Jubilee BEST Hosts First Game Day of 2013

2013 Gatekeeper game creators, Jubilee BEST, hosted the first game day of 2013 last Saturday. As game creators, the Mobile, Alabama-area hub tested all the systems before other hubs start their game days in the coming weeks. The excitement of the first game day of the year has given your Northeast Alabama BEST staff game day fever. We are excited to see what you will do with this year's challenge!

The Clock is Ticking...BEST 2013 Has Begun!

We were excited to see everyone Saturday as we kicked off Gatekeeper 2013. Between 250 and 300 people attended the kick off of Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics  on the campus of Northeast Alabama Community College. After a  reveal of this year's theme, the hub offered a number of training sessions including both general sessions and breakout sessions.

Stevie B's pizza, was a hit for lunch and students enjoyed viewing the field as they began to concoct their plans for a robot that will build CPUs.

Dr. LaRonda Conley, representing the Missile Defense Agency STEM Outreach, was on hand to witness the kick off. Rick Roden, president and CEO of the Greater Jackson County Chamber of Commerce served as emcee and will continue as emcee for the 2013 BEST season.

The next event of the season is technical training day on September 28. Registration is open at http://technicaltraining.eventbrite.com/.

Announcing BEST 2013 Teams

The following teams have registered for BEST Robotics 2013:

• Bridgeport Middle School - Team 412
• Brindlee Mountain Middle School - Team 411
• Crossville High School - Team 413
• DeKalb County Technology Center - Team 410
• Fort Payne High School - Team 406
• Fyffe High School - Team 408
• Ider High School - Team 407
• Marshall Technical School - Team 401
• Pisgah High School - Team 404
• Woodville High School - Team 403

We look forward to working with each of these teams, their coaches, and their mentors as they tackle //GATEKEEPER_2013//.

Kick Off is One Month Away

Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics will kick off the 2013 season one month from today. The Kick Off event will be held in the Tom Bevill Lyceum on the Northeast Alabama Community College campus on Saturday, September 21, 2013. Registration will begin at 8:00 am. All participants should be seated and ready to kick off by 8:25 am.

The schedule will be released soon, but expect to be here from 8:00 am until 2:00 pm. Lunch will be provided.

What can you do to be ready?

• Think about key roles with your team. Who will do what? Plan to attend training sessions relevant to your role.
• Brush up on your programming skills. There are a number of resources available at the BEST, Inc. website.
• Review last year's 42 Days of BEST. Start to plan your calendar accordingly. The 2013 42 Days of BEST calendar will be posted soon.
• Review last year's presentations at this site. Click on Team Resources in the menu bar.
• Mark relevant BEST 2013 dates on your calendar:
• September 21 - Kick Off
• October 24 - Practice Day
• November 2 - Game Day

Get ready! Kick Off will be here before you know it!

Kick Off Schedule Nearly Ready

Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics volunteers are preparing an exciting Kick Off Day for you this year. While the schedule is not completely ready for release, we can tell you that Kick Off will take place on Saturday, September 21. Doors of the Tom Bevill Lyceum will open at 8:00 am. All teams should be registered and ready for an 8:30 am kick off. Lunch will be provided, and the day should be over no later than 2:00 pm.

What's in store for Kick Off Day?

• Announcement of this year's challenge
• Kit pick up
• Training sessions

So mark your calendars and plan to be at Northeast Alabama Community College on September 21 for kick off day.

New Returnable Kits Ready? Yes They Are!

We received a shipment last week from Vex Robotics that
allowed us to prepare six new returnable kits for 2013. These kits were purchased from a grant provided by the Missile Defense Agency, and will allow us to accept 6 new teams into BEST Robotics this year.

The college has also ordered kits to replace those that were purchased last year by teams and to refurbish those that were turned in at the end of the 2012 season. Those supplies should be here soon.

Do you know of a school who wants to start a BEST team for 2013? It's not too late. Just have someone from the school to contact Mrs. Nicole Carroll at 256-228-6001, ext. 2254 or via email at carrolln@nacc.edu.

Ready to Register for 2013 BEST Robotics?

As crazy as it seems, BEST Robotics registration for Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics 2013 is just around the corner. Details regarding registration will be posted here beginning on May 6.

We will no longer use Robot Events, so there is no need to register there. Please stay tuned for more important information about the 2013 season.

Teams who competed last year will retain the same team numbers; new teams will receive a team number on kick off day.

Tentative 2013 Dates Changed

Due to changes in available game days by Best Robotics, Inc. and the release of BEST Q&A, we have changed our tentative kickoff, practice, and game days. Once venues have been secured, these dates will be locked in. Keep an eye on list on the right side of the screen for any changes in dates.

2013 BEST Robotics: Gatekeeper

2013 is here! In just a few short months BEST Robotics, Inc. will be releasing details of the 2013 game, called Gatekeeper. This game is being developed by Jubilee BEST, located in Mobile, Alabama. Check out the teaser video here.


In addition, Friends of BEST in Alabama will be providing educational content that will help prepare teams for BEST 2013. Please read the letter from Jubilee BEST below:

Greetings from Jubilee BEST in Mobile, Alabama!

We are honored and excited to develop the 2013 BEST game, “Gatekeeper”. The official teaser video is posted on www.bestinc.org and www.jubileebest.org. Once you watch the video, it will be obvious the 2013 game theme is technology…the “T” in BEST.

We recognize the world of technology changes rapidly; one of our goals as game developers is to encourage BEST teams to gain a greater understanding of the technology that surrounds them on a daily basis. We have created 18-weeks of educational fun that will kick-off Sunday, January 20th! Each week (Sunday evenings) a new topic will be posted on www.jubileebest.org. Robots, computers, cell phones, electricity, and manufacturing are only a few themes that will be explored.

Weekly activities will contain components for students to participate on their own or activities geared towards educators which can be incorporated into their classroom. Please note, this is not curriculum, it’s only resources and ideas to encourage “thinking”. Activities are well suited for bell ringers at the beginning of class, enrichment assignments, elective course activities, or after-school robotics clubs.

We will promote the 18-weeks of activities on the BEST Robotics Facebook page. Teams will be encouraged to post photos and videos of various activities throughout the spring. Become a Facebook fan and follow the fun!

As we all know, one of the exciting moments of BEST is seeing the highly secretive game field unveiled on Kick-Off Day! These resources will contain subtle hints of game components, but in no way will reveal the game. Our goal is to keep students engaged and using their critical thinking skills during the off-season. We do encourage the students to brainstorm and try to “guess” amongst themselves what the 2013 game components will be. 

Want a Sneak Peek at Next Year's Game Teaser?

Those of you who were at South's BEST already saw it! But Jubilee BEST (Mobile, AL), which is designing the 2013 game, has posted the teaser on their website. We have been unable to embed it here, but you may follow this link to Jubilee BEST's site to check it out!