Welcome to all the teams!
Chesapeake Regional Lingo
- USNA: United States Naval Academy
- Halsey Field House: on the USNA, where the event is held; also home of The Armel-Leftwich Visitor Center
- Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium: Shuttle pick-up and drop-off. (Exact location will be updated). Not on the Academy grounds, but rather about 2 miles from the USNA.
- Annapolis: Home of the nation's oldest statehouse in continuous legislative use, historic 18th century seaport "city" with winding streets, cobblestone roads, limited parking, surrounded by water. City Dock, with restaurants is a 10-minute walk from Halsey. www.visitannapolis.org has an excellent visitor guide booklet you can request. Annapolis is 30-45 minutes from Baltimore and Washington DC. The closest airport is BWI. Some teams combined the trip with a visit to their representatives and to see the sights in Washington DC last year
- Gate 1: Entry closest to the Halsey. Not to be confused with Gate 8, about a mile away. Team vehicles will use Gate 8. The USNA is a big place.
Access to the Academy Grounds: http://www.usna.edu/FIRST/ (To be updated).
My team will be arriving by bus (school or charter):
1. Need to fill out a pass and submit no later than (to be updated). Vehicles without pre-approved passes will not be granted access to the USNA, no exceptions made. A separate form is needed for each bus. http://www.usna.edu/FIRST/ (to be updated).
2. You should get a response once your form is submitted.
3. Bus will enter Gate 8 and drop off at Halsey. Exit at Gate 1. Follow the signage.
4. Driver can then drive to Stadium to park, take shuttle bus back to the Halsey for the day, return to the Stadium to pick up bus, and then return to Halsey through Gate 8 at the assigned time to pick up the students. Please do not have all the students ride the shuttle bus to return to the Stadium, as it will create the delays.
5. Make sure each person has a photo ID. School-issued student picture ID's are accepted. Those without picture government issued or picture school ID cannot enter the USNA.
6. There is some construction around the Stadium and around Halsey. Please be warned to allow extra time.
My team will be arriving by van (rental or institutional):
1. Need to fill out a pass and submit no later than (to be updated). Vehicles without pre-approved passes will not be granted access to the USNA, no exceptions made. A separate form is available for each van. http://www.usna.edu/FIRST/ (to be updated).
2. You should get a response once your form is submitted
3. Van will enter Gate 8 and drop off at Halsey. Exit Gate 1. Follow the signage.
4. Driver can then drive to Stadium to park, take shuttle bus back to the Halsey for the day, return to the Stadium by shuttle to pick up van, and then return to Halsey through Gate 8 at the assigned time to pick up the students. Please do not have all the students ride the shuttle bus to return to the Stadium, as it will create the delays.
5. Make sure each person has a photo ID. School-issued student picture ID's are accepted. Those without picture government issued or picture school ID cannot enter the USNA.
6. There is construction around the Stadium and around Halsey. Please be warned to allow extra time.
My team will be arriving by private car:
1. No private cars will be allowed access onto the USNA grounds.
2. An exception is made for private cars with handicapped tags, or DOD stickers, but be prepared to show documentation.
3. Team members should be dropped by Gate 1, go through Security and walk to Halsey next door. They can arrange to be picked up outside of Gate 1. This will help to reduce the crowding on the shuttles.
4. Make sure each person has a photo ID. School-issued student picture ID's are accepted. Those without picture government issued or picture school ID cannot enter the USNA.
Tool Vehicle-My team is coming by bus/van/car and we have extra tools that do not fit in our bus/van.
1. Can assign one personal truck or van to be the team "Tool vehicle".
2. Need to fill out a pass and submit no later than (to be updated). Vehicles without pre-approved passes will not be granted access to the USNA, no exceptions made. A separate form is available for "Tool Vehicles" http://www.usna.edu/FIRST/ (to be updated).
3. You should get a response once your form is submitted
4. The driver must be the same as registered on the form.
5. Tool vehicles will only be allowed on the USNA on
· Thursday March 13, am,
· Sat. March 15 pm.
6. Tool Vehicle will enter Gate 8 and drop off at Halsey.
7. The vehicle may only drop off; no parking allowed and this vehicle may be pulled aside for extra inspection at the gate, so allow plenty of time.
8. After drop off, the tool vehicle can return to the Stadium to park, and take the shuttle back to Halsey.
9. Make sure each person has a photo ID. Student picture ID's are accepted. Those without picture government issued or picture school ID cannot enter the USNA.
10. There is no Tool vehicle shuttle this year, supplied by the event.
My team is staying nearby and walking.
1. Read information about Tool vehicle.
2. Enter and exit through Gate 1, go through Security to Halsey.
3. Make sure each person has a photo ID. School-issued student picture ID's are accepted. Those without picture government issued or picture school ID cannot enter the USNA.
Parking:
- Parking is off-site at the Stadium (see Chesapeake Regional Lingo above). There will be no parking on the USNA grounds.
- Halsey is near Gate 1. A shuttle bus will be running between the Stadium and Halsey. Parking will be free to everyone involved in FIRST.
- For information about parking in Annapolis: http://www.visitannapolis.org/
Shipping:
Hotels & Hiring Buses:
· The Annapolis Conference and Visitors Bureau can serve as a clearinghouse to assist the teams seeking hotels.
This group has assisted many teams the past two years. Teams have already started making reservations. Annapolis has been chosen by National Geographic Adventure magazine as one of the country's top ten waterfront towns! http://www.visitannapolis.org/
Food:
- Yes, the rumor is true. You can bring your own food into Halsey. No food allowed in the stands! As long as teams continue to clean up, the Chesapeake Regional can continue to offer this benefit.
- More information will be coming about the pre-order lunch option. Many places to eat within 10 minutes walking to City Dock outside Gate 1. On USNA grounds is the Drydock Restaurant.
Schedule:
· [not yet posted but will be similar to previous years] NEMO resources page has some great papers, including "Competition Tips-What to Expect" http://www.firstnemo.org/resources.htm
Student Volunteers:
· We welcome the participation of student singers for opening ceremonies, and student ambassadors for tours. Send me the names of students interested, along with your team number. jbeatty@usfirst.org
Team Showcase:
- Each year the planning committee receives requests from the teams for space to put up a booth or table, to demonstrate a product or to give-away cool stuff. We are impressed by the creativity and initiative shown by the teams. However, with 60+ teams at Chesapeake, we have a shortage of space.
Last year, we piloted a successful “Showcase” area. The first 20 teams who register will be assigned a one-hour time slot on Thursday March 19, between 9-7 pm, starting on the hour. The team will be allowed a standard 2’ by 6’ table at a site in the pits. Two teams at two tables will be featured in the Showcase at the same time.
Teams will be responsible for staffing this table during their assigned hour. They may display a banner. They may give-away items that fit the guidelines listed here: http://www.usfirst.org/uploadedfiles/community/frc/events/2008/2008_MD_SiteInfo.pdf. They may demonstrate a product. They may conduct a training session. [No selling of products or selling/giving out food is allowed.]
To register, send Jenny Beatty jbeatty@usfirst.org your team #, the team contact for the Showcase and a brief description of what your team would like to do during your 59 minutes. An agenda of the Showcase will be given to all the teams at the Chesapeake.
We will rely on the cooperation of the teams participating to make this work. We will only be able to accommodate the first 20 teams who sign up.
