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FTC DECODE Blog: Volume 3

by | Aug 26, 2025 | FTC, Newsletter

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

FTC DECODE Blog: Volume 2

by | Aug 12, 2025 | FTC, Newsletter

FTC Kickoff is around the corner, register now! 

FTC Kickoff Registration is now open! 

Yes, it is that time already.  Time to prepare for FTC Kickoff!!  Once again, we have 5 kickoff locations though there have been some changes in venues for specific areas.  Here is the high level kickoff info: 

Auburn High School

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!  

FIRST Washington Registration is open!

FIRST Washington registration is now 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

Booster Policy Update

We have revised our Booster policy as of June 30, 2025 and it will be effective as of July, 1, 2025.

 Please review and sign off on the current booster policy here: CLICK HERE TO ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT

 *Please also note that effective July 1,2025 the link to our team donation page has been updated:

 https://www.aplos.com/aws/give/WAFIRSTBoosters/TeamDonationForm

 Going forward please share this link with anyone who wants to donate directly to your team!

 Please feel free to reach out to us at accounting@firstwa.org with any questions!

Important Dates & Deadlines

FTC DECODE Blog: Volume 1

by | Jul 2, 2025 | FTC, Newsletter

Good Afternoon Teams! I hope you are enjoying your summer! 

This blog contains lots of information, so be sure to read the entire thing. 

Job Opportunities with FIRST Washington
We have 3 new job listings with FIRST Washington:
  • Event Manager
  • Volunteer Manager
  • Marketing and Communications Manager
If you are interested in joining our amazing team, click here to access the job postings and apply!  Feel free to share this information with anyone in your network who might be interested in working for FIRST Washington.

FIRST Washington Registration is open!

FIRST Washington registration is now 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

Attention FIRST Washington Class of 2025!

We want to celebrate you!  Please fill out the following survey so that we can share your successes with our community of supporters: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/d38e9ac9af0c48a4863aef810cdd26a4

FTC Kickoff Registration is now open! 

Yes, it is that time already.  Time to prepare for FTC Kickoff!!  Once again, we have 5 kickoff locations though there have been some changes in venues for specific areas.  Here is the high level kickoff info: 

 –

Auburn High School 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! 

Important Dates & Deadlines

FTC Blog: OSPI Update

by | May 20, 2025 | FTC

2025 – 2026 OSPI FIRST Washington Grant Update

Action Requested:  After reading the note below, please take a moment to complete this very short [survey] by Friday, May 23 to help us understand the impact of the funding loss—and whether you may need support or be able to offer assistance to others.

 

Hello Teams,

 Thank you to everyone who reached out to your State Senators and Congress Members, advocating for continued OSPI funding in the new State Budget. Your efforts are deeply appreciated.

Unfortunately, the current budget being reviewed at the Governor’s office includes no OSPI funding for Teams this upcoming season- meaning that the $1.475 million dollars from OSPI distributed to FIRST Washington teams and events last year is not available for the upcoming season.

That’s the tough news- but definitely not the end of the story.

 

Leadership at FIRST Washington is committed to the following:

  • Maintaining the number of students/teams who engage and participate in the FIRST Washington community and the competitive events hosted during the season- last season this was 10,500 students
  • Maintaining the excellent customer experience levels for Students, Teams, Coaches, Mentors, and Volunteers
  • Identifying what can be done in the short term to replace the OSPI funding 

 

We are currently assessing all available assets and cost saving measures and have also developed a robust fund-raising strategy for our upcoming Fiscal Year and season.

 Ensuring Teams have the resources needed for another successful season will require an all-hands effort and partnership with the entire FIRST Community- Volunteers, Mentors, Coaches, Schools, Corporate Donors, Foundations, and Individual Donors.

 

Here are a few next steps:

  1. Let us know if the loss of OSPI funding may prevent your school from participating in FIRST programs next year thorough the survey link above.
  2. Start planning and budgeting now for the 2025–2026 season – explore creative fundraising opportunities over the summer and identify any alternative funding that may be available within your school district- if applicable.
  3. Begin brainstorming ways our community can support one another—sharing fundraising strategies, offering mentorship, or other collaborative efforts.

 

We are reaching out not only to public school teams, but also to our community-based teams. Your experiences with self-funding and community support may offer valuable insights for school-based teams facing these new challenges.

We’ll continue to communicate in the coming weeks as we look for ways to move forward together. We are incredibly grateful to be part of such a dedicated and resilient community.

 

Thank you for all you do,

 Adrienne Collins,

Director of Programs, FIRST Washington

FTC Blog Into the Deep: Volume 17

by | Jan 29, 2025 | FTC, Newsletter

FTC State Championship

Where: Amazon Meeting Center 2031 – 7th Ave. Seattle, WA 98121 

Parking: Parking in the doppler garage is free starting at 7:00 am. 

FTC State is open to all teams to attend.  It can be a great experience for your students to see the top teams compete against each other.   

Amazon requires that everyone who enters the meeting center register.  What does this mean for spectators? 

  • Any one over 18 will need to show ID 
  • If you bring your entire team and have not pre-registered, plan for it to take 15 minutes or so to get everyone registered and badged. 
  • If you are not competing, please wait until after 9:00 am to arrive, prior to that, we want the focus to be getting participating team students, mentors and their families inside the building. 
  • If you are bringing your team as a group, you can fill out an excel spreadsheet to pre register.  You will need to have that spreadsheet to me by noon on Jan 27th so I can pass the info along to Amazon.  Send me an email if you would like a copy of the spreadsheet sent to you to fill out.   

What State Champs LIVE!

Can’t attend the FTC State Championship? No problem! Tune into the event live via our Twitch Stream. 

Watch LIVE!

FTC State Champs Schedule:

11:15 AM  Opening Ceremonies 
11:30 AM – 12:05 PM  Qualification Matches 
12:05 PM – 12:50 PM  Lunch 
12:50 PM – 3:50 PM  Qualification Matches 
4:05 AM  Alliance Selection 
4:30 PM  Playoff Matches & Awards 

Important Dates & Deadlines