By now, all lead and alternate contacts on your team should have received an email from your League coordinator.  If you have not yet received any communication, feel free to reach out to Kevin Emery (kemery@firstwa.org) or Alida Mandes MacCracken (alidam@firstwa.org) they will get you connected with your league coordinator. 

Many of you are probably not feeling ready for your first event.  This is completely normal!!  No team feels fully prepared for their first event.  Even if you don’t feel you are ready for your first event attend it anyway!!!  You will receive TONS of support from the veteran teams in your league AND your students will leave the event with some great ideas and be inspired to work on the robot to prepare it for the next league meet.    

If for some reason you are unable to attend your event, please email Alida Mendes MacCracken (alidam@firstwa.org) and Kevin Emery (kemery@firstwa.org) so we can work with you to see if we can help you overcome your challenge or let the league coordinator know.   

There is nothing worse than hosting an event where you are missing a team and wondering if you should run the match schedule without that team or hold the event to wait for them so please communicate with us and your League Coordinator if you have any issue attending your first meet. 

Please Keep Gracious Professionalism at Heart  

As your team prepares for their first competition of the season, take a moment to remind your students to keep the spirit of Gracious Professionalism and the FIRST Core Values at the core of everything they do. 

This means competing with integrity, showing respect for others, and offering help when it’s needed, even to your opponents. Strive for excellence not just in your technical performance but also in how you collaborate, problem-solve, and treat every person participating in this competition. So, a few reminders – 

• All match results are final. ***no amount of arguing or pestering will change them 😉 

• There are no video replays of matches. 

• Only students should visit the question box. If a coach/mentor wants to accompany a student as emotional support, that is totally fine! But the student should be asking the questions, NOT the adult. This is a learning opportunity for them, not an opportunity for adults to question match results. 

Remind your students and fellow adults that every single person running you league competition is a VOLUNTEER. Maybe you’re running late and you get frustrated with the person running team check in; or the Head Referee makes a call you don’t personally agree with. Everyone running your competition is donating their time and talents to ensure your students have the best possible experience. 

As Gracious Professionalism teaches us – that doesn’t always mean things will be easy or you will agree with the outcome. But every experience is an opportunity to learn, and it is the responsibility of coaches and mentors to set a strong example for their students. Your team will have a better experience competing if the event your attending is well staffed, by well-trained, enthusiastic volunteers. But it becomes difficult to retain volunteers if they are not treated with respect and kindness by students, or fellow adults.  So, please be intentional with your team and take a moment to remind them of these tenants.  

Lets let this season be about more than just winning—make it about inspiring each other and having fun! 

Important Dates & Deadlines

• 11-1:  League Events Start 
• 11-23:  League Events End 
• 11-20:  FTC Coaches Chat 
• 12-6 & 12-7:  Feynman & Pasteur League Tournaments 
• 12-13 & 12-14:  Curie, Wu, Hawking & Tesla League Tournaments 
• 12-20:  Watt League Tournament 

To participate in your League events:  

• You must be registered with FIRST HQ (firstinspires)  – I’m happy to report that all teams are registered with FIRST HQ 

• You must be registered with FIRST Washington – I’m also happy to report that all teams are registered with FIRST Washington 

• Your FIRST Washington Invoice must be secured – As of this morning 92 teams still need to secure their invoice. 

• You can secure your FIRST Washington invoice with at check, credit card or PO from your school (if you are a school affiliated team)’ 

You can check your invoice and payment status here:  https://firstwa.org/ftc-registration/ *** Please not, payment status is updated manually once a day.   

Coaches Chat last week  

 If you missed the coaches chat last week, you can find the slide decks here:  https://firstwa.org/webinars/     

Unfortunately, we had technical difficulties so we don’t have a recording of last week’s coaches chat. 

Important Dates & Deadlines

• 11-1:  League Events Start 
• 11-23:  League Events End 
• 11-20:  FTC Coaches Chat 
• 12-6 & 12-7:  Feynman & Pasteur League Tournaments 
• 12-13 & 12-14:  Curie, Wu, Hawking & Tesla League Tournaments 
• 12-20:  Watt League Tournament 

We will be having our next coaches chat this Thursday at 7:00 pm.  On this chat we will be going over how to make sure you are prepared for your first league event.  

