Houston Championship Itinerary
2019 Houston Championship Itinerary and Information
Itinerary: April 19th through Sunday April 24th
Tuesday
8:00 Kell Students drop off luggage in room 1304 - Kell Labs
12:30 - Kell Student pickup luggage and head to front of school
12:40 - prepare to load vehicles
1:00 pm - Depart Kell High School
3:00 pm - arrive at gate, Atlanta Airport
4:51 pm - depart Atlanta for Houston-Hobby, Flight Delta DL 1808
5:40 pm - Arrive Houston
7:00 pm - reception at hotel
7:15:pm - dinner at Paparruchos and Chipotle, find a chaperone
9:45 pm - short briefing and off to rooms
Wednesday
9:00 am - Arrive George W. Brown Convention Center
9:00 am - HOF Load-In
10:00 am - non-HOF Load-In
10:00 am - pit setup, 10 members in pit for HOF, 6 members in pit for non-HOF
11:30 am - 1:00 pm - Lunch (provided at HOF event)
1:00 pm to 3:10 pm - Hall of Fame Booth, 2+ students
Pit Setup
Team Check In at Pit Admin
Setup pit
Go immediately to robot inspection
Go immediately to CSA for radio configuration
Robot updates are to be done after inspection and configuration
5:00 pm - Mentor meeting with Frank Merrick, Director of FRC
5:00 pm - Driver meeting, on field
6:00 pm - Student meeting with Frank Merrick, Director of FRC
6:00 pm to 8:00 pm - Practice Matches and field connection
8:30 pm - Pits Close
Dinner TBD
Thursday
6:20 - Depart Hotel
7:00 - Arrive at Event
8:30 to 5:00 pm - Qualification Matches - Drive Team
8:30 - 10:30 Chairmans Chat, GRB 3rd level - Ed Barker
11:30 - 12:20 Novelis Conference, GRB 370B
noon-ish - Chick-Fil-A lunch
1:30 to 3:30 - Hall of Fame Booth, 2+ students
Evening - TBD
Friday
6:20 - Depart Hotel
7:00 - Arrive at Event
8:30 to 5:00 pm - Qualification Matches
9:00 to 11:30 - Hall of Fame Booth, 2+ students
noon-ish - Quiznos lunch
1:30 to 3:30 - Hall of Fame Booth, 2+ students
Evening - TBD
Saturday
Morning competition 6:20 - Depart Hotel
7:00 - Arrive at Event
7:30 Alliance Selections
8:30 till 1 pm is very TBD, load-out time is dependent upon our performance
2:30 till 8:30 Minute Maid Field for final matches, and closing ceremonies (Dinner at Astro's fields, student pays)
Sunday
8:30 - Depart Hotel
9:00 - NASA Houston Space Center
Noon - lunch at NASA, on your own
3:15 pm - depart NASA
3:30 pm - Lunch / dinner Five-Guys NASA
4:30 pm - arrive Houston-Hobby Airport
5:30 pm - arrive at gate, Houston-Hobby Airport
6:43 pm - depart Houston-Hobby for Atlanta, Flight Delta DL 1808
9:40 pm - arrive Atlanta
11:00 pm - arrive IC
Information to Know
FIRST Championship Website Information
FIRST Championship APP Download Link
Hotel Information
Hilton Garden Inn Houston Galleria, 3201 Sage Rd, Houston TX 77056 | Hotel: 713-629-0101 | Direct: 713-212-1504
Security and Venue Food Information
The most common question by folks who are new to attending Championship is “What should I expect?” The straightforward answer is “A lot". But a breakdown is in order.
Food
We have not yet settled food plans for Thursday, Friday, Saturday lunch, still working on it.
Saturday afternoon / evening, plan on eating some food at the Astros Minute Maid field, from one of the many food vendors. Plan accordingly.
Security
This is definitely a big deal. We are a large event that will have certain security protocols to follow thanks to guidance and direction given to the venue(s) by the Department of Homeland Security.
Thanks to our event being unique, certain policies are more lax than others but not all. Be prepared for a wait. You will have to pass through security to enter.
Any tool you need in the pit, queue, or field side should be packed and stowed with your other tools.
Due to the nature of the event all bags and boxes must be inspected upon arrival through pedestrian entry points no matter how many times you re-enter the venue.
PROHIBITED AND RESTRICTED ITEMS INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:
Aerosol cans (hairspray, mace, pepper spray, etc.)
Animals (except certified service animals to aid guests with disabilities)
Backpacks, luggage, grocery & paper bags, duffle bags, large bags, large purses or large camera cases.
Balloons (air or helium)
Balls (beach balls, footballs, etc.)
Banners or large flags
Cameras with extended lenses or detachable lenses are not permitted.
Selfie Sticks are also prohibited.
Decals, stickers, confetti or glitter
Drones and/or remote controlled aircraft
Electronic equipment including laptop computers, video recorders, GoPro cameras and tripods
Fireworks
Food, beverages or liquids (cans, bottles, boxes, flasks, etc.)
Illegal substances
Knives, pocket knives, box cutters, scissors, etc.
Laser pointers
Markers (permanent) and/or paint
Noisemaking devices (bells, horns, kazoos, whistles, etc.)
Objects that can be used as missiles or projectiles (sticks, bats, clubs, Frisbees, etc.)
Offensive or profane messages or images on signs and clothing. Must comply with standards of taste and decency
Seat cushions
Signs, posters, or banners
Strollers and infant car seats or carriers
Tablets or Ipads
Umbrellas (large size)
Weapons
No weapons are allowed in the stadium. Possession of a firearm or any other weapon is strictly forbidden. Possession of such a weapon will result in immediate confiscation, ejection and possible arrest. Only sworn on duty law enforcement officers acting in their official capacity are able to carry a weapon.
Speaker sessions
The will be a myriad of Speakers throughout the championship scheduled to speak. Make sure you check the schedule and plan accordingly to check these things out.
Field Seating
Seating is not reserved and holding seats is not permitted. So, make plans to assign certain folks to sit in the stands for scouting, etc. Be respectful and especially during Playoffs, make room for others to sit as well.
Celebrities
The pits are in the exhibit halls of the convention center. And as such there will be a dedicated robot path for teams to enter and exit the competition fields. IF, a celebrity is in the pits (on the field, etc.), either as a mentor to a team (Grant Imahara, Will.i.am, etc.) or to see the event in action, please do not block the path by queuing up to meet them. This causes backups for teams trying to enter and exit the fields.
***Please note, the celebrities are there to support what FIRST is about and to see you do well. Remember you are there because of the hard work and dedication you put in to the season. Please remember to use gracious professionalism when you meet these folks. They want to see you at work, not fangirling over them. Focus on your task, if you have free time and want to meet them. Try not to interrupt the celebrity when they are with other teams interacting with them in their pit or on the field.
In Conclusion
REMEMBER to have fun. This is a competition and we want you to focus, but do not become over stressed about the outcome of the event. We are all there to celebrate our accomplishments and it is a big deal to just make it to the Championship. Remember that. HAVE FUN...