Team 3042 Eastview Cobalt
Team Handbook 2013-2014
Version 1.0
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Table of Contents
Introduction to FIRST ................................................................................................................................... 3
About FIRST ......................................................................................................................................... 3
About FRC ............................................................................................................................................ 3
About Eastview Cobalt ................................................................................................................................. 3
Team Mission........................................................................................................................................ 3
Team Goals: .......................................................................................................................................... 3
Team History ........................................................................................................................................ 4
Basic Calendar/Schedule .............................................................................................................................. 4
Team Calendar ...................................................................................................................................... 4
Pre-season ............................................................................................................................................. 4
Build season .......................................................................................................................................... 4
Competition........................................................................................................................................... 4
Summer ................................................................................................................................................. 4
Team Communications ................................................................................................................................. 4
Student Expectations..................................................................................................................................... 5
Involvement and Time Committment ................................................................................................... 5
Grades ................................................................................................................................................... 5
Fundraising ........................................................................................................................................... 5
Team Member Contract ........................................................................................................................ 5
Sub-team Participation .......................................................................................................................... 5
Parent Expectations....................................................................................................................................... 5
Organizational Structure ............................................................................................................................... 6
Team Steering Committee ........................................................................................................................ 6
Roles and Responsibilities of Captains, Team Leads, and Sub-teams ...................................................... 6
Engineering Team ................................................................................................................................. 6
Business Team ...................................................................................................................................... 9
Travel/Competition ..................................................................................................................................... 10
Schedule .............................................................................................................................................. 10
Team Uniforms ................................................................................................................................... 10
Lettering Policy and End-of-Season Recognition ....................................................................................... 10
Appendix ..................................................................................................................................................... 11
2013-2014 EASTVIEW ROBOTICS TEAM MEMBER CONTRACT ............................................ 12
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Introduction to FIRST
About FIRST
Welcome to FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), the nation's preeminent robotics competition for high school students. The message of FIRST is to instill an appreciation
of science and technology in young people, their schools, and communities. You’ll learn to perform high
quality, well-informed work while learning and competing intensely, but treating one another with respect
and kindness in the process – this is called “Gracious Professionalism.” As a member of the FIRST
family, you will enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that you have acted with integrity and empathy. FIRST
is not just about robots; it’s about ideas and people, too.
About FRC
The FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is an exciting, competition that pairs professionals and young
people to solve an engineering design problem in an intense and competitive way. The program is a lifechanging, career-molding experience—and a lot of fun! The competitions are high-tech spectator
sporting events, the result of a lot of focused brainstorming, real-world teamwork, dedicated mentoring,
project timelines and deadlines. There is more to FRC than building a robot. It’s a complex exercise in
project management, which entails a lot of work that doesn’t require a technical background.
FIRST redefines “Winning.” Teams are rewarded for excellence in design, demonstrated team spirit,
gracious professionalism, maturity, and ability to overcome obstacles. Scoring the most points is a
secondary goal. “Winning” means building partnerships that last.
About Eastview Cobalt
Eastview Cobalt is FIRST Robotics Team 3042 of Eastview High School. It was founded in 2008 through
a partnership with Thomson-Reuters Corporation.
Team Mission
The Eastview Cobalt Mission Statement - “Inspiring students to become leaders through engineering
and the fun of FIRST robotics.”
Team Goals:
 To develop leadership within all of our students.
 To involve our team in the community and promote a sense of responsibility in our team
members.
 To focus on organization and communication to make our team more efficient and effective.
 To put focus on the Engineering Design Process, and develop our team and build season around
this process.
 To promote student growth, the growth of the team, and to build the sense of accomplishment
and morale within our team.
 Raise funds to support our team and keep it self-sustained for many years to come.
 To have fun and learn real-world skills
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Team History
In the autumn of 2002, Eastview High School started competing in the HTK High School Robotics
competition which was based on Legos. The team competed in this program until the its conclusion in
2008. That same year, Eastview decided to begin competing in the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC).
Almost all of the members from the original Lego League team joined the newly formed FIRST Robotics
Team 3042.
