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FIRST Robotics Competition Chesapeake Regional Visitors - FIRST Stop Sponsors Venue - XFINITY Center Daily Schedule Food Hotels Parking and Loading Volunteer Positions 2015 Chesapeake Results 2014 Chesapeake Results 2013 Kickoff 2012 Results 2012 Chesapeake Awards 10th Anniversary 2012 Kickoff Workshops 2014 Training Day 2013 Training Day 2012 Training Days 2011 Training Day 2010 Training Day 2009 Training Day Team Resources

Chesapeake Regional Visitors - FIRST Stop Sponsors Venue - XFINITY Center Daily Schedule Food Hotels Parking and Loading Volunteer Positions 2015 Chesapeake Results 2014 Chesapeake Results 2013 Kickoff 2012 Results 2012 Chesapeake Awards 10th Anniversary 2012 Kickoff

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Anyone can start a FIRST LEGO League team. Teams may be made up of neighborhood groups, school groups, home school organizations, Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts, family members, and after school programs.

The best way to get involved is to form a new FLL team. Existing FLL teams rarely seek or accept new team members from outside simply because they often find eager new members within their own organizations. Please note: FIRST and their representatives do not create the teams, or place children onto teams.

Your best starting point is the FIRST website's page on Starting a Team . You may also want to review material on preparing for a season , including the Coach's Manual excerpts and teleconference for new coaches. For many teams, this has all the information they need. Here are some suggestions to get going:

Identify one or more adults (18 or older) as coaches/mentors. An adult can coach multiple teams. Coaches don't need robot or technical experience, but do need to be good organizers and facilitators to keep the team on track.

Recruit 3-10 kids ; 4-6 kids is an optimal number for many teams. Team members must be 14 or under on January 1, 2015 to participate in the 2015 Trash Trek season. FLL suggests kids be at least 9 years old, but there's no restriction -- a younger child can join a team if you think he or she has the ability and attention span to stay involved. An individual child can be on only one FLL team per season.

Register the team with FIRST LEGO League . Registration opens in May and runs through September, but it's best to register before mid-September to ensure you get the game pieces in a timely manner.

Select a meeting place and facilitate regular meetings . FLL teams can meet anywhere; the game mat is 8' x 4' and it's easiest to place it on a plywood table. Teams typically meet one or two times per week for up to two hours from September - November, often more frequently as they approach a tournament. The team works not only on designing and programming the robot, but also researching the Project and preparing a 5-minute presentation for the tournament.

Register for a Maryland FLL Qualifying tournament . Maryland FLL holds multiple Qualifiers around the state in December and January so all teams can attend. Registration opens by early November. Top teams at each Qualifier earn the right to compete at the 72-team Maryland FLL Championship, usually in February.

A general estimate of costs for a new team is $800-1000 (including the reusable robot kit), and $400-500 for returning teams. The variable is the cost of extras such as team buttons, shirts, travel, etc. The FLL Pricing and Payment page has detailed information on registration and product costs. When you register a team, you can order a Field Setup Kit which includes the Challenge Mat and Mission Models Set; these typically ship in August-September.

Ideas for covering the costs vary from team to team. Some teams are funded by their school or organization, some find community or business sponsors, some charge for each kid to join, others do local fund-raisers, and some do all of the above. Part of the challenge of FLL is to decide what methods work best for your team.

Registered teams can purchase the LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Education NXT or EV3 Base Set which includes an NXT or EV3 robot kit, software and additional parts and sensors. If you already have a LEGO MINDSTORMS consumer kit, you can purchase the Education Software and Education Resource Set through LEGO Education . You will need access to a PC or Mac to run the software.

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