FRC REBUILT Blog: Volume 7

Event Preferencing closes at 9 am Thursday 

    Event preferencing for you first event  

    📖 For full details, check out the FRC Event Preference Guide. 

    Don’t miss your chance—make sure your team is event ready before September 25 so you can take advantage of the first preferencing window! 

    Not sure if you are event ready?  Click here to see your status. 

    ****Important****  If you pick an event other than your home event, you may end up on the waitlist once events are posted Thursday afternoon/Friday morning.  This is normal.  I will be working with FIRST to move everyone into events on Friday and Monday.  Please do not email me if you end up on a waitlist, I will not respond to your email. If you are still on a waitlist Tuesday, October 7, you will receive an email from me by the end of the day letting you know what your options are. 

      FRC Coaches Chat 

      📅 Tonight, September 30 @ 7:00 pm 

      At least one adult per team should attend. Topics include: 

      • How to preference for events (and when/how you’ll know your placement) 
      • Important season dates and deadlines 
      • Invoicing timeline and season costs 

      To attend this meeting click here —please forward to any adult who should attend. 

      Important Dates

      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

      • 10-16:  FTC Coaches Chat 
      • 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 

       

      FLL UNEARTHED Blog: Volume 5

      In this weeks Blog-

      Coaches Chat

      Invoices

      Registration info!

      Make sure you read the entire blog!

      FLL Coaches Chat

      Our first FLL Coaches Chat of the season is tonight at 7pm!

      Hope to see you all there!

      We will be focusing primarily on FLL Challenge, but will have some Explore info as well!

      To view the recording and slides from the coaches chat click here

      Registration Info!- closes end of September!

      Reminder- Registration in Washington is a 2 step process! 

      1. Register your team with FIRST Inspires (Team registration fee, Challenge set, Robot- if needed)

      Right now we only have 506 Challenge teams registered and paid with FIRST Inspires.

      2. Register your team with FIRST Washington (Event participation fee- $350)

      Right now we only have 278 Challenge teams registered with FIRST Washington.

      Only 256 Challenge teams have completed both registrations! That means only 256 teams are ready to attend an event this season!

      Both of these registrations are required to participate in Washington for both Explore and Challenge. Please register asap! 

      Registration and information-

      Challengehttps://firstwa.org/challenge-registration/

      Explorehttps://firstwa.org/explore-registration/

       

      If you are interested in a FIRST Washington grant- this grant closes September 26th. Make sure you fill out the FIRST Washington registration before that date!

      Are you registered?

      FLL Challenge?

      ↓↓↓↓↓↓

      FLL Explore?

      ↓↓↓↓↓↓

      Invoices

      Invoices for the FIRST Washington FLL Challenge ($350) and FLL Explore ($50) fees go out in early October.

      Thanks for your patience!

      Important Dates & Deadlines

      • Open Now – FIRST Washington Registration
      • September 23rd – Coaches Chat
      • September 26th – FIRST Washington Grant closes
      • Early October – Invoices go out
      • December 6/7 – First weekend of Qualifiers
      • December 13/14 – Second weekend of Qualifiers
      • January 24/25 – Semifinals
      • February  1st – Western WA State

      More From FLL

      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

      • 10-16:  FTC Coaches Chat 
      • 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 

       

      FRC REBUILT Blog: Volume 6

      Event Preferencing opens Thursday! 

        Be Event Ready Before Preferencing Opens 

        At the beginning of every season, coaches need to log into their FIRST dashboard to update consent forms and acknowledgements. Make sure you do this early so you don’t get held up when the FIRST Preferencing Window opens later this month. 

        To be event ready, both Lead Mentor 1 and 2 must: 

        • Sign consent and acknowledgement forms on their dashboard 
        • Be current with their Youth Protection Screening (YPP) 

        Please note:  FIRST has updated their system and if you haven’t logged in since that update, you will be asked to reset your password.  I recommend doing that earlier this week so that you are prepared when you log in to preference for your first event. 

