FRC BIOCORE Blog: Volume 7 | FIRST Washington

FIRST Washington Grant will open next week

FIRST Washington Grants will open next Monday, 9-14. You can find past communications regarding funding and the link to the grant application here: https://firstwa.org/firstwa-grant/

Remember:

You will have to fill out a grant application to be considered for any funding that FIRST Washington manages

The grant form will need to be filled out for each team you would like to be considered for funding

Grants will no longer be deducted from your FIRST Washington registration, they will be issued separately based on the info you submit in the grant application as well as your school requirements (if you are a school based team)

Off-Season Events

If you are planning to attend an off season event this fall, please register ASAP!

Off-season events are hosted and run by individual FRC teams, not FIRST Washington. This means each event’s participation requirement(s), fees, and timelines may vary. All events will utilize the REBUILT game.

Storm Surge – Cancelled

Dates: September 26 – 27

Location: Vancouver, WA

Oregon Girls Generation and FIRST Chance

Dates:

Girls Gen October 3

FIRST Chance October 4

Location: Wilsonville, OR

Registration for Girls Gen and FIRST Chance

Both events are relaxed, welcoming, and focused on building experience, community, and excitement for the season ahead. Whether you’re mentoring rookies, building leadership, or just eager to get back on the field—don’t miss these chances to grow.

Please register soon and let us know your team will attend! We need to confirm there are enough teams, and early registration helps volunteers planning both events. Use this link to register.

Wilsonville HS, 6800 SW Wilsonville Rd

Girls Generation: This event gives underrepresented team members the chance to drive the robot and/or lead the pit crew, and gain confidence in competition roles – many for the first time. Contact us if your team would like to participate but you don’t have enough girls or non-binary students for a drive team.

Sat, Oct 3

Registration fee is $100.

FIRST Chance: Your team’s chance to test, train, and learn! A competition for all team members to gain experience in new competition roles, especially students who are new to FRC.

Sun, Oct 4

Registration fee is $200 (lower fee this year!)

Link to Register for both events.

Both Girls Generation and FIRST Chance will use last season’s REBUILT field, giving teams a great opportunity to build on what they’ve already learned or try out new strategies in a familiar setting.

Please contact ORTOP if you have questions about registration, including fees, bringing a second robot or attendance at Girls Gen. We want to reduce barriers to participation and will work with your team to help you attend if cost or team member availability are barriers.

Bordie Through Time

Dates: October 9 – 10

Location: Bellevue, WA

We are excited to announce that the 6th annual Bordie Blast – Bordie Through Time is open for Registration! Join us for an action-packed weekend on October 10-11, 2026 (with setup and optional load-in on the 9th).

Event Details:

Dates: October 10-11, 2026

Location: Sammamish High School, Bellevue, WA

Registration Fee: $300

Registration: Register Here

Volunteer Sign-Up: Volunteer Here

Washington Girls Generation

Dates: October 17 – 18

Location: Maple Valley, WA

Bear Metal is excited to announce team registration for the 2026 Washington Girls’ Generation event is now open! The event will take place at Tahoma High School on October 17th and 18th, with optional load-in on the 16th. The cost to register is $300 per team. All information can be found at: https://tahomarobotics.org/2026-wa-girls-generation The link to sign up is: https://forms.gle/9emMHqhDjRZPmLac6. All spectators are welcome and we hope to see you there!

Volunteer call for Girls Gen:

When our team held its first Washington Girls’ Generation competition in the Fall of 2012, we used the event to help train key volunteers for the transition to the FRC District model. By the time, the PNW switched to the district model in 2014, several key volunteers who cut their teeth at Girls’ Gen were well prepared to fill these roles. A number of these key volunteers are still active in the PNW and the FIRST Championship.

It was recommended to me that we try this again in hopes of bringing more volunteers into the PNW. For this year’s Girls’ Generation we’re looking for some new volunteers in each of the following areas.

Master of Ceremonies (Age requirement 18+)

Game Announcer (Age requirement 18+)

Queuer

Audio Visual Technician

Referee (Age requirement 18+)

Scorekeeper (Age requirement 18+)

Robot Inspector (Age requirement 18+) We plan on having an optional mock inspection process at the event

Our goal is to have seasoned veteran volunteers in each of these roles to provide support and guidance. If you think that you might be interested in volunteering for this year’s Girls’ Generation event in Washington, fill out the form linked here. These positions are not limited to women only. Anyone is welcome to help. We cannot guarantee that you will be given a volunteer role, but we’ll do our best to find you a spot.

Also, our team is always in need of additional volunteer support with set up and tear down. I’ll put those options in the form as well if you would like to support.

Block Party 2026

Dates: October 24&25, 2026

Location: Mill Creek, WA

Fee: $400 (additional $200 for a second robot if space permits)

Make The Last Weekend of PNW Off-Season count!

Close out REBUILT with one final weekend in the PNW at 2910’s 2026 PNW Block Party!

Enjoy two days of full-on competition on a real field, with qualification matches, alliance selection, and double-elimination playoffs.