Thursday, December 5, 2024

DEAN'S LIST DUE IN 9 DAYS, Compass Award, December 7 Live Stream Links


Congrats to the teams that qualified for the Arizona Championship from the White Mountain and Red Rock qualifiers!
  • 5661 Wolves
  • 8081 Knights of the Lab Table
  • 14835 Tie Dye Samauri
  • 22256 Herobotics CIS
  • 22258 Herobotics Beaniebots
  • 24431 Sedona Scorpions
  • 25620 Hexadecimal Nibble
Congrats to the teams that qualified for the Four Corners Championship from the White Mountain qualifier!
  • 16817 Rocksisaan
  • 23940 RoboCougars
  • 23950 ROCK Bots
  • 24286 Shash

FIRST Tech Challenge Dean's List - Nominations due December 15
One of the most amazing ways you can honor your students is by nominating them for the FIRST Dean's List. Each team may nominate up to two sophomore or junior students. Nominations will ask you to describe the student's leadership, commitment to the core values of FIRST, contributions to your team, and work in the community. All nominations must be submitted by December 15 at 11:59 PM EST, and no late nominations will be accepted. 

Interviews for all nominated students (AZ and Four Corners) will take place in the evening on January 28, 29, and 30 remotely through the FTC scoring system. Students must have a completed consent and release form on the FIRST youth registration system to be nominated. Coaches will receive information on interviews after the nomination window has closed. Learn more about nominating your amazing students HERE.


Compass Award 2025 - Videos due February 1 at 6:00 PM
All teams are welcome to nominate a coach or mentor for the Compass Award, which will be given at both the Four Corners and Arizona Championships! Teams must submit a 1-minute video following the guidelines in the Game Manual and submit it by February 1 at 6:00 pm. Videos should be submitted to this folder, clearly named with the team number and the name of the mentor. There are separate submission folders for Arizona and Four Corners. Teams are eligible to submit for the Compass Award, even if they don't qualify for their region Championship. 

Outreach Opportunity in southern Arizona:

Date: Feb. 27th 2025

Location: Pima County Library Sahuarita Branch
Time: 4:30-7:00 (4:00 Set up)
Contact: Terese Bettis at (520) 625-3502 x 1521 OR email-tbettis@sahuarita.net

GOOD LUCK TO ALL THE TEAMS COMPETING AT THE TURQUOISE AND HIGH COUNTRY QUALIFIERS THIS WEEKEND! AND GOOD LUCK ALSO TO ALL THE FIRST LEGO LEAGUE TEAMS COMPETING ACROSS THE STATE IN THEIR 1st WEEK OF QUALIFIERS!

High Country - Flagstaff FTC Event


New Robot Controller Update 

Late last year, FIRST opened a Request for Proposal for the future mobile robot controller for FIRST Tech Challenge and FIRST® Robotics Competition. This controller will be used in FIRST Robotics Competition starting in the 2027 season and in FIRST Tech Challenge starting in the 2027-2028 season.
We are excited to announce our selected partners and give a little information about the features of this system. 

Read more in the FIRST Inspires blog post.


Studica Updates: 

Studica is happy to announce that we they be offering free shipping on all Studica Robotics orders more than $100.00 valid now through 12/13/2024 (50-pound limit)

Exciting News Studica has added the following colors in addition to our Blue structures we now have added red, silver, black, gold & green, explore our structures here: New Colors Available - Studica Robotics Structure! 

You may now have your FTC Starter Kit FTC Starter Kit (2024-2025) - Studica or FTC Drive Base Mecanum Chassis | FTC Starter Kit - Studica in the color of choice as well, choose your custom kit today!

