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We�re excited to share the news that FIRST Tech Challenge will be making World Championships even louder next year! We�re expanding our footprints in both Houston and Detroit from 128 to 160 teams at each event. More teams mean more fun, and higher levels of competition from teams around the world. FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship registration fees will increase to $2,000 per team. This is the first increase in registration fees since we started the program back in 2007. The elimination of Super Regional events and those costs should help teams offset this increase. Season registration fees remain at $275, and we continue to drive down costs for rookie and veteran teams to obtain hardware and electronics. Our goal is to change the culture, inspiring more students by showing them the fun and excitement of STEM and Gracious Professionalism embedded in the FIRST culture. We do that by getting more and more students, coaches, volunteers and sponsors on board. We�re proud of the work...

New Year, renewed focus!  And regardless of how or where you celebrate the new year, there is never a time of year that it isn't important to think about  giving back . That means something different to different people. For some, it's giving back to their community: community service, donating time or money, and even volunteering. For others, it's spending time with family: building snowman, taking a hike along a beach, or even just staying home and playing board games. There are thousands of ways to define giving back, and one of those ways within our FIRST � community, is Gracious Professionalism� . Gracious Professionalism is "a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community." Our top teams and volunteers exhibit this quality on the competition field, at home in their communities, and even online. This characteristic is strongly represented in our teams that become our Inspire ...

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, ...

Whenever you engage in a brand new activity, there is what is called a �learning curve:� that period of time when you need to figure out how the new thing works, learn the skills, and practice before you can achieve success. Sometimes this takes a few minutes, sometimes days, and sometimes much longer. FTC Team  #2843 wrote the TETRIX Build Guide for their "PB" PushBot. Folks who do not know FIRST and FIRST Tech Challenge have to work through this learning curve. And the curve gets bigger the less technical you are. It�s a lot like learning a new language or culture: �What do all the acronyms mean?� �How does the Game work?� �Who can answer my questions?� �How do the robots get built?� �What�s that part on the robot called?� And so on. For new folks, it can be intimidating and frustrating. For Rookie FTC teams, the learning curve is even steeper. They have to work through all of the same stuff as any newcomer, but also have to learn how create a team, build a budget, and f...

Did you get to participate in the inaugural Gear Up with FTC! FIRST Tech Challenge Virtual Summer Conference ? I learned so many new things my brain hurts. If you didn't get a chance to check in, here's a recap of what you missed. Follow the links to watch any of the sessions on the FIRST Tech Challenge YouTube Channel. On Wednesday Kari Karwedsky from PTC talked about Shared Connections between the engineering field, PTC, and FIRST . Her topic was a great reminder that FIRST Tech Challenge is about more than just robots-there is a lot of practical, life learning that happens on and off the competition field! Maintaining the connection theme, 2014 FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship Inspire Award winners The Bears joined us from Mexico to talk about FTC teams building international connections and practical team organization methods and tips, which will be especially useful for rookie teams starting to plan their season. Their high-energy presentation was followed by ...