Basic Calendar/Schedule
Team Calendar
The Team Calendar is officially hosted on TBD – this is the most accurate and up-to-date listing of team
activities.
The Team meets year-round with varying levels of involvement each season, defined as: pre-season, build
season, competition season, and summer. Throughout the seasons, there will be events such as
community outreach, training, demonstrations, and fundraising.
Pre-season
Pre-season is the beginning of September to the end of December. During the preseason there will be a
weekly team meeting, 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM on Tuesdays in room B123. During the pre-season, the team
will develop the skills needed for the build season. Time is also spent on business functions and fund
raising.
Build season
Build season is a 6.5 week period starting in January through mid-February. Kickoff is in early
January when nationwide FRC challenge for the year is announced. Typically the team will meet on
Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and as needed during the build season.
Competition
Competition season is March through April, when the robot and the team travel to regional competition
sites. Typically, the team will compete in at least one event each year. This is the height and excitement
of the robotics season!!
Summer
Summer season runs June through August. The team meets periodically during these months, for those
interested, with a kickoff meeting at the beginning of summer. Summer is a great time to get started on
activities and projects prior to pre-season, and a good time to do demonstrations, fundraising and
community outreach.
Team Communications
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Our primary vehicle for internal team communications is email. We have separate lists for parents and
team members. The team also maintains a website, a Facebook page and a Twitter account for external
communications and has a Google drive for internal documents.
Student Expectations
Involvement and Time Committment
Students on Team 3042 should be actively involved with the team. Depending on school and
extracurricular schedules, some students may be able to participate more fully than others. Students are
expected to show up on time for team meetings and events.
During the pre-season, first-year team members are expected to attend 14 of the 17 meetings in order to
participate in the build season phase of robotics. Attendance will be taken at all meetings. Students need
to be skilled enough to contribute during a short and intense time frame and if a student has not attended
enough of the training sessions, they will not be prepared to do so. Returning team members are expected
to attend 12 of the 17 meetings.
Grades
Students will put priority on their grades over any team need. Grades are important. Students must
complete school work before participating in team work sessions and activities.
Fundraising
All members are expected to participate in fundraising, whether on the fundraising sub-team or by
volunteering time at a fundraising event.
Team Member Contract
Detailed expectations are outlined in the Team Member Contract, which needs to be signed by the student
and parent and returned to team leadership in order for the student to be an official team member. See the
Appendix for a copy of the contract.
Sub-team Participation
In order to participate on an engineering team or sub-team, a student must also participate on a business
sub-team. A student may participate on a business sub-team without participating on an engineering subteam.
Parent Expectations
Robotics is an intense, time-consuming activity, especially during the build season, and is similar to a
varsity sport in time commitment. Parent support is vital to the success of the team. Parents can support
the team in several ways: mentoring a sub-team, carpooling, providing snacks and food at team meetings,
help with fundraising, etc. We do expect all parents to attend parent meetings, keep current with team
communication and make contributions to the team. We will call on you as needs arise throughout the
year.
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Parents are expected to provide an email address to us so that we may contact you throughout the season.
Organizational Structure
Team Steering Committee
The Team Steering Committee, consisting of lead mentors and the Engineering and Build captains, will:
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Come up with agendas and run the team meetings
Determine and organize pre-season training and activities
Make decisions about the team
Determine, maintain and update the team calendar
Determine summer activities
Roles and Responsibilities of Captains, Team Leads, and Sub-teams
Our intent is to have one student lead per sub-team and one adult mentor per sub-team.
Engineering Team
Engineering Captain Responsibilities
 The Engineering Captain will be responsible for overseeing all sub-functions of the robot build.
 The Captain will meet with the leads from Build, Design, Controls and Strategy/Scouting on a
regular basis during the build season.
 The Captain will be part of the Team Steering Committee.
 The Engineering Captain will also participate on a sub-team.
