Categories
FRC Updates

Moving to a new Website

The FRC team is working on moving to a new website.

follow us at http://JoesAverageSlackers.com (now: https://frc4093.com/

Categories
FRC

Last Chance Before Kickoff

[ NOTE: Date changed to Wednesday Jan 2nd ]

Don’t forget, we’re having our last meeting before the FRC Season kick-off on Wednesday January 2nd at 7:00-8:30pm. The meeting will be at the Cooperative Extension office on the county fairgrounds.

If you are high-school aged (14 to 18) in any of the Orleans County School districts, and are interested in participating in the FIRST Robotics Competition season (Starting January 5th through March 2nd). Please plan on attending this meeting.

IF students have not registered, please visit https://my.usfirst.org/stims/site.lasso and sign up as a team member TODAY!

Parents: When your children apply to the team, you will receive an email from STIMS to activate your account. You will then be able to complete your student’s FIRST Consent & Release Form. This NEEDS to be done before next week.

Categories
FRC

FRC Safety Animation Contest

Anyone who is interested, the FRC 2013 “Safty Animation” contest has started, and entries are due by the middle of December. Anyone interested in participating can find information here:

2013 Safety Animation Contest: 2013 Safety Animation contest details are now available: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/safety-video-and-manual. The submission portal in STIMS opens today, 10/11/12 at 12 pm ET and will remain open until Friday, 12/13/12 at 12 pm ET.

Categories
FRC Meeting Info

FRC Reorganization meeting

The first meeting of the FRC Season (for Students Grades 9-12) is in a couple weeks.

This meeting will be for all returning members and anyone interested in joining us for 2012-2013 Season. ADULTS (mentors old and new) and STUDENTS (Grades 9-12) are invited.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2ND 7:00PM – 9:00PM

At the Orleans County Fairgrounds. In the FAIR OFFICE BUILDING or the EDUCATION CENTER (TBA)

Categories
FLL FRC Meeting Info Updates

Orleans County Robotics Calendar

We’ve wrapped up our first FRC season, but still have a number of activities for the rest of the year.

You can see upcoming events on the right-hand side of this screen, but perhaps you’d like to add the calendar to your phone (Android or iPhone).

here is the link to the “ICS” format calendar:

https://lego.wiksclan.com/calendar.ics

Instructions for adding the calendar to an iPhone.

Android phones should be able to “subscribe” to our calendar from your google calendar (under “other calendars” on the left hand side of the screen, select “add by URL”, and enter the URL: https://lego.wiksclan.com/calendar.ics )

Categories
FRC

Where Did Time Go?

I just realized that my last post to this site was January 9th.  Two days after Kick-Off.  Today, it is One WEEK past stop build day.  All I can really think of is WOW!  I am wowed, amazed, flabergasted and completely impressed that a group of boys that did not know each other two or three months ago, became a real TEAM and created a working robot, that will, in fact, accomplish the challenge laid out for them 6 or so weeks ago.  Rookie Team 4093’s robot, sits in its bag at the build site, taunting us.  It will not come out to play until practice day, March 8th!

Plans are taking shape for next year, brainstorming for new sponsors (how about you?) and fundraising opportunities has already begun.  The team is growing by leaps and bounds, mentors needed (how about you?).

We invite you to come and see us at competition March 9th and 10th.  It is free and open to the public.  You will be completely hooked!

Let’s GO!

 

Categories
Community Service FRC

Penfield Team Wins Award

Penfield’s “Rolling Thunder” team wins a community service award

Rochester D&C

Categories
FRC Updates

A BRIEF WORD ABOUT “SLACKERS”

And though “slacker” is often considered an insult or an accusation, some
choose to reclaim the term as a sign of creativity and resourcefulness.

According to Webster’s Dictionary, a slacker is “a person who shirks work or obligation.” But lest we allow Webster’s to be the be-all and end-all of the English language, urbandictionary.com has a different definition; “a person who chooses the path of least resistance.”  More, “a slacker is someone who, while being intelligent, doesn’t really
feel like doing anything.” And even, “a nice person to chill with.” Slackers, it’s clear, have a knack for inertia and a way with “nothingness.”

…The term then resurfaced in the early ’90s as a way of branding those who willfully
eluded work or school. Slackers became the “loadies” of “Clueless,” the stoners of Harold and Kumar,” and the Jacks of the “Will and Grace” set. While there are several forms of slackerdom, the common ground is a commitment to willfully disregarding societal conventions and living life free of the constraints of consumerism and corporate America.

Sarah Dunn, author of the “Official Slacker Handbook,” notes that, “a lot has been said
about the slacker’s trademark indolence, but the point must be made that deliberately opting out of socially-recognized forms of activity isn’t the same thing as stumbling into inaction.” In other words, Dunn argues, slacking off isn’t just laziness–it’s pointed laziness with a philosophical basis.

These days, some of our most famous thinkers would be considered slackers. After all, Thoreau lived comfortably at Walden while only working six weeks a year and Descartes devised Cartesian geometry while hanging around the streets of Holland.

 

 

Revised from information found at:  http://vintage.gurl.com/findout/

 

 

Categories
FRC Updates

Ready…Set…Go!

Just over 111 days ago, I knew very little about the FIRST FRC program.  Now in just 11 days it is KICK-OFF for “Joe’s Average Slackers” – Orleans County’s premier robot building team.  The rookie FIRST team 4093!

Over the last few months we have researched the web, drawn from the expertise of regional reps, gotten lucky, and worked hard to build a team of HS aged students and Adult mentors that are about to embark on a challenge in which they will discover the varying degrees of success.  No matter the outcome of the competition, we already have a team of winners!

There is a lot of work to do over the next 8 weeks.  I wish you all the best as you conquer the challenge.  I am proud to work with all of you already!

LET’S DO IT!!

Categories
FRC

FRC Meeting November 3, 2011

Let’s start by saying:

CONGRATS to the Medina Varsity Soccer team on winning the Section VI, B1 Championship for the FIRST time in school history!!!

CONGRATS to the Medina HS Marching Band on their NYS Championship in Syracuse this past week too!!

It has been a great week for our friends and teammates from Medina.

Our meeting was a small group, but we did accomplish some things and have homework to accomplish more at the next meeting.

1)  Team members must go to usfirst.org and register in the STIMS system as members of team 4093.

2) Team members should spend 15 minutes a day looking at FRC related things.  Start with this site https://lego.wiksclan.com  (where you are now) and check out links to usfirst.org and others.  Also, go to youtube and watch video of previous FRC competitions.  LOOK at the robots!

3)  COMMENT on this post.  Ask a question, tell us you were here, suggest a name…  whatever, but comment so that we know you are doing your homework 🙂

4)  You HAVE to pick a nickname for your team at the next meeting.  One of the things you have to work with alot is deadlines.  SO, on November 15th you MUST have a nickname.  Google first teams and see what they are already using and brainstorm.   As I said last night, if you don’t do it, you will be forever known as the “pink ladies”.

The other plan for the next meeting is to look at a previous challenge and think about strategies for that.  You will also begin building a base from the box of parts that you looked at last night.

Congrats to the founding officers:  President, Morgan Seielstad, Vice President Ben Miller, Treasurer Kyler McQuillan and Secretary Nick Ettinger.