Volunteer Roles
As part of our robotics community, First Tech Challenge Jamaica volunteers enable hundreds of youth to embrace exploration, creativity, and teamwork. They collaborate with FIRST participants to help them develop their leadership and problem-solving skills, as well as their self-confidence.
Volunteer Coordinator Assistant
The volunteer coordinator is responsible for recruiting the necessary volunteers needed to run a successful FIRST Tech Challenge event.
Prerequisite: Previous experience managing and communicating with multiple volunteers.
Minimum Age Requirement: Must be at least 21 years old to serve in this role.
• Recruits all volunteers.
• Is a member of the tournament planning committee.
• Works with the program delivery partner and tournament director during the event.
• Primary contact for all volunteers.
• Works closely with program delivery partner of FIRST Tech Challenge planning committee.
• Manages and inspires volunteers. FIRST relies heavily on dedicated volunteers to help staff and deliver successful events.
• Volunteer liaison – ensures that all volunteers have correct training, event schedules, and clear expectations for the day of the event.
Volunteer Check-in
This person is responsible for checking volunteers in at the start of the event, ensuring they sign consent and release forms, conflict of interest and disclosure statements, and providing the volunteers with their event day registration materials.
Lead Queuer
Lead queuers manage the flow of teams to and from the competition area. Lead queuers will work with the tournament director and the field tech advisor (FTA) to create unrestricted paths to and from the pit area to the competition area. Creating and managing a safe, orderly flow of robots/teams to and from the competition will help to keep all the matches running on time. Lead queuers will also properly stage alliances in holding areas, while ensuring the proper numbers of teams are in the queue. The lead queuer is an important part of the event management team, working directly with the tournament director, field tech advisor, and the queuing staff.
Prerequisite: Previous experience as a queuer.
• Serves as a guide to help the queuing staff ensure proper team flow to and from the competition area.
Queuer
Responsible for managing team traffic to and from the playing field. Stage and position teams in preparation for the start of matches. Play a critical role in ensuring smooth flow of match play and keeping the pace of the event.
• Escorts teams from the pit to the queuing area.
• Stage and position teams for matches.
• Restrict access to field for unauthorized individuals.
• Maintain an uninterrupted flow of teams to the playing field.
• Direct teams to fields, and from the field.
Lead Scorekeeper
The lead scorekeeper is the person responsible for making sure the scoring system is handled and set up correctly and that match scores are entered accurately. The scorekeeper helps the flow of the event and provides information and match scores to the teams and to the audience. •
Prerequisite: Previous experience as a scorekeeper.
Minimum Age Requirement: Must be at least 21 years old to serve in this role.
• Serves as a guide and resource to the scorekeeper who is responsible for entering match scores correctly into the scoring system.
Control System Advisor
The control system advisor (CSA) role is to help teams with robot control system related issues. The CSA works in collaboration with the field technical advisor (FTA) and robot inspectors, who may direct teams experiencing issues on the field or in the pits to the CSA for help. This position requires a high-level of technical knowledge and people skills and can affect the quality of the event.
Prerequisite: In-depth knowledge of the FIRST Tech Challenge Android based control system and diagnostic tools
Minimum Age Requirement: Must be at least 18 years old to serve in this role
• Provides in-depth technical support to help teams troubleshoot and resolve robot and control system issues
• Experienced with Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi direct networking
Scorekeeper Assistant
Manage and operate the scoring system. Play a critical role in ensuring smooth flow of match play and keeping the pace of the event.
• Set up the scoring system; ensure equipment works properly
• Manage scoring system displays, post match scores to audience and teams.
• Help with breakdown of Scoring System
Wi-Fi Technical Advisor
The wi-fi technical advisor (WTA) is also responsible for monitoring the wireless spectrum and troubleshooting wireless issues at large and critical FIRST Tech Challenge events. Not every FIRST Tech Challenge event will require a WTA. Most smaller events (less than 40 robots) do not need the skills of a WTA. The wi-fi technical advisor is the technical volunteer who helps ensure the wireless environment at an event is clean and not too noisy.
Minimum Age Requirement: Must be at least 18 years old to serve in this role.
• Monitors wireless activity to identify and resolve wireless issues
• Monitor the wireless environment and look for clues for potential malicious activity during an event
Judge
The primary role of a judge is to interview teams, and to decide which teams deserve an award based on team interviews, the robot, match play, and the engineering portfolio. Judges are paired in groups of 2-3 to interview a set number of teams before the competition beginning as well as interviews in the pit area.
• Interview and watch teams in the judging rooms, the pit, and on the playing field.
• Take part on judge panel to decide team award recipients.
Minimum Age Requirement: Must be at least 21 years old to serve in this role. Must be at least 3 years removed from a team to serve in this role.
Judge Advisor
The judge advisor coordinates the judging process, which includes facilitating group deliberation sessions, ensuring the award decisions are made, and the awards script is written. Sometimes the judge advisor trains judges and can help in scheduling the judging interviews. The judges, judge assistant, and judge match observers look to the judge advisor for training materials, schedules, and other general questions throughout the event.
Prerequisite: Previous experience as a judge or judge advisor.
Minimum Age Requirement: Must be at least 21 years old to serve in this role. Must be at least 3 years removed from a team to serve in this role
• Facilitates judge deliberations to help the judges in deciding which teams deserve which awards.
• Review expectations for the day and the schedule with the judges and assistants.
