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FRC REBUILT Blog: Volume 34

by | Jun 23, 2026 | FRC, Newsletter

Off-Season Events

Looking for a fun way to have new members experience an event, try out a new mechanism, or network with other teams? Register to attend an off-season event this fall! 

Off-season events are hosted and run by individual FRC teams, not FIRST Washington. This means each event’s participation requirement(s), fees, and timelines may vary. All events will utilize the REBUILT game. 

 

Block Party 2026

Dates: October 24&25, 2026

Location: Mill Creek, WA

Fee: $400 (additional $200 for a second robot if space permits)

Registration form link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfEjNEGbH2Q2EMxiN12G6pm58ZHJZtVGn96MNZ0ngSekZQUtA/viewform

For questions, contact Steve Kaneb at steve.kaneb@gmail.com

Washington Girls Generation

Girls’ Generation will be held on Oct 17th and 18th at Tahoma High School.

More information on the Tahoma Robotics website https://tahomarobotics.org/2025-wa-girls-generation 

Oregon Girls Generation and FIRST Chance

Registration for Girls Gen and FIRST Chance

Both events are relaxed, welcoming, and focused on building experience, community, and excitement for the season ahead. Whether you’re mentoring rookies, building leadership, or just eager to get back on the field—don’t miss these chances to grow.

Please register soon and let us know your team will attend! We need to confirm there are enough teams, and early registration helps volunteers planning both events. Use this link to register. 

    • Wilsonville HS, 6800 SW Wilsonville Rd

    • Girls Generation: This event gives underrepresented team members the chance to drive the robot and/or lead the pit crew, and gain confidence in competition roles – many for the first time. Contact us if your team would like to participate but you don’t have enough girls or non-binary students for a drive team. 

      • Sat, Oct 3

      • Registration fee is $100. 

    • FIRST Chance: Your team’s chance to test, train, and learn! A competition for all team members to gain experience in new competition roles, especially students who are new to FRC. 

      • Sun, Oct 4

      • Registration fee is $200 (lower fee this year!) 

    • Link  to Register for both events. 

Both Girls Generation and FIRST Chance will use last season’s REBUILT field, giving teams a great opportunity to build on what they’ve already learned or try out new strategies in a familiar setting.

Please contact ORTOP if you have questions about registration, including fees, bringing a second robot or attendance at Girls Gen. We want to reduce barriers to participation and will work with your team to help you attend if cost or team member availability are barriers.

Bordie Through Time

October 9th-10th

Storm Surge

September 26th-27th

Important Dates

     

    FTC DECODE Blog:Volume 27

    by | Jun 16, 2026 | FTC, Newsletter

    Boeing Family Days

    Boeing Renton – 737 Production – Will be hosting a Family Day event on Sunday, August 30th.  We are looking for a few FRC & FTC teams to come out and show off the cool things you do.  Ideally we would like 2-3 teams to come set up with their Robots & Practice field equipment.  Added bonus if teams have interactive activities for families and children.  Teams should plan for an all-day event with Hot Dog Lunch.  We anticipate several thousand people and teams are welcome to advertise any of their events, fall camps, needs for mentors etc.

    Myra Acosta – our host has offered to take small groups on a factory tours throughout the day, and it sounds like there might be a P-8 airplane available to tour as well.

    If your team is interested in participating – please reach out to Myra Acosta (Myra.C.Acosta@Boeing.com) by Friday 6/19 with contact information to be able to reach you during the summer.  We will need to coordinate tent, safety and access requirements.”

    Thank you for your help!

    Seattle Pride Parade

    *LAST WEEK TO SIGN UP*
    MI Robotics is happy to host the Students of FIRST Washington contingent of the Seattle Pride Parade 2026! Detailed marching information still to come. Sign-up via this form or use the QR code below. Please reach out to Alida at alida.m.mendes@gmail.com with any questions.
    All FTC and FRC teams are welcome. We hope to see you there!


