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Whew, what a season - capped off by the first ever Festival of Champions right here in Manchester, New Hampshire.  Thanks to everyone who made this year a success. The students were tremendous and our program grew for the 12th year in a row. I�ve been with FIRST for 10 years and I�m still amazed by the passion, drive, and intellect demonstrated by our teams. Our planet faces big problems, but with this generation I have great confidence we will meet those challenges. Our volunteers share this hope, it�s why they dedicate millions of person-hours each year to make this possible. Although they may not have had FIRST when they were young, they see the critical need, and the amazing benefits. FIRST Tech Challenge alone held over 800 events last season and every single one depended on these outstanding volunteers. I know of no other organization in the world that attracts such passionate, and intelligent folks. Finally, a huge thank you to the FIRST Tech Challenge staff. Believe it or n...

Participating Teams and Schedule We are excited to announce and celebrate our FIRST Tech Challenge Teams competing at our FIRST Class 2017 - Festival of Champions!  Advancing from St. Louis: Team 5466, Combustible Lemons, from Davenport, Iowa - Inspire Award Winner Team 8686, Height Differential, from St. Paul, Minnesota - Alliance Captain                 Team 6929, Data Force, from Littleton, Colorado - 1st Pick                                                             Team 5916, BoBots, from Earlville, Maryland - 2nd Pick                                    Advancing from Houston: Team 3491, Fix-It, from Victoria, BC, Canada - Inspire Award Winner                ...

When I was a kid, we lived on a road that led from the highway to the fairgrounds, so the last week in August we haunted the front porch waiting to see the onslaught of vendor and ride trucks hurry past. At the fairgrounds, we would stand out of the way and watch empty fields turn into a magical world of tents, booths, animal stalls, and of course, rides! Then for five days the field became its own world, bustling with lights, noise, and energy that we lived within during the day and could see and hear from our bedroom window each night. And then, on Tuesday morning, they were all gone, having packed up and crept away in the middle of the night to head off to other fairs and events. The absence of that temporary world was always palpable for a few days as we re-emerged from its magic into the real world and preparations for the first day of school. If you have ever attended a FIRST Tech Challenge event, then you have also experienced a magical world called the FTC Pits. Physically, ...

Hi! This is Michelle Long, Alumni and Scholarship Programs Manager at FIRST HQ. Can you believe that the 2014/15 FIRST Tech Challenge Season is almost over already? I hope that your season was as fun as mine was and that you used the opportunity to meet as many people as you could at the event(s) that you attended. One of the most important things that you can gain from your time on a FIRST Team is the incredible exposure to Teams and Participants from all over � even if it�s the next town over! Whether you knew it or not, a lot of your interactions were networking! Networking is one of those business �buzzwords� that people throw around a lot, and sounds really intimidating, but can be really natural and simple. To that effect, we�ve compiled the list below of networking tips that you can put into practice during FIRST events (links to original sources if you want to get an A+ and dig even deeper!):   Seek out people you wouldn�t have met under other circumstances : Is your Pit ...