FTC Link

FIRST Chesapeake's FTC News

Stay informed and connected!

Welcome to the ☃️ January FTC Link Newsletter!

Check out this month's highlights and reminders!

This month's newsletter at a glance:

• Event Reminders and Etiquette
• What to know about the World Championship?
• What is a Premier Event?
• FIRST Team Webinars- great resource!
• Mentor Conference
• ***Be a host for 25-26 FTC Season- Complete our form!
• Scrimmage in January
• Compass Award Submissions Open
• Outreach Opportunities

Event Reminders and Etiquette

Wow! We are about halfway through our qualifiers this season already. As we gear up for a great line up in January, please review these important competition reminders.

Rules:

• Please ensure all team members and families are familiar with the Code of Conduct that governs our events.
• Team Numbers- The rules have changed for how team numbers should be created, mounted, and even specific coloration. (Section 12.4 in Competition Manual)
• All coaches and team members MUST wear safety glasses in the pit and competition area. Side shields may only be worn with Rx safety rated glasses. If regular glasses are worn and are not safety rated, the student must wear rated safety glasses over them. (Rule E101)

"Universal Violation Note: A violation of any Event Rules (E) will result in a verbal warning. Egregious or subsequent violations will be addressed by the Head REFEREE, the lead ROBOT INSPECTOR (LRI) and/or Event Director and may result in disqualification for the team from MATCHES and awards." (Section 5, 5.1 of Competition Manual.)

What to share with your teams and families:

• Use this link to see all pertinent information for the event you are attending. It has the venue information, streaming link, match schedule once created, rankings, scores, and advancement and awards. https://ftc-events.firstinspires.org/#allevents

Team Check In:

• ****Remember to bring a paper copy of your team roster with checkmarks for all participating team members to all events.
• Team Check in at events this season is no later than 9am. Match schedules will be created without your team if you have not checked in by 9am.
• Planning to submit a portfolio? You must submit that by 7:40am. Be aware of the difference in timing. No exceptions will be made.
• All teams will receive a bag of driver buttons for the their drive teams at events when they check in. These must be turned in prior to you leaving for the events after you. Please don't forget!

Awards:

• We encourage all teams to stay for their entire event. Leaving early might mean missing valuable moments like playoffs, dancing, and award announcements that highlight the hard work and dedication of all teams.
• Most events are ending by 5:30 and teams who win judged awards are often already gone when their awards are handed out.

Compass Awards are Open for Submission!

A beacon and leader in the journey of the FIRST Tech Challenge!

The Compass Award recognizes an adult coach or mentor who has given outstanding guidance and support to a team throughout the year and demonstrates to the team what it means to be a Gracious Professional. The winner of the Compass Award will be chosen from candidates nominated by FIRST Tech Challenge student team members, via a 40-60 second video submission and awarded at the FTC FIRST Championship. The video must highlight how their mentor has helped them become an inspirational team. We want to hear what sets the mentor apart.



Submit your Compass Award video by Jan. 26, 2025. No late submissions will be accepted.

Mentor Conference is coming to town!

Save the date: May 17, 2025

9am-4pm Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab

Join us for a day filled with engaging opportunities to grow as a robotics mentor and connect with others in the FIRST community:

• Expert Insights: Learn from renowned speakers and moderators sharing expertise in fundraising, program transitions, and sustainable mentorship.
• Interactive Breakouts: Participate in dynamic sessions on practical topics like fundraising basics and transitioning between robotics programs.
• Panel Discussions: Hear from experienced coaches as they share success stories and strategies to overcome challenges.
• Tech Talks: Explore quick, impactful talks covering technical and non-technical aspects of FLL, FTC, FRC, and more.
• Networking Opportunities: Build connections during coffee breaks, lunch, and a happy hour designed for collaboration and idea-sharing.
• Interactive Sessions: Dive into hands-on discussions about season planning, diversity strategies, youth leadership, and program sustainability.

This conference offers a chance to gain valuable insights, exchange ideas, and strengthen your mentoring toolkit!

What is a Premier Event?

New in the 2024-2025 season FIRST Tech Challenge announced a new Premier Event advancement type!

Premier Events are capstone events specifically focused on celebrating FIRST Tech Challenge teams. Teams earn advancement to Premier Events the same way as they earn advancement to the FIRST Championship, based on performance at their Regional Championship event.

Each region will be allocated a fixed number of Championship advancement and Premier Event advancement slots based on the size of their region as of the early December cutoff date.

Invitation Process

The Premier Event invitation process will be handled manually for the 2024-2025 season, with the intent to at least partially automate it by the 2026-2027 season. 

After the completion of each region's Regional Championship event the following process will take effect:

1. Championship qualified teams will be sent an automatic email inviting them to register and pay for the FIRST Championship.
2. Championship qualified teams will be offered the opportunity to decline their Championship advancement slot and will be able to select any Premier Event with open capacity. 

More information will be shared at FIRST Inspires! Be on the lookout!

FIRST Team Webinars

Our Team Webinars are happening, and a whole ocean of exciting knowledge is waiting for your teams to discover! Be sure to check out the schedule and encourage your teams to sign up for any webinars that could help them on their journey through this season.

If they've missed any of our previous adventures, don’t worry! They can find all the recorded webinars here and catch up on what they've missed:

January Scrimmage

FIRST Inspires Resources

• ftc.game - Links to the game and season info page

• https://ftc-resources.firstinspires.org/file/ftc/game/manual - Link to latest version of the Competition Manual

• https://ftc-resources.firstinspires.org/file/ftc/game/tu-combined-Link to the relevant team update

• ftc.events - links to ftc-events.firstinspires.org which contains season results



• Starter Bot Guides from various vendors

Outreach Opportunities

FIRST Chesapeake is looking for a few teams to help with some amazing outreach this season.

1. Championship Demonstration

As our FLL students age out of the FLL program, we want them to know what FTC is all about! We would love a few teams to attend:

• VA FLL Championship on December 8, 2024
• MD FLL Championship on February 22, 2025
• FRC Championship on April 4-6, 2025

Teams selected will demonstrate what an FTC robot can do and illustrate for students the excitement our program brings as a continuation of what they started in FLL.

2.Geared Up Celebration at VSU on May 10th in Petersburg, VA

We have 16 new teams this season that are part of our Geared Up Mentor Program. These teams will celebrate all that they have learned this year at a mock competition with opportunities to meet veteran teams and learn from their experience.

If your team is interested in either of these opportunities, please email Shelly and share the following:

1. Which opportunity(ies) your team is interested in
2. Your team number and location
3. Answer the question "What makes your team a good ambassador for FTC?"

Event Host Interest Form 2025-2026

Interested in hosting an event for the 25-26 season?

If you are a returning host, please make sure that you submit a form. If you don't submit a request, you will not be considered.

Use the link below to share your interest with Chesapeake as we begin planning for next year.

Benefits:

• Less travel for your team
• Preference when choosing qualifiers
• Behind the scenes look at competition
• Outreach opportunities for your team
• Ensures that we have enough events for all teams to have 2 qualifiers

Stay Connected!

Office Hours

Sign up and stop by for my office hours on Wednesdays between 4-6pm and Fridays from 11am-1pm.

Slack

Virtual Suggestion Box

Do you have an idea or suggestion that might help us improve?

Thanks,

Shelly Stoddard

sstoddard@firstchesapeake.org

Thank you to our generous sponsors!