    Important Dates

       

      FRC REBUILT Blog: Volume 33

      by | Jun 16, 2026 | FRC, Newsletter

      Boeing Family Days

      Boeing Renton – 737 Production – Will be hosting a Family Day event on Sunday, August 30th.  We are looking for a few FRC & FTC teams to come out and show off the cool things you do.  Ideally we would like 2-3 teams to come set up with their Robots & Practice field equipment.  Added bonus if teams have interactive activities for families and children.  Teams should plan for an all-day event with Hot Dog Lunch.  We anticipate several thousand people and teams are welcome to advertise any of their events, fall camps, needs for mentors etc.

      Myra Acosta – our host has offered to take small groups on a factory tours throughout the day, and it sounds like there might be a P-8 airplane available to tour as well.

      If your team is interested in participating – please reach out to Myra Acosta (Myra.C.Acosta@Boeing.com) by Friday 6/19 with contact information to be able to reach you during the summer.  We will need to coordinate tent, safety and access requirements.”

      Thank you for your help!

       


      Seattle Pride Parade

      *LAST WEEK TO SIGN UP*
      MI Robotics is happy to host the Students of FIRST Washington contingent of the Seattle Pride Parade 2026! Detailed marching information still to come. Sign-up via this form or use the QR code below. Please reach out to Alida at alida.m.mendes@gmail.com with any questions.
      All FTC and FRC teams are welcome. We hope to see you there!


      Important Dates

         

        FLL UNEARTHED Blog: Volume 25

        by | Jun 11, 2026 | FLL, FLL Challenge, FLL Explore, Newsletter

        In this weeks Blog

        Make sure you read the entire blog!

        Season Info

        Hello FIRST Washington Robotics Teams!

        What an incredible FIRST AGE season!

        As another chapter closes and we head into summer, FIRST Washington is preparing for the upcoming CANOPY season. We are also finalizing our budget for the next fiscal year starting July 1, 2026, and wanted to share some important updates. 

        As many of you are experiencing, funding continues to be a major pressure point for programs like FIRST Robotics. Last season, FIRST Washington was able to support our community by granting nearly $1.4 million in discounts and team support funding.  

        When planning last season’s budget, we were optimistic we could replenish those reserves through foundation grants, renewal of OSPI, individual donors, and increased corporate support.  To that end we set a large fundraising goal of over $1.5 million for the year.   

        Unfortunately, our success in securing replacement funding fell short by around $700,000. We were unable to secure all the grants we needed, and the State Budget did not restore any funding for FIRST Washington this year.   

        We have adjusted our fundraising strategy moving forward and are continuing to work as hard as we can to fill this funding gap.

        At this time though, we are unable to guarantee registration discounts that teams have become accustomed to over the years. 

        From now until the start of the next season, we are asking your Teams to work in direct partnership with us to ensure the FIRST Washington ecosystem of nearly 1,000 total teams have the resources and support needed for another successful season for all our FLL, FTC, and FRC programs in the Pacific Northwest. 

        What we need you to do: 

        1. Develop a fundraising plan for the summer and fall that includes the payment of full registration fees for the upcoming season 
        2. Work in partnership with FIRST WA Development and Volunteer management staff to engage new mentors and volunteers to support your team- both with time and matching funds from their companies 

        What FIRST Washington will do: 

        1. Host fundraising strategy sessions and office hours for coaches, mentors, and business managers in July and August 
        2. Provide clean fundraising collateral for teams to use 
        3. Work directly with companies who currently provide volunteers and mentors with matching funds available to set new engagement goals – ultimately increasing the number of volunteers and mentors on each team whose participation hours are matched with cash from their employer 
        4. Activate a team support funding campaign, in addition to our standard fundraising goals for operations, with a target goal of $500K to allocate out to teams on an “as needed for sustainability and stability” basis 

        Every challenge is a turning point. Every turning point is an opportunity.   

        In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity- Albert Einstein 

        Working together, we can stabilize funding for the FIRST WA ecosystem over the next two to three years- getting us all to a place where the question isn’t “how do we fund this?” but instead “what do we fund next that makes the student experience even better?” 

        We know this represents a shift, and we are committed to working alongside you through it. Our focus remains the same: ensuring that every team has a path forward and that our community continues to grow and succeed. Thank you for your continued dedication, resilience, and partnership—we will navigate this next season together.

         

        Regards, 

        Fred 

        Fred Krug

        President

        FIRST Washington

         

        End of Season/Next Season Survey

        I wanted to check in and see how everyone is feeling about next season! If you have not yet filled out the survey, please do so! 

