Boeing Grant is open! 

The grant is open October 20 through November 14th or until all funds are exhausted. If you have a Boeing Mentor, I encourage you all to apply early for 2 reasons: 

1. To ensure you are allocated funding before it runs out (this happened to many of our FRC teams a few years ago)

    

2. With the grant opening so late, to ensure your funding has been allocated prior to event registration closing.  When we do invoices, we have to apply grant funding based on how FIRST has applied those funds.  If your Boeing funds don’t show as applied on FIRST’s end when we invoice, they will not show on your FIRST Washington invoice.  You will have to wait until FIRST opens their regrant window and will have to request a regrant to access those funds. 

Your Boeing Mentor should have access to the grant through an internal system. 

Next FRC Coaches Chat, 7 PM Thursday, October 23 

Our next coaches chat is scheduled for this Thursday, October 23 at 7:00 pm.  Please make sure to have one coach attend if possible. 

We are trying something new this season and will have a guest presenter  October, November and December coaches chats.   

For this chat, we have asked Emil from 2928 to do a presentation talking about how to become a 501c3 

I will still be going over critical information during this meeting as well so again, plese make sure to have one adult attend. 

Click here for the meeting link. 

Second round of preferencing closes at 9 am Thursday 

To preference for your second event, both coaches must have passed youth protection screening and signed consents so if you were able to preference during the first round (which all of you were!) Do not change coaches unless your new coach is through screening.   

A few things to note about your second round of preferencing: 

• Teams are no longer guaranteed their home event.  If you did not pick your home event during the first round of preferencing, you are no longer guaranteed space at that event. 

• Just like the first round of preferencing, the window will close next Thursday at 9 am.  You can pick your preferences any time during that window.  I recommend that you make sure you have entered your preferences by Wednesday evening. 

According to an email from FIRST this morning, most of you have not submitted your preferences for your second event yet.  Don’t wait until the last minute, make sure they are submitted today! 

Important Dates

Second round of preferencing opens at 9 am Thursday 

To preference for your second event, both coaches must have passed youth protection screening and signed consents so if you were able to preference during the first round (which all of you were!) Do not change coaches unless your new coach is through screening.   

A few things to note about your second round of preferencing: 

• Teams are no longer guaranteed their home event.  If you did not pick your home event during the first round of preferencing, you are no longer guaranteed space at that event. 

• Just like the first round of preferencing, the window will close next Thursday at 9 am.  You can pick your preferences any time during that window.  I recommend that you make sure you have entered your preferences by Wednesday evening. 

Next FRC Coaches Chat, 7 PM Thursday, October 23 

Our next coaches chat is scheduled next Thursday, October 24 at 7:00 pm.  Please make sure to have one coach attend if possible. 

Click here for the meeting link. 

Important Dates

Kickoff registration is open!

All teams need to either register for an in person kickoff or select to be a my site.  Here are a few things to note: 

• FIRST is asking for teams to enter a shipping address even if they are registering for an in person kickoff.   This is in case something needs to be shipped to teams after kickoff. 

• If you select MySite, your kickoff kit will not ship to you until after kickoff which means any game piece, etc won’t be received by your team until a week or so after kickoff.  Additionally, there is a charge to have your kit shipped to you.  That charge will be included on your registration invoice. 

Link to last weeks FRC Coaches Chat 

If you missed last week’s coaches chat, you can view the slides and recording here:  https://firstwa.org/webinars/  

Reminder from the Finance Department 

Please make sure your team number is clearly included on ALL donations sent on behalf of your team. This includes checks, volunteer matches, and ACH deposits. 

If for any reason a team number cannot be included, it’s essential that you communicate directly with the Finance Department to ensure proper allocation.(accounting@firstwa.org) 

⚠️ Without a team number, we cannot guarantee that funds will be credited to your team’s booster account. 

Thank you for helping us keep everything organized and accurate! 

Important Dates

Event Preferencing closes at 9 am Thursday 

Event preferencing for you first event  

📖 For full details, check out the FRC Event Preference Guide. 

Don’t miss your chance—make sure your team is event ready before September 25 so you can take advantage of the first preferencing window! 

