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K-Island Gears 1713 is an active, enthusiastic, and successful team of students and mentors that participates in the FIRST Robotics Competition.

K-Island Gears spends six weeks each year during January and February designing, building, testing, and programming a new, 120-pound robot for competition. In order to accomplish this, the team works in smaller groups for mechanical, electrical, and programming work.

After the six-week build period, 1713 competes at the Finger Lake Regional competition. This is a regular event for the team.

Throughout the rest of the year, K-Island Gears raises funds, trains members, and participates in community services activities.

All members are expected to uphold the standards set by the Eligibility Policy.

Team Personnel Management:

• Oversees all personnel

• Oversees budget and accounting system

• Liaison to TICSD Business Office

• Oversees all fundraising

• Submits all requisition forms for all "extra" budget items i.e. robot parts, t-shirts, buttons, etc.

• Obtains Board of Education approval for overnight trip

• Chaperone at the Finger Lakes Regional & Nationals

Team Information Management:

• Maintains & Updates TIMS (Team Information Management System)

• Registers team for events, & awards

• Communicate with FIRST, Team 1713, Schools, Colleges, Corporations, Community

• Communicates Team Updates

• Establishes  budget with Travel Budget Coordinator

• Write and administrate all grants for the team

• Inform Guidance, students about scholarship opportunities

• Disseminates e-mail and web "updates" information to relevant coordinators

• Watches the FIRST web site calendar for changes, additions

• Yearbook Submission

• FIRST Team Support - frcteams@usfirst.org

• Chaperone at the Finger Lakes Regional & Nationals

Student Team Leader:

• Will lead all "Group" meetings

• Will frequently visit individual team meetings

• Will attend all fundraising events

• Will attend all community service events

• Will present to local organizations for fundraising opportunities

• Will keep website current and up to date

Team Captains:

• Will attend ALL team meetings

• Will be elected by the team members

• Will attend ALL fundraising events

• Will attend ALL community service activities

• Will check team website calendar daily

• Will check e-mail daily

• Keep team members informed of relative information

• Meets with team advisor at least once a week

• Responsible for taking minutes of all meetings, including attendance

Team Members:

• Will attend meetings - Can miss up to two meetings

• Will participate in most fundraising events

• Will participate in most community service activities

Tech Team:

• Establish Safety Standards

• Designs, builds, and programs the robot

• Team will be split into three groups:  Design & Mechanical, Electrical & Programming, Safety

• Purchases hardware & software as needed

• Provides up-to-date information for all participants, including PR team

• Communicates with FIRST when necessary

• Develops a tool kit for use at the event

• Shipping Contact - Contacts FedEx for shipping of robot using FedEx donation and its specifications

• Works closely with game team

• Read & Understand all the rules of the game
• Implements a strategy plan
• Knows and understands all penalties
• Checks web manual for rules, changes, and web-based questions
• Communicates any changes and updates to the team
• Monitors all robots, gathers strategically information on other robots at the competition
• Sets up a system to market our robot to other teams at the competition
• Works closely with robot team

• Raise the funds!
• Secure local business' and corporations' funding
• Establishes budget
• Assists students in presentation to obtain sponsorship
• Completes "Building Use Form" for all events
• Organizes all fund-raising events with PR Team - i.e. Spaghetti Dinner, etc
• Assists the Graphics team with distribution and sales of team sponsor buttons
• Pass out and collect all Consent & Release forms.
• Make a copy of all release forms and bring them to all events
• Obtain, consider, and compare travel costs prior to registering for an event
• Makes travel, hotel and meal arrangements
• Organize field trips
• Complete and submit Field trip request forms to district
• Collect necessary completed permission forms for any field trips
• Organize FIRST Kick off Field trip to Regional & National events
• Organize Parent meeting nights
• Finalize team travel itinerary
• Prepare and distribute chaperone folders prior to departure including all pertinent information for the trip (itinerary, team roster, safety packet, hotel room assignments, student & parent contact phone numbers list)

• Design and creates Team logo, buttons, t-shirts, banners, locker cards, etc.
• Create and make approximately 1000 small and 1000 large logo buttons.  Initially to be used as a fund raiser & event distribution 

• Update any logo used by the team, including but not limited to: letterhead, webpage, brochures, etc.  

• Coordinate the creation of team t-shirts for the competition. The initial contact must be made prior to Thanksgiving

• Works closely with tech and game teams
• Chaperone at the Finger Lakes Regional & Nationals
   

So what does a FIRST Robotics team do when it’s not building the robot? Plenty! One of the responsibilities of every FIRST team is to connect with the community in a meaningful way. Another of our team’s goals is to try to spread the word about FIRST Robotics and encourage the formation of other teams.

Corporate sponsorship is an integral part of staging a FIRST team.  This fall, the team will be contacting its 2006 sponsors and other corporations to seek funding for the 2007 season. The link between corporations and FIRST Teams is essential. Corporate sponsors provide not only funding, but also mentors. For many team members, meeting with mentors is their first contact with “real world” applications of math, science, technology opportunities for future careers in these vital industries.

At the same time, K-Island Gears welcomes new team members on board, and as a team, begins to learn some of the fundamentals for designing and fabricating a robot – before the build season is upon us.