FRC REBUILT Blog: Volume 8

by Adrienne Collins | Oct 6, 2025 | FRC, Newsletter

Kickoff registration is open!

All teams need to either register for an in person kickoff or select to be a my site. Here are a few things to note:

FIRST is asking for teams to enter a shipping address even if they are registering for an in person kickoff. This is in case something needs to be shipped to teams after kickoff.

If you select MySite, your kickoff kit will not ship to you until after kickoff which means any game piece, etc won’t be received by your team until a week or so after kickoff. Additionally, there is a charge to have your kit shipped to you. That charge will be included on your registration invoice.

Link to last weeks FRC Coaches Chat

If you missed last week’s coaches chat, you can view the slides and recording here: https://firstwa.org/webinars/

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

Open Now: FIRST Washington Registration
Open Now: BunnyBots game rules released
10-11: Uplift Challenge (Hosted by 4125)
10-11/12: Bordie at Sea (Hosted by 2412)
10-16: Second event preferencing window opens
10-18/19: Washington Girls Gen (Hosted by 2046)
10-25: Storm Surge (hosted by 2811)
10-23: Event preferencing window closes
11-18: FRC Kickoff & Event Registration closes
11-18: FRC Coaches Chat 7:00 pm
Wk 11-24: FRC Invoices sent

FTC DECODE Blog: Volume 8

by Adrienne Collins | Oct 6, 2025 | FTC, Newsletter

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

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

FLL UNEARTHED Blog: Volume 6

by Jacque Grimm | Sep 30, 2025 | FLL, FLL Challenge, FLL Explore, Newsletter

In this weeks Blog-

Registration info!

Invoices

Event Info

Coaches Chat Recording

Make sure you read the entire blog!

Season Info

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 522 as of 9/24 Challenge teams registered and paid with FIRST Inspires.

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

Right now we only have 389 Challenge teams registered with FIRST Washington.

Only 351 Challenge teams have completed both registrations! That means only 351 teams are ready to attend an event this season! Last season we had 482 that participated!

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

Registration and information-

Challenge– https://firstwa.org/challenge-registration/

Explore– https://firstwa.org/explore-registration/

Are you registered?

If you have recently registered with FIRST Inspires (after 9/24) this will not reflect that. FIRST Inspires report we use to verify registration has been down since 9/24. They hope to have it fixed soon!

FLL Challenge?

↓↓↓↓↓↓

Click Here to Check!

FLL Explore?

↓↓↓↓↓↓

Click Here to Check!

Invoices

Invoices for the FIRST Washington FLL Challenge ($350) and FLL Explore ($50) fees go out in early October. They will be emailed out to the person you listed on your FIRST Washington registration under “person who should receive FIRST Washington invoice”

Thanks for your patience!

Event Info

FLL Challenge-

Overview-

Teams are assigned events based on location.
Once a team has paid their FIRST Washington fee and they have been assigned an event, if they would like to change events there will be an opt out form to fill out to request another event.
Teams will then be placed on a waitlist and moved into that event after all teams have been placed or after a certain date, whichever comes first, if there is still space.
If there is not space in the event they chose, they may move back into their original event, space permitting, or be assigned to an event with available space.

Challenge Registration- Details- Make sure you read!

Teams will no longer be filling out a registration survey- YAY
Teams will still need to be paid to see their placement- invoices will go out soon to those that filled out the FIRST Washington registration. If you did not fill it out, you will not receive an invoice and will not be placed or able to participate until you do.
Teams will be assigned a home venue/event that is within 50 miles
The 50 miles is point to point distance, not driving distance
This is based on Venue Zipcode and Team Zipcode
Teams have the ability to opt out of their home event using the opt out form and go on a waitlist. Teams may only ask to opt out by filling out the form- no email communication will be accepted.
Waitlist teams are not guaranteed a spot in the event they choose, or a spot in the event they opted out of.
Waitlist teams are placed on a first come first served basis in the event they choose if there is available space, and will be notified after the placement window closes if there is space in the event they chose.
If there is not space- they can move back to their home event, space permitting, or move into an event with available space, but there is no guarantee an event with available space will be within 50 miles
Teams requesting to change the day of the week only and not the venue they are competing at will have a seperate form to fill out. Make sure you pay attention to which form you need!

FLL Explore-

Overview-

Teams fill out an event registration form
You can choose 2 event preferences from a list. Please make sure both locations and dates work for you!
Once teams have-
- Registered with FIRST
- Registered with FIRST Washington
- Paid the FIRST Washington invoice ($50)
- Filled out the event registration
Teams will be placed in one of their 2 event preferences.
Events are in December and March, teams may choose 1.

Event Venues

I am still in the process of getting all the event venues secured. As soon as I have a schedule I will get it out to you all!

FLL Coaches Chat

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

Important Dates & Deadlines

Open Now – FIRST Washington Registration
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

FLL UNEARTHED Blog: Volume 6

Sep 30, 2025

Team and Event Registration Info

FLL UNEARTHED Blog: Volume 5

Sep 23, 2025

Coaches Chat Tonight!

FLL UNEARTHED Blog: Volume 4

Sep 16, 2025

Coaches Chat Info!

FRC REBUILT Blog: Volume 7

by Adrienne Collins | Sep 30, 2025 | FRC, Newsletter

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

Open Now: FIRST Washington Registration
Open Now: BunnyBots game rules released
9-26: First event preferencing window opens
9-30: FRC Coaches Chat
10-2: Event preferencing window closes
10-4/5: Oregon Girls Gen/FIRST Chance (hosted by 1425)
10-11: Uplift Challenge (Hosted by 4125)
10-11/12: Bordie at Sea (Hosted by 2412)
10-16: Second event preferencing window opens
10-18/19: Washington Girls Gen (Hosted by 2046)
10-25: Storm Surge (hosted by 2811)
10-23: Event preferencing window closes

FTC DECODE Blog: Volume 7

by Adrienne Collins | Sep 30, 2025 | FTC, Newsletter

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

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

by Jacque Grimm | Sep 23, 2025 | FLL, FLL Challenge, FLL Explore, Newsletter

In this weeks Blog-

Coaches Chat

Invoices

Registration info!

Make sure you read the entire blog!

Season Info

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-

Challenge– https://firstwa.org/challenge-registration/

Explore– https://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!