Kick Off Video

As promised, the videos of Kick Off Day are posted under the Video menu of this site. Check out the first video below then click on the Video menu to view the rest.

TVA Presents Check

The Tennessee Valley Authority recently provided a donation in support of Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics. The check, presented by Jason Harper, Manager of Valley Relations for TVA, was presented  to Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics Hub and Friends of Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics leadership at Northeast Alabama Community College. On hand to receive the donation was (left to right) Nicole Carroll, Sherry Whitten, Jason Harper (presenting check), Mike Kennamer, Sheila Shepard, Deni Adkins, and Dennis Lester.

Friends of Northeast Alabama BEST and Northeast Alabama Community College appreciate the support of TVA. 

New Battery Connectors

Leave the white connector (left) plugged into the charger and cortex unit.

The new connectors for the Vex batteries have arrived. Nicole Carroll will be contacting each team leader over the next couple of weeks to trade out batteries with the new connectors for the ones that you received with the old connectors. All the batteries are new, so you won't be compromising power or quality by swapping out the batteries.

Here is what we are doing. The white connector is susceptible to failure after significant use. We are placing the red and black connectors between the battery and the white connector. Since you have two batteries you can leave one connector plugged into your cortex unit and one plugged into your charger. Keep them plugged in and disconnect/reconnect your batteries using the red and black connectors.

We will explain more when we drop off the batteries. Just be prepared to swap out your two old batteries for the two new ones with the improved connectors. As always, let us know if you have questions.

The Challenge: Kick Off Video

Missed Kick Off Day? Don't worry, videos of the event are posted under the Video menu on this site. Here is the Challenge video. Enjoy!

T Shirt Design Contest

Although it is optional, please remember that there will be a T shirt design contest this year. To enter, teams should bring one of their team T shirts to the Marketing Presentation day on October 24. Any size is fine, but the shirt will not be returned. Shirts will be judged on creativity and how well the shirt represents this year's theme.

Warp XX and Northeast Alabama BEST logos may be downloaded from the Team Resources page and may be used on team T shirts. Be creative, and show your school/team pride by entering the Tshirt design contest.

Winning shirt designs will be recognized on Game Day. Good luck!

Sponsor Highlight: Scottsboro Kiwanis Club

While the Northeast Alabama BEST Hub is hosted by Northeast Alabama Community College, it receives a significant amount of support from its partner agencies and sponsors. One such sponsor is Scottsboro Kiwanis Club.

The Scottsboro Kiwanis Club is part of Kiwanis International. Kiwanis International is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time.

We appreciate their support!

Practice Day Sign Up

Although it is unclear as to whether we will have space to set up all four towers or only two on practice day (depends on space available), the main schedule for practice day has been determined.

Each team will be able to sign up for on of the following time slots:

• 8:00 - 10:00 am- Teams A and B
• 10:00 - 12:00 noon - Teams C and D
• 12:00 - 2:00 pm - Teams E and F
• 2:00 - 4:00 pm - Teams G and H
• 4:00 - 6:00 pm - Teams I and J

At the leadership team meeting on Friday, team numbers were randomized to determine the order in which teams will be able to select time slots. In order of the random selection, each team will be asked to select a time slot (by letter).

Team leaders will be contacted by Nicole Carroll to ask for their selection of a time. This arrangement will give each team two consecutive hours with one hour on a right tower and another hour on a left tower. If additional space is available, we may be able to offer more practice time.