Next Coaches Chat is scheduled for tonight (Jan 27) at 7:00 pm

Our January coaches chat will be an opportunity for coaches to come together to: 

• Talk about the work their team is doing 

• Problem solve with other coaches 

• Chat about how the season in general is going for them 

We wil have a short presentation at the beginning.  The rest of this time is for all of you.  Feel free to come if you like and if you are busy building the robot and can’t come, that is no problem!   

This chat may not be recorded/uploaded.  I think the value in this will be the dialog so we may not post the recording after. 

Click here to attend the meeting 

Reminder of Advocacy Request – Washington Teams Only 

Hi FIRST Washington Community, 

This is a reminder to please take action and contact your state legislators by January 28 if you have not already done so. As shared in our previous message, this outreach should take only a few minutes and involves identifying your legislators, finding their email addresses, and sending three brief emails on behalf of your team. 

Detailed instructions and a sample email were included in the previous email from Fred Krug on January 22nd (You can also find the information on our website here: https://firstwa.org/wa-state-outreach/ ) Your outreach is critical as we work to build a strong case during the current Supplemental Legislative Session to reinstate state funding that directly supports teams across Washington. Hearing directly from students in their districts helps legislators understand the real and immediate impact of this funding on access, equity, and opportunity within our robotics community. 

Workshops/Quiet Room at events 

Workshops: 

Workshops are great at events but take extra work.  If you are interested in hosting a workshop, please fill out this form The deadline to submit for a workshop is February 6. 

Quiet Room: 

We had lots of people asking us about quiet rooms last year.  FIRST Washington is unable to manage quiet room sign ups at events.  Volunteers do need to sign up for the role through their firstinspires dashboard to make sure they have passed youth protection screening.  Many adults enjoy taking a shift in the quiet room to give them a break from the noise and craziness of the event! 

Please consider hosting the quiet room, we are happy to work with you and give you contact info for the folks to sign up.  Fill out this form by Feb 6 if you’re willing to be a quiet room host for an event. 

Accommodations at events (accessibility not hotel accommodations) 

In the PNW, we work VERY hard to make sure everyone has a great experience at our events. 

We are aware of the needs at some of our events, but if you don’t tell us, we may not be aware of your team’s need. Please fill out this form to let us know if your team needs any accommodations. The earlier you fill out the form, the more likely we will be able to accommodate your request. Understand, we may not be able to accommodate everyone’s needs. We are a small organization and venues vary. Please be gracious and kind if we can’t exactly meet your need the way you would like. The earlier you make us aware of a need, the greater chance we may be able to make an accommodation. 

Important Dates

FIRST Force Scrimmage – 2026

 Once again, FIRST Force will hold an FRC scrimmage at Corvallis High School in Corvallis, Oregon on February 22, 2026.  

This is a great opportunity for all teams to test and tune your robots, practice driving, and see what other teams are planning before the first competition. FIRST Force has even purchased a half-field of game pieces for this event.

Registration is free for teams who were new to FIRST® in 2025 or 2026 and for FIRST Force member teams.  A $100.00 registration fee for all other teams helps provide materials to build game elements and game pieces.. 

Read more about the event in Scrimmage Nuts and Bolts. 

Complete the registration form to make sure your space is reserved.  You can also contact denise@firstforceteams.org if you have any questions.  

We look forward to seeing you at scrimmage in February. 

URGENT Action Alert-Requesting Reinstatement of State Funding for the next Washington FIRST Robotics Season – Washington Teams Only 

  Hi FIRST Washington Community! 

  As most of you recall, our robotics community in Washington lost critical state funding last year, funding that was paired with additional philanthropy to ensure all teams have support purchasing equipment, paying registration fees, and funding travel.   

  The Supplemental Session of the Washington State Legislature is now in session, and we need you to contact your state legislators in the next few days. 

  We are building a case to request that funding be reinstated for the coming year and need your team’s help in requesting that your legislators submit the attached budget requests. 

 Please watch for an important communication from FIRST Washington President Fred Krug tomorrow.  

Important Dates

Next Coaches Chat is scheduled for January 27 at 7:00 pm 

Wow, this game looks exciting and challenging!!  I LOVE that they have “excavated” pieces of prior seasons and compiled them to create this game.  It looks like our teams will have some great challenges!! 

Our January coaches chat will be an opportunity for coaches to come together to: 

• Talk about the work their team is doing 

• Problem solve with other coaches 

• Chat about how the season in general is going for them 

We may not have any formal presentation but if we do it will be short.  This time is for all of you.  Feel free to come if you like and if you are busy building the robot and can’t come, that is no problem!   

This chat may not be recorded/uploaded.  I think the value in this will be the dialog so we may not post the recording after. 

We need Judges 

 
 Western Washington coaches, mentors & parents:  We are in dire need of FLL Judges at our Covington Semi Final this weekend!  It takes a village to run and staff all of our events (we run over 75 competitions in a season!) Please consider signing up to judge either Saturday or Sunday if you are able and share this information with your mentors and parents! 

You can sign up from your dashboard or click the links below to go directly to the event to sign up 

Covington Semi Final Saturday 1-17 

Covington Semi Final Sunday 1-18 

All FRC Coaches, mentors & parents:  We are doing our FTC Dean’s List judging remotely starting 1-19 and running through 1-25.  We are still looking for judges for the following sessions: 

Monday, 1-19:  5:45 pm – 8:15 pm 

Tuesday, 1-20:  5:45 pm – 8:15 pm 

Wednesday, 1-21 5:45 pm – 8:15 pm 

Thursday, 1-22:  5:45 pm – 8:15 pm 

Friday, 1-23:  5:45 pm – 8:15 pm 

Saturday, 1-24:  8:45 am – 11:15 am 

Saturday, 1-24:  11:45 am – 2:15 pm 

Saturday, 1-24:  2:15 pm – 5:45 pm 

Sunday, 1-25: 11:45 am – 2:25 pm 

Though these interviews are remote, the process is very similar to FRC and will give coaches some great insight as to what the process looks like in the judge room.  If you are available, please sign up for the Washington Dean’s List Interview event on your firstinspires dashboard or follow this link  In the comments section, please note the days/times you are available.  We ask that judges fill an entire block so if you aren’t available for the entire time, don’t list that particular day/time. 

Important Dates