Additionally, our Development team will be giving a fundraising presentation. 

Please make sure to have at least one adult attend the coaches chat!  Click here for the meeting link. 

Final FTC Leagues have been posted 

Just in case you missed last Friday’s communication, Final league assignments have been posted here:  https://firstwa.org/ftc-competition-info/  There is a list by team # as well as by league (you will need to scroll to see the entire list) 

Many of you may have heard from your League Coordinators last Friday.  If you haven’t, you should be hearing from them early this week.  Feel free to email me on Friday if you have not heard from your league coordinator and I will connect you with them. 

Invoicing and payment  

Your team must be registered with both FIRST and FIRST Washington to participate in competitions and your FIRST Washington invoice must be secured.  

We have sent invoices for all of the FTC teams registered with FIRST and FIRST Washington last week.  We will be sending another round of invoices mid-week this week (hopefully our last round)   

You can check your invoice and payment status here:  https://firstwa.org/ftc-registration/  

Important Dates & Deadlines

• 11-1:  League Events Start 
• 11-23:  League Events End 
• 11-20:  FTC Coaches Chat 
• 12-6 & 12-7:  Feynman & Pasteur League Tournaments 
• 12-13 & 12-14:  Curie, Wu, Hawking & Tesla League Tournaments 
• 12-20:  Watt League Tournament 

You can find your home league assignment on the FIRST Washington site here:  https://firstwa.org/ftc-competition-info/ below the event listings.  It is sorted both by team and by league. 

Your League Tournament and Super Qualifier assignments are also posted in the report but here it is for easy reference:   

Not happy with your league assignment?  No problem!  You can fill out this form to preference into another league.  If you choose this option, here are a few things to note: 

• Leagues pair with League Tournaments and Super Qualifiers.  If you move to a different, league it may also change your League Tournament and Super Qualifier so make sure you understand all of the event dates related to your choices. 

• If you have multiple teams and would like to change leagues, it may be harder to accommodate your request. Please submit the form for all of your teams in one go along with your preferences (the more leagues you can request the better). If we are not able to move all of your teams in a block, we will reach out to you (at the email provided) and see what we can work out. 

***Please note:  If you do not respond, we will opt to not move your teams rather than splitting them up without talking to you first. 

Event preferencing will close at 5 pm October 8.  Any requests submitted after that will not be considered. 

Final league assignments will be posted by the end of the day October 10 

Invoicing and payment timeline 

Your team must be registered with both FIRST and FIRST Washington to participate in competitions. Here is a look at the timeline for invoicing and payment: 

• Invoices went out to teams registered with both FIRST and FIRST Washington last week 

• Invoices were sent to the contact you designated when you filled out the registration form 

• You can check your invoice and payment status here:  https://firstwa.org/ftc-registration/  

• We will send FIRST Washington invoices weekly on Wednesday or Thursday 

• Payment status is updated daily and will be updated by 9 am with payments that came in the prior day. 

• Your registration needs to be secured October 17 (Registration can be secured by check, credit card or PO from your school) 

• Both FIRST HQ and FIRST Washington registration must be secured prior to your first league event. 

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 & Deadlines

• 11-1:  League Events Start 
• 11-23:  League Events End 
• 11-20:  FTC Coaches Chat 
• 12-6 & 12-7:  Feynman & Pasteur League Tournaments 
• 12-13 & 12-14:  Curie, Wu, Hawking & Tesla League Tournaments 
• 12-20:  Watt League Tournament 

You can find your home league assignment on the FIRST Washington site here:  https://firstwa.org/ftc-competition-info/ below the event listings.  It is sorted both by team and by league. 

Your League Tournament and Super Qualifier assignments are also posted in the report but here it is for easy reference:   

Not happy with your league assignment?  No problem!  You can fill out this form to preference into another league.  If you choose this option, here are a few things to note: 

• Leagues pair with League Tournaments and Super Qualifiers.  If you move to a different, league it may also change your League Tournament and Super Qualifier so make sure you understand all of the event dates related to your choices. 

