NYC FIRST Robotics Competition Volunteers - We need YOU!

Volunteers Needed: 2008 New York City FIRST Robotics Competition.

Dear Norm You are receiving this email because you have volunteered for the New York City FRC event in the past or have expressed an interest in FIRST. The 2008 FIRST Robotics Competition is now well underway and the teams are busy building their robots! So it is time to start thinking about the upcoming 2008 New York City FIRST Robotics Competition at the Javits Convention Center. We would like to sign you up for this season. Please mark your calendar for April 4th -6th! (Additional event details are provided below.) If you are new to FIRST - Welcome! If you are a returning volunteer - Thank you for your continued support. All volunteers are required to register in VIMS, FIRST's volunteer registration system! (Please review the VIMS registration information below.) Feel free to contact me at (212) 325 2349 with any questions. Thank you for being willing to share your time, talents and energy helping kids prepare to face their futures with greater confidence and competence. FIRST volunteers are true FIRST Champions! I look forward to seeing you at this year's competition. Best regards, Tony Paxton, Volunteer Coordinator, New York City FIRST Robotics Competition P.S. please forward this to anyone who might have missed it by clicking here. Calling All Volunteers New York City FIRST Robotics Competition April 4 to 6, 2008 Jacob Javits Convention Center, New York City, NY The New York City FIRST Robotics Competition will be held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in Manhattan on April 4 - 6, 2008. The event is a world-class celebration of teams of high school students working smart in science and technology. The 2008 competition will include 63 FIRST Robotics teams from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, Virginia and the United Kingdom. More details on the event are available on the New York City/New Jersey FIRST web site. For more information about FIRST and its programs around the world, please visit www.usfirst.org In this year's game, "FIRST Overdrive", students have to design and build a robot to race around a track knocking down 40" inflated Trackballs and moving them around the track, passing them either over or under a 6'6" overpass. Extra points are scored by robots positioning the Trackballs back on the overpass before the end of the 2 minute and 15 second match. To see an animation of this year's game click here. Volunteers, please register in VIMS today! (Note: If you are new to FIRST, please feel free to send me an email or call me at (212) 325-2349 before registering in VIMS. I would be happy to answer any questions you might have about FIRST, the New York City event, VIMS or your volunteer preferences.) If you have not yet registered in VIMS, the first step in volunteering this year is to register in the Volunteer Information Management System (VIMS). (Even if you have registered previously in VIMS, you must still access your VIMS account, re-confirm your contact information, and register for the NYC FRC event.) If you have already registered in VIMS - Thank You! I will be in contact with you shortly before the event to confirm your volunteer assignment. To register in VIMS: Go to: VIMS Web Site If you are new to volunteering with FIRST, click on 'Sign Me Up', otherwise login with the email address and password you previously registered. Complete (or verify) your contact information. Tell us about your expertise. IMPORTANT: On the Volunteer Preferences page, select 'FIRST Robotics Competition - Events' and then select the 'New York City Regional'. Please indicate the days you are available and the roles your are interested in. Note that the New York City event runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday. If you are a new volunteer please provide reference information so you can be screened (all volunteers must be screened in order to volunteer). Once you have registered in VIMS you will receive an email acknowledgement. I will be in contact with you shortly before the event to confirm your volunteer assignment. Ways you can help: FIRST Competitions are made possible through the efforts of hundreds of volunteers. You can help by devoting one, two or three days to serving in one of many different roles, each of which are critical to the success of the event. VIP hosts Ushers Safety glass distributors Team queuing Volunteer registration and reception Information Desk Media reception Judges Pit administration Trophy and medallion preparation Robot traffic control Plus many other roles...... Most volunteer roles require no previous experience. On-the-job training will be provided!