FTC DECODE Blog: Volume 8

FTC League Preferencing Window will close 10-8 

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:   

League 

League Tournament 

Super Qualifier 

Agnesi 

Curie 

Asimov 

Bardeen 

Feynman 

Asimov 

Brattain 

Tesla 

Capek 

Giblett 

Watt 

Asimov 

Hopper 

Curie 

Asimov 

Knuth 

Pasteur 

Capek 

Lamarr 

Feynman 

Asimov 

Lovelace 

Watt 

Asimov 

Maxwell 

Hawking 

Capek 

Noddack 

Wu 

Asimov 

Ritchie 

Pasteur 

Capek 

Salk 

Wu 

Asimov 

Spencer 

Tesla 

Capek 

Turing 

Hawking 

Capek 

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 
  • 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

FTC DECODE Blog: Volume 7

Home League Assignments have been made 

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:   

League 

League Tournament 

Super Qualifier 

Agnesi 

Curie 

Asimov 

Bardeen 

Feynman 

Asimov 

Brattain 

Tesla 

Capek 

Giblett 

Watt 

Asimov 

Hopper 

Curie 

Asimov 

Knuth 

Pasteur 

Capek 

Lamarr 

Feynman 

Asimov 

Lovelace 

Watt 

Asimov 

Maxwell 

Hawking 

Capek 

Noddack 

Wu 

Asimov 

Ritchie 

Pasteur 

Capek 

Salk 

Wu 

Asimov 

Spencer 

Tesla 

Capek 

Turing 

Hawking 

Capek 

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

FTC DECODE Blog: Volume 6

Get registered by Friday! 

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

FTC DECODE Blog: Volume 5

Get registered with FIRST and FIRST Washington ASAP!

Register Now! 

You must be registered with FIRST and FIRST Washington to be placed in your home league. 

As of Monday morning, we have: 

  • 112 teams registered with FIRST 
  • 81 teams registered with FIRST Washington 

Last season, 181 teams participated. That means less than half of you are currently fully registered. 

Register with FIRST Washington here:
FTC Washington Registration Form 

Register with FIRST (national): 
From your firstinspires.org dashboard. Note: you will need to pay your registration fee when registering with FIRST. 

You do not need to pay at the time of registration with FIRST Washington—we will invoice teams the first week of October. 

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

Help us help you—register today so we can get league assignments out on time! 

 

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.

FTC Event Schedule 

You can find League Events, League Tournaments (formerly Interleagues), and Super Qualifiers (formerly Semi-Finals) here: 
FTC Competition Info 

Important notes on leagues: 

  • Home League assignments will be posted no later than Wednesday, October 1. 
  • The entire event track (league, tournament, and super qualifier) will be posted at that time. 
  • Teams from the same school will be in the same home league. 
  • The League Preferencing Window will open Oct 1–Oct 8. 
  • Final league assignments will be posted by October 10. 
  • If you have multiple teams, we cannot guarantee all will remain together if you preference into a different league. 

FTC Coaches Chat 

📅 Thursday, September 18 @ 7:00 pm 

At least one adult from your team should attend. Topics include: 

  • Key deadlines 
  • Dates for leagues, tournaments, semi-finals, and state 
  • How league registration works 
  • How to move to a different league 

To log into the meeting click here  Feel free to forward this link to any adult on your team that you would like to attend. 

 

Important Dates & Deadlines

FTC DECODE Blog: Volume 4

FTC Kickoff is this weekend! 

For those of you who have registered for a kickoff, have a great time!  Attending a kickoff in person is so important and helpful to teams (in my opinion).  It is a great start to the season and is something I think all teams should do if they get the chance. 

For those of you who are watching remotely, you can find the link to the kickoff video here:  https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/ftc  The link should be live at 9 am on Saturday, Sept 6th! 

 

FTC Coaches Chat

Our first FTC coaches chat of the season will be on Thursday, September 18 at 7:00 pm.  Please make sure you have one adult attend this meeting.  Here is a high level overview of what some of the things we will be covering on this first meeting of the season:

  • Important deadlines
  • Dates for Leagues, League Tournaments, Semi Finals and State (high level)
  • Home League Registration – what that means
  • How to move to a different league

To log into the meeting click here  Feel free to forward this link to any adult on your team that you would like to attend.

You will need to be registered with FIRST and FIRSTWA to be placed in a home league 

Currently we have 78 teams registered FIRST and 53 registered with FIRST Washington. 

FIRST Washington registration is open.  Please take a moment to register if your team plans to participate this year.   

This form also gives you access to the FIRST Washington Registration grants that are used to lower your registration. 

Registration form link:  https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/aa05160be9cb49ec94f3b61b272443a1   

Register your team with firstinspires.  You can do this from your dashboard on firstinspires.org.   

 

Important Dates & Deadlines

FTC DECODE Blog: Volume 3

Register now if you plan to attend a kickoff! 

FTC Kickoff is 12 days away! 

Are hosts are working hard to give you a great experience, how can you help by registering for a kickoff so our hosts know you are coming!   

Auburn High School- Due to low attendance (only 3 teams registered), this event may be cancelled.  We will make the decision Friday morning based on registrations through Thursday.

711 E Main St. Auburn, WA 98002 

  • 8:30 am: Doors open 
  • 9:00 am: Game reveal with Q&A and workshops to follow 
  • 12:30 pm: Event ends 

  

BrickCon 2025!

Meydenbauer Center 11100 NE 6th St. Bellevue, WA 98004 

  • 8:30 am: Doors open 
  • 9:00 am: Game reveal with Q&A and workshops to follow 
  • 12:00 pm: Event ends 

  

Kennewick High School

560 W Sixth Ave, Kennewick, WA 99336 *new location* 

  • 8:30 am: Doors open 
  • 8:30-9:00 am: Ice Breaker/Games to get to know the teams 
  • 9:00 am: Game reveal with Q&A and brainstorming sessions 

  

Saint Martin’s University

5000 Abbey Way SE Lacey, WA 98503 *new location* 

  • 8:30 am: Doors open 
  • 9:00 am: Game reveal with Q&A and brainstorming sessions to follow 
  • 12:00 pm: Event ends 

  

Ridgeline High School

20150 E. Country Vista Dr. Liberty Lake, WA 98019 

  • 8:30 am: Doors open 
  • 9:00 am: Game reveal 
  • 10:00 am: Field reveal, rules Q&A 
  • 10:30 am: Workshops 
  • 12:00 pm: Event ends 

 

Click here to register for a kickoff.  We are looking forward to another great season!  

Register your team with FIRST and FIRST Washington now! 

FIRST Washington registration is open.  Please take a moment to register if your team plans to participate this year.   

This form also gives you access to the FIRST Washington Registration grants that are used to lower your registration. 

Registration form link:  https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/aa05160be9cb49ec94f3b61b272443a1   

Register your team with firstinspires.  You can do this from your dashboard on firstinspires.org.   

Important Dates & Deadlines