• If you have multiple teams and would like to change leagues, it may be harder to accommodate your request. Please submit the form for all of your teams in one go along with your preferences (the more leagues you can request the better). If we are not able to move all of your teams in a block, we will reach out to you (at the email provided) and see what we can work out. 

***Please note:  If you do not respond, we will opt to not move your teams rather than splitting them up without talking to you first. 

Event preferencing will close at 5 pm October 8.  Any requests submitted after that will not be considered. 

Invoicing and payment timeline 

Your team must be registered with both FIRST and FIRST Washington to participate in competitions. Here is a look at the timeline for invoicing and payment: 

• Invoices will go out the week of October 6th.   

• Your registration needs to be secured October 17 (Registration can be secured by check, credit card or PO from your school) 

• Both FIRST HQ and FIRST Washington registration must be secured prior to your first league event. 

FTC Coaches Chat 

You can find the recording of last weeks coaches chat here:  https://firstwa.org/webinars/  

If you missed attending the coaches chat in person, make sure to look through the presentation and watch the video. 

Important Dates & Deadlines

• 11-1:  League Events Start 
• 11-23:  League Events End 
• 11-20:  FTC Coaches Chat 
• 12-6 & 12-7:  Feynman & Pasteur League Tournaments 
• 12-13 & 12-14:  Curie, Wu, Hawking & Tesla League Tournaments 
• 12-20:  Watt League Tournament 

Register Now! 

Home League Assignments will be posted next week 

To be placed into a league, you must be registered with FIRST Washington.  Click here to register 

• Remember, you do not have to pay a registration fee to register with FIRST Washington, we will send you an invoice next week 

• Bonus: The FIRST Washington registration form also gives you access to grants that reduce your registration cost. 

To be able to see what league you are placed in, you must be registered with both FIRST Washington and FIRST HQ (firstinspires)  You register with firstinspires by logging into your dashboard on firstinspires.org  

• Please note:  FIRST HQ is requiring every coach will be asked to reset their password when they log in.  If you have not logged in recently, you will want to log in to reset your password.  If you have not registered with FIRST HQ, log in asap because it will take additional time to reset your password. 

• You will need to pay the registration fee to register with FIRST HQ 

As of Monday morning we have 

• 143 teams registered with FIRST 

• 138 teams registered with FIRST Washington 

Last season, 181 teams participated. We are getting closer but still need approximately 25% of you to finish registering 

Check Your Registration Status 

Not sure if you are registered? Check here: 
FTC Team Status 

Please note: this report is updated manually every morning and may take up to 24 hours to reflect new registrations with FIRST HQ. 

FTC Coaches Chat 

You can find the recording of last weeks coaches chat here:  https://firstwa.org/webinars/  

If you missed attending the coaches chat in person, make sure to look through the presentation and watch the video. 

FTC League Assignments 

 We will be working hard this weekend to place teams in leagues.  (Reminder you MUST be registered with FIRST Washington to be placed in a league and registered with both FIRSTWA and FIRST HQ to see your assignment) 

Home League Assignments will be posted by October 1.  Here is what will be posted: 

• Your League Assignment 

• Your League Tournament Assignment (formerly Interleague) 

• Your Super Qualifier Assignment (Should you qualify) 

Don’t like the schedule for the league you are in?  No problem!  We will also be opening a preferencing system October 1 so you can choose to preference into another league. 

• Please note:  If you coach multiple teams, we cannot guarantee all teams will be placed into the same league if you enter the preferencing system. 

The preferencing window will close October 8 and final league assignments will be posted by October 10th. 

Important Dates & Deadlines

• 11-1:  League Events Start 
• 11-23:  League Events End 
• 11-20:  FTC Coaches Chat 
• 12-6 & 12-7:  Feynman & Pasteur League Tournaments 
• 12-13 & 12-14:  Curie, Wu, Hawking & Tesla League Tournaments 
• 12-20:  Watt League Tournament