Additionally, we now are offering a new Hex line: Hex Shaft Motion Components for Robotics - Studica


Studica FIRST Legal Studica Robotics List:

75001 – Maverick 12V DC Motor: Maverick DC Gear Motor 61:1 w/Encoder - Studica

75002 – Multi-Mode Smart Servo:  Multi-Mode Smart Servo - Studica

75014 – Linear Servo RC Actuator: Linear Servo RC Actuator 140S-190N - Studica

75005 – Servo Power Block: Servo Power Block with XT30 Male to JST-VH Cable Bundle - Studica

70025 – 12V 3000 mAh NiMH Battery: 12V 3000mAh NiMH Battery Pack PP45 ARES - Studica

70182 -- On/Off Power Switch: On/Off Power Switch Kit - Studica


$200 Grant Form (monthly drawing, please complete the form each month to enter in for each month): Studica Robotics Grant Application - Studica

25% Discount Offering Form (will provide a code upon completion to use on all Studica Robotics orders): Studica Robotics Team Discount Application - Studica

Free Structure Sample Form: Request a Structure Sample from Studica Robotics - Studica

Studica Robotics Main Page: Affordable Robotics Kits | Robot Parts - Studica

Studica Robotics Resource Page (includes training videos, step files & much more): Studica Robotics Resources - Studica

Studica Robotics YouTube: Studica Robotics - YouTube

Studica FTC Main Page: FIRST Robotics - Studica

Friday, November 22, 2024

Safety Reminders, Premiere Events, Live Stream Links & Dean's List Reminders


Good luck to the teams competing at this weekend's Red Rock and White Mountain Qualifiers!!! Live stream links are below. 

Congrats to the teams that qualified for the Arizona Championship from the Roadrunner qualifier...and thank you to the Knights of the Lab Table for hosting!

  • 21579 - Testing is Optional
  • 10111 - Herberger Javelinas
  • 12767 - Catholic Master Builders
  • 12889 - Wyverns
  • 3666 - Hawks

World Championship Updates & Introducing Premiere Events

Read this update on the FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship and introduction to a new type of competition, the Premiere Event! Lots of great information, but a key takeaway is to be sure your team has paid their 2024/2025 season registration with FIRST by December 2 so your team counts toward our region allocation for Championship!


SAFETY REMINDER PER RULE E101 *Personal safety comes first. All team members must observe the following safety practices throughout the event: 

A. wear safety glasses or safety rated glasses with side shields (ANSI-approved, UL Listed, CE EN166 rated, AS/NZS certified, or CSA rated) while in and around the playing FIELD and in the pit area. Clear or lightly tinted safety glasses are preferred. Shaded glasses are allowed for those who need them and do not require a specific accommodation request. The only instances where teams are not required to wear safety glasses are in their first 10 minutes of their event load in, and for the first 10 minutes pits are open each day of the event as long as they’re not working on the ROBOT or setting up their pit. 

B. wear closed toed/heeled shoes. 

C. control entanglement risks by tying back long hair and removing other dangling decorations including lanyards, spirit wear and rings as needed while working on or around a ROBOT or ROBOT related materials or tools. 

D. wear appropriate clothing. 

E. walk in the venue. 

F. comply with government and venue-specific health and safety requirements in place for that event (i.e., mask wearing). Teams are responsible for bringing their own personal protective equipment. 

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:

Watch the Webinars Now 


FIRST Tech Challenge Dean's List - Nominations due December 15
One of the most amazing ways you can honor your students is by nominating them for the FIRST Dean's List. Each team may nominate up to two sophomore or junior students. Nominations will ask you to describe the student's leadership, commitment to the core values of FIRST, contributions to your team, and work in the community. All nominations must be submitted by December 15 at 11:59 PM EST, and no late nominations will be accepted. 

Interviews for all nominated students (AZ and Four Corners) will take place in the evening on January 28, 29, and 30 remotely through the FTC scoring system. Students must have a completed consent and release form on the FIRST youth registration system to be nominated. Coaches will receive information on interviews after the nomination window has closed. Learn more about nominating your amazing students HERE.

Nominated students become Dean's List Semifinalists. Each region will announce their Dean's List Finalists at the Championship events. Finalists are considered for the FIRST Dean's List, and are invited to World Championship for a celebration with all finalists and the announcement of the 10 FIRST Tech Challenge Dean's List Winners. Good luck, and we can't wait to meet your incredible students!

