Forming a Team...

When we go to events, a lot of people ask us how we formed our team and how they can form their own. In response: here's a handy guide on how to form your own FIRST team!

Our team started after two girls, Katie B and Mia, saw their older brothers compete on EMP, an FTC team. They thought the competition was really cool and decided to form their own team. Katie and Mia called family friends and girls from their school to see if anyone was interested. To tell you the truth, most of us heard “robotics” and thought is was kinda weird! But we gave it a chance and our group clicked; this is our third year and we love working together.

Finding Team Members

Are you interested in robotics and the FIRST program? You can start your own team! All you need is a group of 4-7 kids for the JFLL, FLL, or FTC teams (FRC will need 12+). You can have a team that is bigger or smaller, but this is the recommended size. With a group of fewer than four you have a lot of work to do, and with eight or more you don’t get to work with the bot as much. But that’s just our opinion. You can do whatever’s right for you.

Where do you find these people? Ask your friends at school, kids in your neighborhood, or family friends. Make sure to tell them how cool the program is. You can direct them to the FIRST website and they can see video of competitions and the program! Some people won’t be interested, but that’s okay. Keep asking around, and you can get a good group together. When forming your team, ask potential team members about these things.

1) Time. Do they have enough time to commit to this team? We meet once or twice a week for 3-4 hours, and also have other community outreach events, fundraisers, and extra meetings before competition. Are they willing to make this commitment?

2) Convenience. We’ve met teams where the kids live a few hours away from each other, and this made it much harder to meet. Can they get a ride?

3) Interest. Does robotics sound interesting to them? Will they be willing to put in the effort for a successful season?

Choosing a Division

FIRST offers 4 different robotics levels:

JFLL, or Junior FIRST Lego League, is a program for kids 6-9 years old. The teams consist of up to 6 kids and additional adult mentors. Team registration starts in August and the challenge is announced is September. The fee is $15 to register your team, and it is $95 for the kit used to build the bots. Kids learn basic design skills and research skills.

FLL, or FIRST Lego League, is a program for kids 9-14. Most teams consist of 3-10 kids and an adult coach. Online registration for the 2008 season starts May 1st and the challenge is announced in September. There are regional tournaments held in November to January. Our younger brother team, Cold Fusion, got to compete at Legoland! They loved the FLL experience because they got to build and brainstorm. One element that makes the FLL program unique is the research project. The kids research something related to that year’s challenge. For example, last season the challenge was called Power Puzzle and the kids got to research ways to save energy. Many of our Einstein’s Daughters girls competed in FLL as well. The overall cost for a new team (including registration and the robotics kit plus team t-shirts) is around $600, not including travel. This is the first level where kids can make it to the World Championships in Atlanta.

FTC, or FIRST Tech Challenge, is designed for high school kids, but we had seventh and eighth graders during our first year and succeeded. FTC is more affordable than FRC. The challenge is announced yearly in September. The cost is more than FLL but less expensive than FRC. We compete in FTC and we really enjoy it. The game is competitive and we love the challenges every year.

FRC, or FIRST Robotics Competition, is designed for high school kids as well, but is different than FTC with an emphasis on learning small business practice. Registration starts in the fall, and the event kickoff is in January. Most teams have 25 students or more. This is the most advanced level in the FIRST program. Registration is $6,000 with one regional, $4,000 for each additional event and $5,000 to go to Atlanta. Most teams have corporate sponsors, but it’s easier to fund-raise than you may think!

For more information on starting any one of these levels of teams, please see the FIRST website at www.usfirst.org/involved/content.aspx?id=168, and visit our FIRST page.

Once you have a group together, it’s time to register. If you've missed the registration date don’t worry! In our first year we started in January, even though registration was in August, and we made it all the way to the World Championships! For more details on registering, please visit the FIRST website, www.usfirst.org.

Meetings

Now that you have a team and the business is taken care of, its time to get to work. Do you have a meeting place and time? We recommend meeting once or twice a week. All of us girls are busy with sports, clubs, youth groups and other activities, so we meet once a week on Saturdays. Find a time that is the most convenient for all your group members.

Do you have a place you can meet? Maybe your school will provide a classroom you can meet in at lunch or after school. We meet every Saturday and work out of a garage. Make sure you have a place where you can store parts, tools, and your bot.

Mentors and Materials

Do you have an adult to oversee your activities? We have parents who help us out. Is there a teacher, parent, neighbor or community member who is willing to keep your group on task and help you out?

You need some materials before you can get started. You also need to purchase an engineering notebook to record your meetings. (See the Engineering Notebook link for more details).

Naming Your Team

A fun part -- deciding on a team name! Lots of people asked us how we got our name. Katie’s little brother thought of Einstein’s Sisters, and we just changed it up a little bit! Brainstorm with your teammates to figure out something creative.

Let Us Help You!

We hope this guide helped you to form a team. If you need any more assistance with anything, contact us at einsteinsdaughters@gmail.com. We’d be more than happy to help you!