Hello FRC Team Leaders in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota,
Important reminder: This email is sent to the lead (2) mentors listed in each team’s registration. It does not go to all mentors on a team. Please share this information with mentors and your teams as is appropriate. Thank you to everyone who is reading these emails and take action.
This week’s update:
  • Nov 15 Deadline: Kickoff Site selection
  • Nov 15 Deadline: Initial Event Payment due
  • Event Preferencing and Wait-Lists
  • Regional Event Hotels
  • November FUM Mentor Meetup – Nov 18
  • Free Field Elements
  • Jumpstart Robotics, Sponsored by Medtronic
  • Jumpstart SCSU, December 4
  • College Fair by Tallo
  • Save the Date: 3rd Annual FIRST Alumni Reconnect, Sponsored by Medtronic
November 15 – Kickoff Site Selection Due: Please be sure that your team has picked a Kickoff Site for the January 8, 2022 Kickoff Event. Important Note: The Twin Cities Kickoff is remote this year, which means that only the Kit of Parts will be available for pickup. The Event Site is Eagan High School, Eagan, MN. Other Kickoff sites are hosting live-events. You can check for additional information on these pages on the firstinspires.org website.
November 15 – Initial Event Payment Due: November 15 is the deadline for teams to secure their first-event registrations and ensure that they will receive the Kit of Parts. If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to Ken Rosen, Minnesota Regional Director, krosen@umn.edu.
Event Preferencing: Team Leads, FIRST HQ is continuing to work through wait-lists for the regional events in Minnesota. Please respond promptly to notifications fromFIRST HQ as quickly as possible. Please bookmark this link for ongoing information about the 2022 events.
Regional Event Hotels: We recommend that teams call the hotels directly in the cities where your team is registered to compete. When contacting hotels in Duluth, MN and in Grand Forks, ND, please state that you are with the FIRST Robotics Competition to get the rate reserved for FIRST.
 
 
FUM Mentor Meetup – Thursday November 18
Team leads, think back to when you were a rookie mentor and/or team lead. What do you know NOW that you wish you had known then? Many of our teams have new lead mentors and/or new mentors joining. We Please share your experience with our newest FRC mentors at the next scheduled FUM Mentor Meetup.  Check this link for the updated meeting information, add your action items to the agenda, and come prepared with helpful hints for our incoming rookie team mentors. 
FREE Field Elements
The Minne -Mini Regional on November 20th is the final event of the season for the Infinite Recharge field. And, we have a number of game specific components that are looking for new homes. These components include a lot of high-quality polycarbonate and aluminum that could be upcycled by a team and/or used for robot demos. We’d rather see these components used by teams rather than going directly to scrap.

If you are interested in claiming any of the below-listed items, please reach out to bryan.herbst@firstuppermidwest.org. All items must be retrieved from Prior Lake High School on November 20th by the time the field is packed up (est. event end time is 5:35, everything will be gone by 8pm).
All part numbers below reference the official field drawings. NO ELECTRONICS such as lights and motors are included. Most items can be easily disassembled for easier transport. Bonus, many items come with decorative polycarbonate.
  • 2x Generator Switches (GE-21020)
  • Shield Generator boundaries (4x black GE-20046, 2 each red/blue GE-20048)
  • 2x Trench Runs (GE-21100)
  • 2x Loading Bays (GE-21200)
  • 2x Power Ports (GE-21300)

In addition, there is a lot of decorative polycarbonate from the shield generator itself, as well as a limited supply of used power cells. These items distributed as fairly as possible upon request at the end of the event.

Jumpstart Robotics, Sponsored by Medtronic 

The 3rd annual Jumpstart Robotics Sponsored by Medtronic training series will offer one more session in this current series.  Thursday, November 18, 3 pm to 5 pm.  Register using this online form –  and bookmark this link for the most updated information. Sessions are archived via this link, ready to share with your team members and mentors.

Jumpstart SCSU is back for 2021!

Jumpstart SCSU is back IN PERSON, on the campus of St Cloud State University, Saturday, December 4.  Head to https://www.jumpstartrobotics.org/jumpstart-scsu to sign up for this event.
Presenters Wanted! We are also looking for presenters for this event. Please note, we are all at a point where it seems we are rebuilding and have little to offer the FRC community.  The idea of Jumpstart Training events is less about experience and more about leading a discussion on topics.  We urge you to find those areas that are strengths on your team and can lead these valuable conversations.  If you are interested in providing content (i.e. presenting) at this event, please email jumpstartrobotics@gmail.com and include an abstract/topics of what you intend to present.  As always, Jumpstart SCSU will be a free training event and lunch is provided for all attendees.  We look forward to partnering with SCSU and hosting you and your team.
Virtual College Fair – via Tallo

On December 2, FIRST® and Tallo are hosting a free virtual college fair specifically for FIRST students. Students will have the chance to connect with colleges and universities who are looking for FIRST students. FIRST is using a new app, Ping by Tallo, to match students with colleges based on how student-expressed interests and preferences align with theirs. It’s a fast and easy way to learn about new schools who have great programs. This opportunity is provided by Tallo. In order to register for this event, attendees must provide Tallo with their personal data and this data will be used in accordance with Tallo’s Privacy Policy: https://tallo.com/privacy-policy/.  It is recommended that participants read this policy carefully before registering for the event.

SAVE THE DATE: Third Annual FIRST Alumni Reconnect Event
Live, in-person – THURSDAY, JANUARY 6

We are excited to announce that Medtronic is now sponsoring this year’s event and we are busy planning an out of this world experience!  Teams, please reach out to your alumni and make sure they have this not to be missed experience on their calendar.  Registrations available soon and will be posted online via the FIRST in the Upper Midwest website.

Regards,

Laurie Shimizu

FIRST Senior Mentor || ​Minnesota

Chief Volunteer Coordinator, ​FIRST Robotics Competition

Pronouns: she/her/hers