FRC Blog Volume 2

by Adrienne Collins | Aug 31, 2023 | FRC

FRC Blog Volume 2

More information on OSPI for Washington Public Schools

FIRST Washington is preparing to administer the OSPI Grant! More info to come soon.

First FRC Coaches Chat scheduled for Thursday Sept 21 at 7:00 pm

Follow this link to register or join this meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88652899479?pwd=ZjNDVnMwNTY4aE9uRkcyNzhvSWYvdz09

More information on OSPI for Washington Public and Tribal Compact Schools

What’s different? FIRST Washington is in the process of becoming the administrator of the OSPI grant and funds

Who can apply? Any public or tribal compact school in Washington State can apply

Why should you apply? It will give you access to funding to support your team!

When does the grant open? Our plan is to open the grant on Sept 15 and close the grant on Sept 29-however stay tuned for any updates.

We will be holding a meeting on Sept 12 from 7-8:30 pm to talk more about the changes and how they affect you.

Who should attend this meeting? Any one who currently coaches or wants to start a team at a Washington State Public or Tribal Compact School

Does it matter which program I am interested in? If you coach or are interested in coaching an FLL Challenge, FTC or FRC team FROM a Washington State Public or Tribal Compact School, then you want to attend this meeting! We will be talking to coaches at all levels for the first part of the meeting and then will break into rooms to answer questions that are more specific to an individual program.

How do I join this meeting? By clicking this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87552498043?pwd=akl2ZmRrQ2taUDdraXVUSjM4ckFrQT09

**Please note: This is not a typical coaches meeting, the only people that should attend this meeting are coaches/mentors/school faculty that fill out the Washington State OSPI grant.

Updates!

FRC Mentor Meet up September 9th, FIRSTWA Fieldhouse - Cancelled

Because of low registration, this event has been cancelled.

StormSurge: 9-16 - Cancelled

Due to low registraion numbers, the Storm Bots have made the difficult decision to cancel the event this year.

FRC Blog Volume 1

by Adrienne Collins | Aug 22, 2023 | FRC

FRC Blog Volume 1

Exciting news for Washington State public and tribal compact schools!

FIRST Washington is now administering the OSPI Grant! More info to come soon.

Boeing Grants are open!

If you have a Boeing mentor, make sure they fill out the application for your team.

FRC Mentor Meet up September 9th,

FIRSTWA Fieldhouse

You and the mentors from your FRC team are invited to attend a PNW FRC mentor meet up and potluck on Saturday, September 9th starting at 12:00 pm at the FIRST Washington Fieldhouse in Kent, WA. (Note that the fieldhouse has moved since Covid. See the new address below).

This informal get-together will provide opportunities for mentors from various teams get to know each other and make connections beyond what is made at competitions. In addition to the potluck luncheon, some time will be devoted to a large group discussion.

Some of the goals in hosting such a meet up would be to:

Discuss some ways where mentors of the PNW FRC teams can better help each other
Seek input and make plans for off-season technical workshops to build the skills of teams throughout the PNW
Discuss some goals for the future of FRC in the PNW (at least from the coach perspective)

For planning purposes, each mentor planning should fill out this Google form.

Here’s a suggestion on what food category to bring for the potluck:

Appetizer/Finger food: A – N (last name)

Dessert: O – Z

This meet up is open to all mentors 21+, not just the main and alternate contacts. Please share this email with all the mentors on your team. Water and soda will be provided, but feel free to bring your preferred alcoholic beverages as well. Since alcohol will be present, we will be enforcing a 21+ age requirement for mentors.

Regards,

Darren Collins – Coach FRC 2046 – dcollins@tahomasd.us

Fall 2023 Off Season Events

StormSurge: 9-16

The Skyview StormBots would like to invite you to Storm Surge on Saturday, September 16, 2023. This will be a one-day, competitive event with the official ChargedUp game field. If you would like to join us, please fill out this Storm Surge Registration Form. This form is different than the pre-registration form we sent last spring. Email me if you have any questions. If you have any questions, please email lukeglassett@gmail.com

Girls Gen, OR: 10-7 & FIRST Chance 10-8

It’s time to register for Girls Gen and FIRST Chance! Use this link to register by September 19 .