• Receive list of teams registered for the event and any that have received the inspire award.
Robot Inspector
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Field Reset
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Game Announcer / Emcee
The game announcer’s role is important to a successful event. The game announcer’s role is working with the emcee to:
• Introduce teams
• Provide play-by-play commentary
• Report the scores
Judge Match Observer
Most of the judges will be involved in the judge interviews and will not have much time to see the robots in action. Two or three judges should be asked to serve as judge match observers. Their role is to watch the action on the field and collect data on the quality of the robot performance.
Minimum Age Requirement: Must be at least 21 years old to serve in this role. Must be at least 3 years removed from a team to serve in this role
Pit Administrator
The pit administrator (or pit manager) is responsible for setting up the pit area,
• Trains the pit area volunteers.
• Manages all activities in the pit area including coordination of pit administration table and team interface.
• Responsible for making sure event attendees have the information they need about the event, provides high level of customer service.
• Collaborates with emergency medical technicians.
• Might be responsible for team and volunteer registration
Load-In/LoadOut Crew
These volunteers are responsible for either:
• Setting up the event before the competition OR
• Tearing down the event after the competition
Crowd Control
Facilitate smooth pedestrian traffic flow throughout the facility; monitor audience
• Keep aisles, hallways, and team traffic pathways clear in the pit and near the playing field
• Limits team, volunteer, and public access to field
• Monitor access to designated spaces
Floater
Volunteer floaters provide help in various areas.
• Frequently help with last-minute tasks identified by event staff
• Fill volunteer positions for volunteers who were assigned a specific position before the event but could not attend the event.
Head Referee
Refereeing at FIRST competitions is different from a traditional sporting event in the referees help the competitors to avoid breaking the rules of the game. Referees watch matches, identify rule violations, and “call” them. Head referees play a critical role in ensuring smooth flow of match play and keeping the pace of the event. The referees work under the direction of the head referee and may be needed to take part in deliberations about contested referee calls by teams. •
Prerequisite: Previous experience as a referee or head referee.
Minimum Age Requirement: Must be at least 21 years old to serve in this role. Must be at least 3 years removed from a team to serve in this role
Referee
Referees have two main role distinctions; watching matches to call penalties and tracking the status of the match. Referees report to the head referee. Play a critical role in ensuring smooth flow of match play and keeping the pace of the event.
Penalties
Watches team matches, identifies rule violations, and “calls” them. Referees help the competitors to avoid breaking the rules of the game. Referees take part in deliberations about contested calls, working directly through the head referee.
Scoring
Referees watch the status of the game and scoring elements during match play. There will be one referee assigned to the blue alliance side of the field, and the other to the red alliance side of the field. They may track the status of the field on paper, using scoresheets. Some tournaments may use live scoring, and the referee will use an application installed on either a phone or tablet to track the status of the field.
Minimum Age Requirement: Must be at least 21 years old to serve in this role. Must be at least 3 years removed from a team to serve in this role
• Watch matches, helps teams to avoid rule violations.
• “Call” rule violations when necessary; decide penalties. • Communicates penalties and rule violations to the penalty referee throughout the match.
• Take part in deliberations about contested calls.
• Watch, promote safe practices on and around the playing field
Field Technical Advisor
The field technical advisor (FTA) and field manager (FM) work together to keep the areas in and around the robot playing fields running smoothly. The FTA concentrates on the technical issues (robots, scoring software, etc.) and the FM is responsible for operational activities (team queuing, playing field reset, etc.).
Prerequisite: In depth knowledge of the FIRST Tech Challenge Android based control system and diagnostic tools
Minimum Age Requirement: Must be at least 21 years of age to serve in this role
• Pre-match and post-match robot triage.
• Providing as needed support to teams during match set-up.
• Explaining technical issues that may have affected match play to referees and students.
• Providing help for the scoring system.
• All the field manager’s responsibilities if the FTA and FM positions are combined.
Field Manager
Take part in field set-up and maintenance, directs activity on the field to ensure smooth execution of the matches. Plays a critical role in ensuring smooth flow of match play and keeping the pace of the event.
Prerequisite: Previous experience as a referee or head referee
Minimum Age Requirement: Must be at least 21 years old to serve in this role
• Field setup in collaboration with the technical advisor and tournament director
• Direct field reset
• Helps direct queuer volunteers to ensure teams are arriving to the field on time
• Help keep matches running on time
• Collaborate with the emcee and tournament director to watch and adjust game pace, as needed
• Watch and record team interactions, team behavior, and behavior that is questionable
Team Registration
Team registration volunteers are responsible for checking teams in at the start of the event, ensuring they have presented a complete team roster, and providing the teams with their event day registration materials. This can also be done as part of the pit administrator’s responsibilities.
Field Inspector
The field inspection is in place to ensure that every robot can successfully connect and compete in a match. The field inspector must also go through the field inspection checklist which includes verifying settings on the team’s Android device to reminding the teams to stay on time for each match. It is the responsibility of the field inspector to:
• Verify the team’s driver station and robot controller have the correct software and operating system.
• Verify the driver station and robot controller’s settings are comply with the rules in the Game Manual Part 1.
• Conduct practice matches to ensure the drivers station connects with the robot controller.
• Help the team to be successful.
• Be fair and apply the same level of thoroughness for every team.
Practice Field Monitor
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Photographer
This person captures the competition on film and/or video for archival and future publicity.