Hello Coaches,

First off, I want to congratulate those that competed this weekend. I was fortunate enough to actually make it to Glacier Peak on Sunday after running the Clackamas event so I got to see all of the robots that competed this weekend in action!

I know everyone is feeling uneasy about Covid-19 going into the next several weeks. I want to assure you all that we are working very hard to ensure that are events are able to continue safely. Here are some of the things we will be working on from our end:

1.       We are closely monitoring updates and following guidance from the Washington Department of Health, county health departments, local school districts, and the CDC.

2.       We are actively communicating with our sites to stay updated on what is happening in their districts/areas.

3.       We are working on contingency plans, including collaboration with FIRST nationally, and exploring options for teams to compete even if specific events have to be canceled or if a particular teams is unable to attend an event for which they are registered.

4.       We have suspended the hi-five line for awards, and handshake at finals, and are coming up with alternate ways to celebrate our teams.

5.       We will be communicating  with our volunteers regarding steps we can all take at competitions to promote good hygiene practices  as well as adding signs and hand sanitizer to each of our event trucks.

We will actively be communicating with all of you throughout the competition season and will strive to keep everyone updated as quickly as possible of any changes that occur. Here is what you can do to help us:

1.       Actively read the emails sent by FIRST Washington and ORTOP as they may have information critical to your event.

2.       Share this information with your students and parents to keep them updated.

3.       Ask your students and parents to please remain at home if they are feeling ill.

4.       Bring hand sanitizer for your team and use it liberally (we will be doing the same for our volunteers at the event)

5.       Follow the instructions set out by your district.

6.       Speak with your students about contact at the competitions. I noticed most students were hi-fiving others in the stands as they were heading down for awards. Talk with them about alternate ways to celebrate each other without hi-fives (elbow bumps maybe?)

We recommend keeping up with the CDC recommendations on prevention and treatment:

Most of these suggestions are common sense personal hygiene precautions.  Please emphasis with your team members and guests.

Information about how we are responding to COVID-19 is available on our website (firstwa.org), and we will continue to post updates there as needed. We are also keeping the event calendar on our website up to date, and if any cancellations become necessary, we will note that on our home page as well as on the event calendar.

Your team’s safety needs to be your highest priority. If you decide not to (our you school district won’t allow you to) attend an existing event, we will do our best to get you in an alternate event if possible. Please notify us as right away if there is a change in your status regarding event attendance either by emailing me arime@firstwa.org or texting me at 206-795-5775. Regardless of which method you use, please include your team number so I can work quickly to meet your needs.

All of this craziness serves as a reminder of what a fantastic community we have here in the PNW. I appreciate everything each of you do and will work hard to support all of you as we get through this season together.