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Hello FIRST Tech Challenge Teams! Can you believe that Super-Regionals have begun? I don�t know where the time has gone, but I do know that at FIRST HQ, we are getting geared up for the 2016 World Championship. My team and I are very glad to be able to tell you a little more about some of the changes we have made to our favorite event of the year. We�re excited about these changes, and we hope you are too! Today, I wanted to share with you a day-by-day breakdown of some of the things we�ve been working on. Before you arrive � Every invited team will receive a link to our Experient Badging and Hotel Reservation Site. Please make sure to go through the badging process for every member of your team. This will save you a TON of time at Registration. We thank you, and so will the people in line behind you. Tuesday, April 26, 2016 � Early Bird Check In will occur at the Registration Area in Union Station from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. This line will move very quickly, because I know you all wil...

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 ...

FIRST is an organization whose mission is to show students of every age that science, technology, and problem-solving are not only fun and rewarding, but are proven paths to successful careers and a bright future for us all.  Yet, for so many of us, FIRST touches so much more of our lives than just introducing us to a world of science and innovation. For George Marchant, FIRST has been a part of his life for fifteen years, ten of which was spent volunteering for FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC). His initial introduction to FTC was at its very inception. �When I heard about the demo event that was scheduled for the 2005 World Championship. FTC was always attractive to me as I see the entry cost of the FIRST Robotics Competition as a barrier to many school districts in lower income communities, or areas without major engineering sponsors.  I also think that FTC allows teams to be formed from groups outside the school system such as Girl Scouts, 4-H, or Home school organizations.�...

FIRST is a community that allows for a lifetime of opportunities to become involved. For Sarah Fogwell, her volunteering career started early. As a 7 th grader, Sarah stepped in and found a way to do more than just compete during the FIRST Tech Challeng e season. She reached out and had a fellow volunteer teach her �the field control system and set up, and [she] took off from there.� �My first thoughts about volunteering at a robotics competition were, whoa, I went from competing to now running competitions, how much nerdier can I get?� But that's not how the rest of the world sees Sarah. JoAnn Halloran, FTC Program Manager, describes Sarah as someone who shows "willingness to step out of her comfort zone, to lend a hand, to try new things and to encourage those around her to do the same. She is a remarkable team member, and an even more remarkable volunteer." When asked to name one of the highlights from her volunteer experience, she recalls her first year at World Ch...