        You will not be able to preference if both Lead 1 and 2 are not current with these requirements. Don’t wait until the last minute—when everyone submits screenings at once, the process takes longer! 

        📖 For full details, check out the FRC Event Preference Guide. 

        Don’t miss your chance—make sure your team is event ready before September 25 so you can take advantage of the first preferencing window! 

        Not sure if you are event ready?  Click here to see your status. 

          Events are posted on firstinspires.org

           

          To make it easier, here is the event schedule for 2026: 

          Week 1       
          3/5/2026  3/7/2026  Oregon State Fairgrounds 
          3/6/2026  3/8/2026  Bonney Lake 
          Week 2       
          3/13/2026  3/15/2026  Wilsonville 
          3/13/2026  3/15/2026  Glacier Peak 
          Week 3       
          3/19/2026  3/21/2026  SunDome 
          3/20/2026  3/22/2026  Sammamish 
          Week 4       
          3/26/2026  3/28/2026  Clackamas Academy 
          3/27/2026  3/29/2026  Auburn 
          Week 6       
          4/8/2026  4/11/2026  DCMP, Cheney, WA 

          FRC Coaches Chat 

          📅 Tuesday, September 30 @ 7:00 pm 

          At least one adult per team should attend. Topics include: 

          • How to preference for events (and when/how you’ll know your placement) 
          • Important season dates and deadlines 

          To attend this meeting click here —please forward to any adult who should attend. 

          Register with FIRST Washington

          Please register with FIRST Washington by September 26. This ensures: 

          • We know your team plans to participate this season (otherwise we may not have confirmation until after preferencing closes). 
          • We have the correct contact information for invoicing. 
          • You gain access to FIRST Washington Grants (most funding goes to Washington teams, but some Oregon teams have received funding in past years as well). 

           FIRST Washington Registration Form 

          Not sure if you are registered with FIRST Washington?  Click here to see your status 

          Important Dates

          FLL UNEARTHED Blog: Volume 4

          In this weeks Blog-

          Coaches Chat

          Invoices

          Registration info!

          Make sure you read the entire blog!

          Registration Info!- closes end of September!

          Reminder- Registration in Washington is a 2 step process! 

          1. Register your team with FIRST Inspires (Team registration fee, Challenge set, Robot- if needed)

          Right now we only have 482 Challenge teams registered and paid with FIRST Inspires.

          2. Register your team with FIRST Washington (Event participation fee- $350)

          Right now we only have 191 Challenge teams registered with FIRST Washington.

          Only 127 Challenge teams have completed both registrations! That means only 127 teams are ready to attend an event this season!

          Both of these registrations are required to participate in Washington for both Explore and Challenge.

          Registration and information-

          Challengehttps://firstwa.org/challenge-registration/

          Explorehttps://firstwa.org/explore-registration/

           

          If you are interested in a FIRST Washington grant- this grant closes September 26th. Make sure you fill out the FIRST Washington registration before that date!

          Are you registered?

          FLL Challenge?

          ↓↓↓↓↓↓

          FLL Explore?

          ↓↓↓↓↓↓

          Coming Soon!

          Invoices

          Invoices for the FIRST Washington FLL Challenge ($350) and FLL Explore ($50) fees go out in early October.

          Thanks for your patience!

          FLL Coaches Chat

          Our first FLL Coaches Chat was originally scheduled for this evening. With having been on vacation last week, I am not ready! I am moving it to next Tuesday, September 23rd at 7pm!

          Hopefully by then I will also have all the event locations confirmed as well!

          Important Dates & Deadlines

          • Open Now – FIRST Washington Registration
          • September 23rd – Coaches Chat
          • September 26th – FIRST Washington Grant closes
          • Early October – Invoices go out
          • December 6/7 – First weekend of Qualifiers
          • December 13/14 – Second weekend of Qualifiers
          • January 24/25 – Semifinals
          • February  1st – Western WA State

          More From FLL