Safety Officer Responsibilities
 Reports to the Engineering Captain
 Is responsible for knowing all safety procedures and educating the team on safety procedures
 Can also participate on a sub-team
Quartermaster Responsibilities
 Reports to the Engineering Captain
 Organizes tools and parts
 Also participates on a sub-team
Build Team
Build Team Lead Responsibilities
 Reports to the Engineering Captain
 Ensures that the Build Sub-Teams are accomplishing assigned tasks
 Also participates on a sub-team
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Field Element Sub-Team Responsibilities
 Field Elements Sub-Team Lead reports to the Build Team Lead
 Analyze field drawings from FIRST and determine method of designing game field.
 Create a bill of materials for what is needed to build the field.
 Fabricate and assemble the field in time for practice testing with the robot.
 Store materials in a way that they can be reused for later demonstrations
Drive Train Sub-Team Responsibilities
 Drive Train Sub-Team Lead reports to the Build Team Lead
 Selects a drive train design that matches the team’s primary game strategy
 Work with the CAD team to design and CAD the drive train
 Select and design wheels
 Procure and build all drive train parts and assemble drive train
 Work with electrical sub-team to determine placement of electrical components
Manipulators Sub-Team Responsibilities
 Manipulators Sub-Team Lead reports to the Build Team Lead
 Responsible for designing any arm, gripper, manipulator, or other mechanism that will be used to
play the game.
 Will work with the CAD team to design the mechanism(s) in CAD,
 Will select and procure parts, and build all mechanisms.
 Will be responsible for interfacing with the Controls Team to communicate the needs for the
robot mechanisms.
Bumpers Sub-Team Responsibilities
 Bumpers Sub-Team Lead reports to the Build Team Lead
 Responsible for design and build of bumpers and bumper covers, including team number on
covers
 Interfaces with Drive Train and Manipulators sub-teams for bumper design and placement
Design Team
Design Team Lead Responsibilities
 Design Team Lead reports to the Build Team Lead
 Ensures that the CAD and Prototype Sub-Teams are accomplishing assigned tasks
 Also participates on a sub-team
CAD Sub-Team Responsibilities
 CAD Sub-Team Lead reports to the Design Team Lead
 Work with Drive Train Sub Team, Manipulators Sub-Team, and Controls Sub-Teams to design
and CAD robot components
Prototype Sub-Team Responsibilities
 Prototype Sub-Team Lead reports to the Design Team Lead
 Designs and builds physical or CAD prototypes to meet team design objectives
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Interfaces with CAD Sub-Team, Drive Train Sub-Team, Manipulator Sub-Team, and Controls
Sub-Team
Controls Team
Controls Team Lead Responsibilities
 Controls Team Lead reports to the Build Team Lead
 Ensure that the Programming, Electronics, and Sensors Sub-Teams are accomplishing assigned
tasks
 Also participates on a sub-team
Programming Sub-Team Responsibilities
 Programming Sub-Team Lead Reports to Controls Team Lead
 Responsible for designing a program that accomplishes all the functions of the robot.
 Responsible for determining best implementation of autonomous modes and should communicate
with Electronics and Sensors Sub-Teams.
Electronics Sub-Team Responsibilities
 Electronics Sub-Team Lead reports to the Controls Team Lead
 Responsible for designing and laying out the electronic subsystem.
Sensors Sub-Team Responsibilities
 Sensors Sub-Team Lead reports to the Controls Team Lead
 Will implement all sensors as defined by the strategy and design teams, and make sure that there
is appropriate mechanical design to accommodate sensors and electrical components.
 Interfaces with Design, Manipulators, Electronics and Programming.
Strategy/Scouting Team
Strategy/Scouting Team Lead Responsibilities
 The Strategy/Scouting Team Lead reports to the Engineering Captain
 Ensures that the strategy and scouting tasks are being completed
Strategy/Scouting Team Responsibilities
 The Strategy/Scouting Team has three functions:
1. Determine the approach for scoring points which will drive the design of the robot (Design
Strategy)
a. The Design Strategy Team will consist of the Engineering Captain and Build, Design and
Controls Team Leads.