        I have heard some rumblings about FLL being ‘over,’ and ‘guess there wont be anything for K-8 students’. I wanted to clear this up!

        FIRST is still having a full FLL season (both Challenge and Explore) for 26-27. FIRST is actively working on a new K-8 offering for teams for after the 26-27 season. (To read the blog post on the FIRST/LEGO partnership update, click here)

        FIRST did just announce the will be supporting SPIKE (Prime and Essential) through 28-29. You can keep up to date on new info here

        I unfortunately do not have more information on this new offering. When I have info to share, I will pass it on to you!

        I would love it if you could fill out this short survey (you may do so anonymously if you’d like) so we know your thoughts and your plans for next season! 

        Important Dates & Deadlines

         

        More From FLL

        FTC DECODE Blog: Volume 26

        by | Jun 11, 2026 | FTC, Newsletter

        This post contains lots of information, please read the entire thing. 

         


        Hello FIRST Washington Robotics Teams!

        What an incredible FIRST AGE season!

        As another chapter closes and we head into summer, FIRST Washington is preparing for the upcoming CANOPY season. We are also finalizing our budget for the next fiscal year starting July 1, 2026, and wanted to share some important updates.

        As many of you are experiencing, funding continues to be a major pressure point for programs like FIRST Robotics. Last season, FIRST Washington was able to support our community by granting nearly $1.4 million in discounts and team support funding.

        When planning last season’s budget, we were optimistic we could replenish those reserves through foundation grants, renewal of OSPI, individual donors, and increased corporate support.  To that end we set a large fundraising goal of over $1.5 million for the year.

        Unfortunately, our success in securing replacement funding fell short by around $700,000. We were unable to secure all the grants we needed, and the State Budget did not restore any funding for FIRST Washington this year.

        We have adjusted our fundraising strategy moving forward and are continuing to work as hard as we can to fill this funding gap.

        At this time though, we are unable to guarantee registration discounts that teams have become accustomed to over the years.

        From now until the start of the next season, we are asking your Teams to work in direct partnership with us to ensure the FIRST Washington ecosystem of nearly 1,000 total teams have the resources and support needed for another successful season for all our FLL, FTC, and FRC programs in the Pacific Northwest.

        What we need you to do:

        1. Develop a fundraising plan for the summer and fall that includes the payment of full registration fees for the upcoming season
        2. Work in partnership with FIRST WA Development and Volunteer management staff to engage new mentors and volunteers to support your team- both with time and matching funds from their companies

        What FIRST Washington will do:

        1. Host fundraising strategy sessions and office hours for coaches, mentors, and business managers in July and August
        2. Provide clean fundraising collateral for teams to use
        3. Work directly with companies who currently provide volunteers and mentors with matching funds available to set new engagement goals – ultimately increasing the number of volunteers and mentors on each team whose participation hours are matched with cash from their employer
        4. Activate a team support funding campaign, in addition to our standard fundraising goals for operations, with a target goal of $500K to allocate out to teams on an “as needed for sustainability and stability” basis
        5. Every challenge is a turning point. Every turning point is an opportunity.

        In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity- Albert Einstein

        Working together, we can stabilize funding for the FIRST WA ecosystem over the next two to three years- getting us all to a place where the question isn’t “how do we fund this?” but instead “what do we fund next that makes the student experience even better?”

        We know this represents a shift, and we are committed to working alongside you through it. Our focus remains the same: ensuring that every team has a path forward and that our community continues to grow and succeed. Thank you for your continued dedication, resilience, and partnership—we will navigate this next season together.

         

        Regards,

        Fred

        Fred Krug

        President

        FIRST Washington

        Seattle Pride Parade

        MI Robotics is happy to host the Students of FIRST Washington contingent of the Seattle Pride Parade 2026! Detailed marching information to come in June. Sign-up via this form or use the QR code below. Please reach out to Alida at alida.m.mendes@gmail.com with any questions. We hope to see you there!


        Important Dates

           

          FRC REBUILT Blog: Volume 32

          by | Jun 11, 2026 | FRC, Newsletter

          This post contains lots of information, please read the entire thing. 

