The following information includes tips provided by tournament directors and coaches to help you with your team. Please email Lin Wozniewski if you would like to submit a helpful tip.
For Coaches:
- Check the National FLL and Indiana FLL; site frequently.
- Check out everything on the national website.
- Please read all written materials and tournament guidelines closely for your qualifying event.
- Try to follow the forum as much as you can. Rulings on specific issues in the missions are usually announced here.
- If you are an experienced coach, be sure to look for changes. The competition is still evolving rapidly, and sometimes the experienced coaches may get caught off guard by changes.
- Make sure your team is prepared to compete in all 4 categories. Progression to state almost requires this, and getting to nationals absolutely does.
For Team Members:
- Check the FLL site, and follow the forums.
- Be prepared for disasters: Have Backups; Cross train, in case someone gets sick at the last moment; Have extra batteries; If possible, have an extra RCX or NXT that you can swap out in case your firmware or programs get deleted.
- Start working on your entry as early as possible! November and December are right around the corner!
Tournament Day:
- Remember - Have fun!
- Watch your schedules-sometimes you have to move quickly to make every session!
- If you are planning to execute a mission using a suspicious interpretation of the rules, or you found a ruling on the FLL forum that specifically allows a behavior that most people aren't going to expect, meet with a competition coordinator or the head ref ahead of time to determine how they will rule on that during the competition or copy an email response from Scott Evans to show to a head referee.
