or judges to ensure that they have an accurate picture of the event that occurred and make the fairest call possible. Some examples: * In the event that a team used illegal parts during a match on the official playing fields, the Head Referee will decide if the team should have the match and any previous matches zeroed, as well as determine what will happen regarding future matches. Regardless of the Head Referee s decision, the incident will be reported to the Judges during deliberations and therefore may affect award consideration or advancement. * In the event of a coach handling/programming the robot, the Judge Advisor will determine if the violation falls under either Orange or Red Level and take appropriate actions to notify the Judges during deliberations. 38

40 The Disqualification Process In rare circumstances, behaviors or choices by a team, or its members, may lead to a partial or full disqualification. Central Florida Robotics does not take this process lightly and defined a process that is used to help ensure fairness and transparency. Central Florida Robotics trains our event staff to do their best to try to investigate all reports to help ensure fairness for all teams. Types of Disqualifications There are two main types of disqualifications: Core Values (discussed above) and Challenge Rules. A challenge rules violation occurs when the required aspects of the challenge are not met, some examples are: * Robot Materials Rule violation: too many motors or other limited items. * Project Incomplete: failure to demonstrate all three aspects of the project (Problem, Solution, and Sharing with the community) during the Project judging session. Note: teams need to share with the community prior to sharing with the judges at an event. * Project Off-topic: a team s project does not properly address the challenge topic. * Core Values Concern-related Disqualification The Incident Report Central Florida Robotics has an Incident Report that will be used to record a Core Values or Challenge Rules incident at official Central Florida Robotics events. The Event Staff will make every attempt to deliver this report to the team prior to closing ceremonies and deliver a copy to Central Florida Robotics for official records. The Incident Report represents the final decision on the investigation and cannot be appealed onsite. Following the event, teams may contact the Regional Operational Partner for further discussion on the contents of the Incident Report. 39

41 22. Closing Thank you for being a part of FIRST LEGO League in Central Florida. We are so excited you are joining us and so thankful for your contribution to inspiring the young minds of the Central Florida Area. If you can take away anything, please take away that we want the students and everyone else involved in our program to have FUN while getting excited about Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. If you have any questions about the contents of this document, please do not hesitate to reach out to our team. Our Regional Program Staff is committed to providing you with all of the help you need as you guide your students on a journey of discovery. You can find the contact information for our entire team in Section 1 on page 3 of this document. With Hi-5 s and Admiration, The Regional Program Staff Central Florida FIRST LEGO League FIRST, the FIRST logo, Coopertition, and Gracious Professionalism are registered trademarks of Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST ). LEGO and the LEGO logo are registered trademarks of the LEGO Group. FIRST LEGO League and HYDRO DYNAMICS SM are jointly held trademarks of FIRST and the LEGO Group. All used with special permission. Central Florida Robotics is the official Operational Partner responsible for administration of the FIRST LEGO League Program in Central Florida. This document is 2017 Central Florida Robotics. All rights reserved. CFR