RED ROCK - MICROCHIP LIVESTREAM




Friday, November 15, 2024

Roadrunner Live Stream & Dean's List


GO TEAMS!!!!!

GOOD LUCK TO ALL THE TEAMS COMPETING IN THE ROADRUNNER QUALIFIER...WATCH THE LIVE STREAM HERE! 


Good luck to all the teams competing in the Roadrunner - Gilbert Qualifying tournament this weekend! Thank you to Gilbert Christian High School and the Knights of the Lab Table for hosting. 

FIRST Tech Challenge Dean's List - Nominations due December 15
One of the most amazing ways you can honor your students is by nominating them for the FIRST Dean's List. Each team may nominate up to two sophomore or junior students. Nominations will ask you to describe the student's leadership, commitment to the core values of FIRST, contributions to your team, and work in the community. All nominations must be submitted by December 15 at 11:59 PM EST, and no late nominations will be accepted. 

Interviews for all nominated students (AZ and Four Corners) will take place in the evening on January 28, 29, and 30 remotely through the FTC scoring system. Students must have a completed consent and release form on the FIRST youth registration system to be nominated. Coaches will receive information on interviews after the nomination window has closed. Learn more about nominating your amazing students HERE.

Nominated students become Dean's List Semifinalists. Each region will announce their Dean's List Finalists at the Championship events. Finalists are considered for the FIRST Dean's List, and are invited to World Championship for a celebration with all finalists and the announcement of the 10 FIRST Tech Challenge Dean's List Winners. Good luck, and we can't wait to meet your incredible students!

Friday, November 8, 2024

The Sea is Calling...Time to DIVE DEEP!



ARE YOU READY TO TAKE THE DIVE?!?
Qualifying tournaments start next week! 
  • Arizona Championship Advancement
    • February 21 & 22 at Embry Riddle in Prescott
    • Approximately 20% of competing Arizona teams will advance from each qualifying tournament. 
    • You will receive an email from Christine with your invitation by Sunday afternoon if your team advances. Please respond by Tuesday at 5 pm to accept your spot. 
  •  Four Corners "RezBotics" Championship Advancement
    • February 7 & 8 at Dine' College in Tsalie
    • RezBotics teams need to compete in at least one official qualifying tournament to be eligible to play at the Four Corners Championship. 
    • You will receive an email from Christine with your invitation by Sunday afternoon when your team advances. Please respond by Tuesday at 5 pm to accept your spot. 
  • Competition Resources
  • Example Schedule
    • Friday 5 to 8 pm: Pits open and inspections
    • Saturday 7 am: Pits open
    • 8 am: Coach/driver meetings
    • 8:30 am: Judging interviews
    • 10:00 am: Opening ceremony & matches start
    • 2:00 pm: Alliance selections
    • 2:30 pm: Playoff matches & awards
    • 5:00 pm: Event ends
  • Reminders
    • Payment for qualifying tournaments is due NEXT FRIDAY NOVEMBER 15!
    • All students must be registered and have a signed consent form with FIRST through the youth registration system. Contact Susan with questions. 
    • Your team MUST be paid with FIRST and have two adult coaches through Youth Protection screening by the time you pay your first tournament or by November 30 at the latest. We can't add you to the scoring system without this!
      • It can take a couple of days for payments to sync with the scoring system - don't wait until the day before your event to complete your payments. 
    • Check your team name on your dashboard and make sure it's what you want to be at the tournament - we can't make changes once the event begins. 
  • Packing List
    • GRACIOUS PROFESSIONALISM...ALWAYS and EVERYWHERE
    • SAFETY GLASSES for your whole team
    • Engineering Portfolio - loaded to the scoring system by 11:59 PM the night before your tournament
    • Robot batteries and chargers
    • Programming computer and charger
    • Pit displays - check with your tournament director for size constraints
    • Robot and controllers
    • Extension cord and power strip
    • Cart or box for robot
    • Team swag & spirit!
    • Scouting materials and plan
    • Snacks and a plan for lunch
    • Accommodation needs for any mentors or students - see Susan for assistance with any special needs. 