           


          Hello FIRST Washington Robotics Teams!

          What an incredible FIRST AGE season!

          As another chapter closes and we head into summer, FIRST Washington is preparing for the upcoming CANOPY season. We are also finalizing our budget for the next fiscal year starting July 1, 2026, and wanted to share some important updates.

          As many of you are experiencing, funding continues to be a major pressure point for programs like FIRST Robotics. Last season, FIRST Washington was able to support our community by granting nearly $1.4 million in discounts and team support funding.

          When planning last season’s budget, we were optimistic we could replenish those reserves through foundation grants, renewal of OSPI, individual donors, and increased corporate support.  To that end we set a large fundraising goal of over $1.5 million for the year.

          Unfortunately, our success in securing replacement funding fell short by around $700,000. We were unable to secure all the grants we needed, and the State Budget did not restore any funding for FIRST Washington this year.

          We have adjusted our fundraising strategy moving forward and are continuing to work as hard as we can to fill this funding gap.

          At this time though, we are unable to guarantee registration discounts that teams have become accustomed to over the years.

          From now until the start of the next season, we are asking your Teams to work in direct partnership with us to ensure the FIRST Washington ecosystem of nearly 1,000 total teams have the resources and support needed for another successful season for all our FLL, FTC, and FRC programs in the Pacific Northwest.

          What we need you to do:

          1. Develop a fundraising plan for the summer and fall that includes the payment of full registration fees for the upcoming season
          2. Work in partnership with FIRST WA Development and Volunteer management staff to engage new mentors and volunteers to support your team- both with time and matching funds from their companies

          What FIRST Washington will do:

          1. Host fundraising strategy sessions and office hours for coaches, mentors, and business managers in July and August
          2. Provide clean fundraising collateral for teams to use
          3. Work directly with companies who currently provide volunteers and mentors with matching funds available to set new engagement goals – ultimately increasing the number of volunteers and mentors on each team whose participation hours are matched with cash from their employer
          4. Activate a team support funding campaign, in addition to our standard fundraising goals for operations, with a target goal of $500K to allocate out to teams on an “as needed for sustainability and stability” basis
          5. Every challenge is a turning point. Every turning point is an opportunity.

          In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity- Albert Einstein

          Working together, we can stabilize funding for the FIRST WA ecosystem over the next two to three years- getting us all to a place where the question isn’t “how do we fund this?” but instead “what do we fund next that makes the student experience even better?”

          We know this represents a shift, and we are committed to working alongside you through it. Our focus remains the same: ensuring that every team has a path forward and that our community continues to grow and succeed. Thank you for your continued dedication, resilience, and partnership—we will navigate this next season together.

           

          Regards,

          Fred

          Fred Krug

          President

          FIRST Washington

          Seattle Pride Parade

          MI Robotics is happy to host the Students of FIRST Washington contingent of the Seattle Pride Parade 2026! Detailed marching information to come in June. Sign-up via this form or use the QR code below. Please reach out to Alida at alida.m.mendes@gmail.com with any questions. We hope to see you there!


          Off-Season Events

          Looking for a fun way to have new members experience an event, try out a new mechanism, or network with other teams? Register to attend an off-season event this fall! 

          Off-season events are hosted and run by individual FRC teams, not FIRST Washington. This means each event’s participation requirement(s), fees, and timelines may vary. All events will utilize the REBUILT game. 

           

          Block Party 2026

          Dates: October 24&25, 2026

          Location: Mill Creek, WA

          Fee: $400 (additional $200 for a second robot if space permits)

          Registration form link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfEjNEGbH2Q2EMxiN12G6pm58ZHJZtVGn96MNZ0ngSekZQUtA/viewform

          For questions, contact Steve Kaneb at steve.kaneb@gmail.com

          Washington Girls Generation

          Girls’ Generation will be held on Oct 17th and 18th at Tahoma High School.

          More information on the Tahoma Robotics website https://tahomarobotics.org/2025-wa-girls-generation 

          Oregon Girls Generation and FIRST Chance

          Girls Gen- October 3rd

          FIRST Chance- October 4th

          Bordie Through Time

          October 9th-10th

          Storm Surge

          September 26th-27th

          Important Dates