2. Determine the game play strategies and how to execute them at competitions (Driving Strategy)
a. The Driving Strategy Team will
o Read and understand all the rules in the game manual.
o Select drivers, human players, and coaches for a primary and secondary drive
team.
o Train drivers, human players, and driving coaches on how to correctly play the
game.
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Train drivers on how to handle driving the robot.
Members must work together to develop strategies for game play.
Driving coaches must be familiar with these strategies and be able to inform the
drivers on how to carry out the strategy.
3. Scouting
a. Develop a scouting strategy to be executed at competitions to include performance,
practice round results, and match results.
b. Data retrieved from scouting will be analyzed so that driving coaches can develop new
game strategies and select team alliances.
Business Team
Business Team Captain
 The Business Captain will be responsible for overseeing all business functions of the team.
 The Captain will meet with the leads from Finance, Communications and Marketing on a regular
basis during both the pre-season and build season.
 The Captain will be part of the Team Steering Committee.
 The Captain will also participate on a sub-team.
Finance Team
Finance Team Lead Responsibilities
 The Finance Team Lead reports to the Business Team Captain.
 The Finance Team Lead ensures that the Accounting and Fundraising sub-teams are completing
their assigned tasks.
Accounting Sub-Team
 Accounting Sub-Team Lead reports to the Finance Team Lead
 Working with an assigned mentor, the accounting team acts as the team treasurer
 Keeps track of incoming and outgoing funds
 Reports periodically on income and expenses
Fundraising Sub-Team
 Fundraising Sub-Team Lead reports to the Finance Team Lead
 Make presentations to potential corporate sponsors
 Help identify potential sponsors
 Organize other fundraisers such as Kowalskis’, concession stands, etc.
Marketing Team
Marketing Team Lead Responsibilities
 The Marketing Team Lead reports to the Business Team Captain.
 The Marketing Team Lead ensures that the Media and Awards Sub-Teams are completing their
assigned tasks.
 The Marketing Team Lead also participates on a sub-team.
Media Sub-Team
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The Media Sub-Team Lead reports to the Marketing Team Lead.
Responsible for the team website design, content, and updates.
Responsible for Team Branding and Spirit: t-shirt design, mascot costume, other spirit wear, team
give-aways.
Responsible for the team’s presence on Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets.
Responsible for following and connecting with other robotics teams on social media
Responsible for designing and creating marketing materials.
Responsible for team photography and video production.
Awards Sub-Team
 The Awards Sub-Team Lead reports to the Marketing Team Lead.
 Responsible for the team’s efforts in meeting identified awards requirements.
Communications Team
 Communications Team Lead reports to the Business Team Lead
 Responsible for internal team communications – sending emails or team newsletters
 Responsible for keeping team member contact information current
 Responsible for creating sign-in sheets for attendance
 Responsible for communications with team corporate sponsors (thank you’s, etc.)
Travel/Competition
Regional and Championship competitions are the high-spirited and exciting “robotics sporting events”
that take place in March and April both locally and nationally.
Schedule
This season, the team plans to participate in two regional events: one in Duluth in early March, and one at
the University of MN Twin Cities in late March. The exact dates are not yet known, but will be posted on
the Minnesota FIRST website: http://www.mnfirstregional.org/.
Team Uniforms
All team members will wear a uniform designed by our team members that is unique to our team.
Currently, the minimum uniform is a team shirt that will be worn at all events on all days. The team
will also likely have sweatshirts, pants, hats, etc. available for purchase. Team members may buy the
items they would like before the order is placed. Each active team member will be provided two team
shirts, but the team member and any family or friends can buy additional shirts or uniform pieces.
All team members will be REQUIRED to wear team uniforms (minimum of a team shirt) at all demos,
community outreach events, and fundraisers in order to represent the team. The exception to this is if an
organization requires that their own volunteer shirts be worn.
Lettering Policy and End-of-Season Recognition
Adult team leadership, with input from all team mentors, will determine which students receive an
Eastview School letter and/or school and team recognition awards. Students must show active
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participation on the team and engagement by doing the following: making contributions to assigned subteams; showing a good attitude; attending the regional competitions; and attending a high percentage of
scheduled meetings throughout the year (attendance will be taken at all meetings and events). First-year
team members may still be developing skills and may or may not letter depending on whether they can
meet the criteria above.