Wilsonville HS, 6800 SW Wilsonville Rd
Girls Generation: This isa girl-focused event, run as a one-day competition. We have 8 spots remaining.
Sat, Oct 7
FIRST Chance: A competition for all teammembers to gain experience in new competition roles, especially students who are new to FRC. We are still looking for more teams to sign up.
Sun, Oct 8
The registration fee for these events is $250 for the first robot in any event, and $100for each additional event or robot, i.e., $350 for two robots or two events.

Volunteers are needed and appreciated, and a reminder for recent alums and mentors who have been wanting to try out volunteering for key positions like Referee, A/V, Robot Inspector, or other positions – these events are great places to start. Contact Tim Bennington-Davis at dechouse@cs.com if you are interested.

Block Party: 10-28 & 29

Save the date for Block Party! More info to come later but if you have questions, please reach out to Kyle Pihl KPihl@everettsd.org

Bordie Charged: 10-14 & 15

You know about Super Chargers, You’ve heard of Turbo-Charged but what about Bordie Charged? Bordie would like to cordially invite your team to

join us at Sammamish High School in Bellevue as Team 2412 presents: Bordie Charged! Played under the 2023 Charged-Up rules with an official field and official Bordies! This 2-day event will take place on October 14th and 15th with load-in on the 13th. Join us for bots, Bordies, flag waving, mascot parade, concessions, merch, and more.

We will take the first 28 teams that sign up – Registration is open now at www.bordiecharged.com or fill out our Google Form! https://forms.gle/nqAc1y4BHyzzd2xd6 The fee per team is $300 for one bot. We plan on 10 x 10 pit spaces with power, a full set of quals, alliance selections, playoffs, and NEW custom Bordie awards!

Interested in volunteering for the event? We will open up needed volunteering slots in September on www.BordieCharged.com

Washington Girl’s Gen 2023: 10-21 & 22

FRC Team 2046 is excited to host the 2023 Washington Girls’ Generation robotics competition. This competition will be held on October 21st and 22nd at Tahoma Senior High School in Maple Valley. The goal for Girls’ Generation is to provide an inclusive experience for underrepresented communities in STEM. In that spirit, we welcome all to participate.

We plan to use the latest Official FRC Robot game rules for “Charged Up”, but inspections will not be held.

The cost of attendance is $300. The main contact from your team can register for the event by following this link https://forms.gle/5qQcLg81WYaQJTAV7

For Volunteer information, please email Mara Kealey, marak@firstwa.org

Regards,

Darren Collins

Head Coach – FRC 2046

Charged Up Coach Email Volume 26: Off Season Event Info!

by Adrienne Collins | Jun 27, 2023 | FRC

Charged Up Coach Email Volume 26: Off Season Event Info!

Greetings Coaches!

If you are new to this email this is the place where you will find all of the Pacific NW District specific FIRST Robotics Competition information. Coaches in the FIRST system for the current season will be added once teams are able to register for events. Every email from me will be numbered and that number lets you know which update it is, if you miss an update you can find it on our website.

Here is what I have for you today:

Please help us with a survey
Off Season Events

Please help us by taking a survey

Washington FIRST is looking for participating students to give their feedback in a paid research opportunity. In order to find actionable suggestions to aid in the retention of students in the program, we want to learn more about your experiences. Participation in the study is remote and will take approximately 30 minutes of your time. Compensation for your participation is $25. To be considered, please take a few moments to fill out the form linked below!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoo-NugTg4Q2pz1b8EFZg57M_gwB-UzGXU8TGlBKMIxZnU-w/viewform?usp=sf_link

Off Season Events!

StormSurge: 9-16

The Skyview StormBots are excited to announce that we are bringing back StormSurge this fall! The pre-season tournament will use the official Charged-Up game field (and game) to give teams the opportunity to get back into the mode of robotics in the fall. It will be the perfect opportunity for new students to see what a robotics tournament is like. StormSurge will be on Saturday, September 16th! We want to get the word out now before calendars fill. If you are interested, please fill out this quick pre-registration form. If you have any questions, please email lukeglassett@gmail.com

Girls Gen, OR: 10-7 (with the possiblity of an event 10-8)

Save the date for Oregon Girls Gen! More info to come later but if you have questions, please reach out to Tim Bennington-Davis at dechouse@cs.com