Even if your robot is a still a box of parts, your team can still compete! Bring what you have to the event - every team and volunteer will be there to help you succeed! "We're not ready" is not an acceptable reason to no-show for your tournament, and it teaches your students to give up instead of to persevere! 

Ask any veteran coach - you are NEVER ready but tournaments are about far more than winning, they are about growth and celebration. Come join us and see how much your team will learn in a single day!

Friday, November 1, 2024

Pre-season Advice from the Head Referees, Example Tournament Schedule

PRE-SEASON ADVICE FROM YOUR HEAD REFEREES:

Hi Awesome FTC Teams,

  • Make sure you have both Alliance Colors – and 2 Signs per Alliance color for a total of 4 Team Signs (2 Red and 2 Blue)
  • Please make sure the Team Numbers are appropriate Size and Contrast so that we Referees know who you are!!!!
  • Remember that Team Signs may not have backlighting to indicate the Alliance (R402.F)
  • Please make sure the signs are ROBUST and can handle the gameplay… they need to be sturdy and secure when placed on the robot.  See rule G415 – A bad Team Sign design that makes the robot not easily identifiable may escalate to a YELLOW CARD situation!!!

One other note… remember that in addition to the FTC Q&A (https://ftc-qa.firstinspires.org/qa/answered), make sure you are checking the Team Updates (https://www.firstinspires.org/resource-library/ftc/game-and-season-info).  As of Oct 29, we are on Team Update #4.  All updates are also reflected in the online Competition Manual.

We are looking forward to seeing you all in action soon and hope to see some awesome and creative robots out there!

Be Safe and Enjoy,

Your AZ FTC Head Ref Crew  -  Rich, Robert and Wade



EXAMPLE TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

Times are subject to change depending on the number of teams competing and the flow of match play. Plan your travel accordingly, and please be flexible and patient with our event volunteers. We reserve the right to change this schedule as needed to accommodate anomalies that arise. 

Friday, 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm        

Venue opens to teams for early check in, inspection, pit set up and practice. We encourage as many teams as possible to take advantage of this opportunity. Getting all teams inspected in a timely manner will ensure that the event runs on time. New this season! Teams must be fully through inspection in order to use the practice fields!

Saturday

7:00 am              Pits open, Team registration opens, Inspection continues

                          Practice Fields open to fully inspected teams

8:00 am              Student Drivers meeting on the field

                          Adult Coaches meeting in the pit with the Tournament Director

8:30 am              Judging sessions begin

10:00 am            Opening Ceremonies

10:15 am            Qualification matches

12:30 pm            Lunch

1:00 pm              Qualification matches resume

2:30 pm              Alliance Selections

3:00 pm              Elimination matches

4:00 pm              Award ceremony

5:00 pm              Event ends


ALL TEAMS - Be sure to READ THE COMPETITION MANUAL...then read it again

As we stated at Kickoff, there are a number of program changes this year that all teams, new and veteran, need to be aware of going into the competition. These include (but are not limited to!): 

  • Alliance selection
    • Number of playoff alliances now depends on the number of competing teams.
    • All alliances will consist of two teams.
  • Playoff structure
    • Double elimination bracket instead of "best two of three" semifinals and finals.
    • Bracket structure depends on the number of alliances in the playoffs.
  • Advancement order
  • Awards
    • The number of awards given now depends on the number of teams competing.
    • Award criteria has changed - some awards no longer require an engineering portfolio.
  • Team signs (see above!)

Don't forget:

  • Your team must have your season registration paid with FIRST AND have two coaches cleared through the youth protection screening by NOVEMBER 30 or by your 1st tournament, which ever comes first.
  • The scoring system actually will not allow us to add your team unless this criteria is met! 
  • Your team name will be displayed at the competition during matches and awards as it's listed on your FIRST Dashboard. Make sure that you update it if there have been any changes prior to your event. We can't make changes once the event is in progress. 
  • Questions? Contact Patti or Susan.