The team will have an end-of-season recognition party to be held in late April.
Appendix
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2013-2014 EASTVIEW ROBOTICS TEAM MEMBER CONTRACT
Code of Conduct
“Gracious professionalism,” one of the founding precepts of FIRST, is essential to team
participation. “It's a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value
of others, and respects individuals and the community” (www.usfirst.org).
1. Students will display “Gracious Professionalism” – the motto of FIRST – at all times and promote the
ideals of FIRST.
2. Students will sign an agreement and follow the same rules as dictated by Eastview High School and the
Minnesota State High School League, including those in regards to alcohol and chemical substances.
3. Students will not violate the racial / religious / harassment / violence / and hazing bylaws of the
Minnesota State High School League (http://www.mshsl.org/mshsl/index.asp).
4. Students are expected to behave in a courteous and cooperative manner.
5. Students are expected to be respectful of others and behave in a way that protects the health and safety
of themselves and others.
6. Students shall be respectful of the facilities, tools, equipment and all things being used by the team.
7. Students shall not use profane, obscene or vulgar language in written, gestured, or verbal form.
8. Eastview Robotics abides by Eastview High School’s Acceptable Use Policy for all communications,
including all social media and Internet usage. Students' internet/social media/online communications are
team communications, and will be regarded as such.
9. Students visiting or working at corporate sites are guests of the corporations and must be courteous and
respectful. While at a corporate site, students are expected to follow the general rules and safety rules
posted at the site.
Student Eligibility
1. Team members must be a high school student in good standing at Eastview High School.
2. Team members must maintain a minimum of a C average.
Team Member Expectations
1. Students are expected to make a significant time commitment to the team, actively participating in
meetings, workshops, and events. Commitment to the team increases significantly during the months of
January – April.
2. Students are expected be reliable: on-time, prepared to work, help with clean up, show a positive
attitude, assist newer members, be responsive to mentors and other adult volunteers and to assist with
team administrative tasks.
3. Students will not play video or computer games or surf the internet during meetings.
4. Students and parents must complete the necessary paperwork and pay the required fees including the
annual registration fee, and other associated costs to be determined.
5. Students will not build any non-team related projects at meetings or by using any team resources.
6. Students are expected to keep current with team activities, requirements and schedule by checking the
identified team communication vehicles frequently, especially during the build season.
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Parent Expectations
Robotics is an intense, time-consuming activity, especially during the build season, and is similar to a
varsity sport in time commitment. Parent support is vital to the success of the team. Parents can support
the team in several ways: mentoring a sub-team, carpooling, providing snacks and food at team meetings,
help with fundraising, etc. We do expect all parents to attend parent meetings, keep current with team
communication and make contributions to the team. We will call on you as needs arise throughout the
year.
Parents are expected to provide an email address to us so that we may contact you throughout the season.
Lettering Policy and School Recognition
Adult team leadership, with input from all team mentors, will determine which students receive an
Eastview School letter and/or school and team recognition awards. Students must show active
participation on the team and engagement by doing the following: making contributions to assigned subteams; showing a good attitude; attending the regional competitions; and attending a high percentage of
scheduled meetings throughout the year (attendance will be taken at all meetings and events). First-year
team members may still be developing skills and may or may not letter depending on the criteria above.
Disciplinary actions for violations, to be determined by team mentors and EVHS Administration,
may include being sent home and contacting parents, suspension from team activities, ineligibility
to travel with the team, or removal from the team.
I have read and understand these rules and agree to abide by them.
___________________________________________________________
_____________
Student signature
date
_______________________________________________________________________
Print student name
_______________________________________________________________________
Parent signature
________________
date
_______________________________________________________________________
Print parent name
Parent 1 email ______________________________________________________________________________________
Parent 1 name_______________________________________________________________________________________
Parent 2 email_______________________________________________________________________________________
Parent 2 name_______________________________________________________________________________________
Student email_______________________________________________________________________________________
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