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Hello FIRST Tech Challenge Teams! We hope you�ve had a great season of recovering relics, and hope you are just as excited as we are to move into the new ROVER RUCKUS Presented by Qualcomm season! We know you�re wondering what the next year will bring, and we have some important updates to share with you to help prepare you for the 2018-2019 season. Technology Phase Out FIRST Tech Challenge technology has come a long way over the past 3 seasons. After the introduction of the REV Expansion Hub for the 2017-2018 season, we�ve seen positive results not only in tech reliability, but also ease of use for our teams. With these strides in technology, comes the phase out of previously supported legacy modules. The following modules will no longer be supported moving into the 2018-2019 season:           Legacy HiTechnic DC Motor Controller           Legacy HiTechnic Servo Controller           Legacy MATRIX DC ...

Super Regional competitions were piloted in 2014 with the intent of creating a more balanced progression of competition. As FIRST Tech Challenge grew, the single World Championship accommodating 128 teams resulted in a very small percentage of teams making it to the top level of competition. Super Regional events provided a solution to this problem, and allowed more teams to reach a higher level of competition. The events were a tremendous success. The regions that stepped up to organize, fundraise and execute the events were amazing. The sponsors who believed in the vision donated over a million dollars to make them happen. The team experience was unlike anything else. We are truly grateful for the passion and effort that went into these events. Since the inception of Super Regionals several things have changed. Most significantly, we�ve added a second World Championship, as well as new World Championship venues. In 2017 FIRST Tech Challenge doubled the number of teams attending Worl...

During this season of thanks, we want all our teams to know how appreciative we are of you -- not just because of your participation in FIRST programs, but for all you do to make it loud for our mission. You understand how important it is to inspire young minds and engage kids in STEM, and the statistics prove it � kids who participate in FIRST programs are more interested in doing well in school and going to college. Each and every one of you understand that FIRST is about more than robots; it�s about empowering students everywhere to make the world a better place. We want to encourage even more kids around the world to dream big, and we invite you to join us. On Giving Tuesday (November 28), we�re rallying our #stemsquad and participating in this global day of giving back through a 24-hour marathon fundraiser! Join the movement by setting up your own fundraising  page �the process is simple, and only takes a few minutes.  Customize it, share your page with friends and fam...

What do you think of when you think  FIRST ? Do you think of the people that you meet? The events you go to? Your Team? Other Teams? ROBOTS?!?!?! What do I think of when I think of FIRST ? I think of you. Yes you! Whoever you are reading this blog post. FIRST is a lot of things, but most importantly it�s the people . All the many things that FIRST is are nothing without the people who make up our community.  There are many ways to remain a part of the FIRST community after your time as a student on a FIRST Team ends! As a FIRST Alum, you can remain part of the community as an event-day volunteer and/or team coach or mentor; or donor; or advocate! In addition to the ways you can give back to FIRST , we want to stay a part of your life and continue to help you be successful. As a high school participant on a FIRST Team you�ll gain access to our alumni programs: The FIRST Scholarship Program , FIRST Internship Portal and FIRST Alumni Group on LinkedIn . To learn more...

ROBOTICON Tampa Bay, now in its 5 th year, is a collaborative effort of several Tampa Bay organizations and partners, including FIRST Affiliate Partners, Alumni and volunteers.  Led by Eureka! Factory, in partnership with the Foundation for Community Driven Innovation, ROBOTICON is a K-12 STEAM education showcase, featuring all four FIRST programs, and academic, engineering and industry exhibits for a weekend long celebration of science and technology. The mission of ROBOTICON is to increase public awareness of and engagement in, the power of hands on, mentor driven youth engineering and robotics programs like FIRST , and to provide participating youth with a low stress, high-quality event with opportunities for skill building, networking, and college and career readiness experiences. When we originally organized ROBOTICON, I was the Regional Director for Central Florida and simply modeled the off-season event on a scaled back version of the Orlando Regional.  We quickly dis...

One of the best things about being a part of FIRST� is joining a community of like-minded individuals who work toward a common goal. In the short term, that may be building an awesome Robot, but in the long term, that means changing the culture we live in. For every one of us who works for FIRST, participates in the Programs, and most especially donates our time, energy and resources, we do so with the goal that we are making a difference. Where all that starts is within the team environment. Both students and Mentors/Coaches learn and teach each other more than just how to build and program a Robot. They learn about Leadership , careers that are open to them in the future, and the how to work as part of a team. In the majority of careers, knowing how to work as part of a team is essential . There are very few jobs in this very connected day and age where people work completely alone. Within a FIRST� Tech Challenge team, by working on teambuilding , team members benefit in the areas o...

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 ...

By FIRST � President, Don Bossi For those of us at FIRST� Headquarters (HQ) and many of our affiliated organizations throughout the world, the most fun and rewarding part of our roles is having the opportunity to meet and speak with the kids who participate in our Programs, as well as the adult Coaches, Mentors and Volunteers who support them.  I love hearing their stories of impact, growth and change.  If you wonder whether we ever get tired of those stories, we don�t!  Please keep them coming. That said, I do get one question more frequently than all the rest, so I decided to answer it here today � Where is FIRST going? Let me begin by giving you a little background on where FIRST is today. Using the United States as an example, FIRST programs only exist in about 9 percent of all K-12 schools in this country. In addition to these school-based teams, we do have many community-based teams that help fill the gap. However, even with those, it�s safe to say that FIRST pr...

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, ...