Not sure if you are event ready?  Click here to see your status. 

****Important****  If you pick an event other than your home event, you may end up on the waitlist once events are posted Thursday afternoon/Friday morning.  This is normal.  I will be working with FIRST to move everyone into events on Friday and Monday.  Please do not email me if you end up on a waitlist, I will not respond to your email. If you are still on a waitlist Tuesday, October 7, you will receive an email from me by the end of the day letting you know what your options are. 

FRC Coaches Chat 

📅 Tonight, September 30 @ 7:00 pm 

At least one adult per team should attend. Topics include: 

• How to preference for events (and when/how you’ll know your placement) 

• Important season dates and deadlines 

• Invoicing timeline and season costs 

To attend this meeting click here —please forward to any adult who should attend. 

Important Dates

Event Preferencing opens Thursday! 

Be Event Ready Before Preferencing Opens 

At the beginning of every season, coaches need to log into their FIRST dashboard to update consent forms and acknowledgements. Make sure you do this early so you don’t get held up when the FIRST Preferencing Window opens later this month. 

To be event ready, both Lead Mentor 1 and 2 must: 

• Sign consent and acknowledgement forms on their dashboard 

• Be current with their Youth Protection Screening (YPP) 

Please note:  FIRST has updated their system and if you haven’t logged in since that update, you will be asked to reset your password.  I recommend doing that earlier this week so that you are prepared when you log in to preference for your first event. 

You will not be able to preference if both Lead 1 and 2 are not current with these requirements. Don’t wait until the last minute—when everyone submits screenings at once, the process takes longer! 

📖 For full details, check out the FRC Event Preference Guide. 

Don’t miss your chance—make sure your team is event ready before September 25 so you can take advantage of the first preferencing window! 

Not sure if you are event ready?  Click here to see your status. 

Events are posted on firstinspires.org

To make it easier, here is the event schedule for 2026: 

FRC Coaches Chat 

📅 Tuesday, September 30 @ 7:00 pm 

At least one adult per team should attend. Topics include: 

• How to preference for events (and when/how you’ll know your placement) 

• Important season dates and deadlines 

To attend this meeting click here —please forward to any adult who should attend. 

Register with FIRST Washington

Please register with FIRST Washington by September 26. This ensures: 

• We know your team plans to participate this season (otherwise we may not have confirmation until after preferencing closes). 

• We have the correct contact information for invoicing. 

• You gain access to FIRST Washington Grants (most funding goes to Washington teams, but some Oregon teams have received funding in past years as well). 

 FIRST Washington Registration Form 

Not sure if you are registered with FIRST Washington?  Click here to see your status 

Important Dates

Make sure you are ready to preference next week! 

Be Event Ready Before Preferencing Opens 

At the beginning of every season, coaches need to log into their FIRST dashboard to update consent forms and acknowledgements. Make sure you do this early so you don’t get held up when the FIRST Preferencing Window opens later this month. 

To be event ready, both Lead Mentor 1 and 2 must: 

• Sign consent and acknowledgement forms on their dashboard 

• Be current with their Youth Protection Screening (YPP) 

You will not be able to preference if both Lead 1 and 2 are not current with these requirements. Don’t wait until the last minute—when everyone submits screenings at once, the process takes longer! 

📖 For full details, check out the FRC Event Preference Guide. 

Don’t miss your chance—make sure your team is event ready before September 26 so you can take advantage of the first preferencing window! 

FRC Coaches Chat

FRC Coaches Chat 

📅 Tuesday, September 30 @ 7:00 pm 

At least one adult per team should attend. Topics include: 

• How to preference for events (and when/how you’ll know your placement) 

• Important season dates and deadlines 

To attend this meeting click here —please forward to any adult who should attend. 

Register with FIRST Washington 

Please register with FIRST Washington by September 26. This ensures: 

• We know your team plans to participate this season (otherwise we may not have confirmation until after preferencing closes). 

• We have the correct contact information for invoicing. 

• You gain access to FIRST Washington Grants (most funding goes to Washington teams, but some Oregon teams have received funding in past years as well). 

 FIRST Washington Registration Form 

Important Dates