Arizona Championship Live Stream Links and Open Invitational in California

Congrats to all the Four Corners Teams that advanced from the RezBotics Championship on to the FIRST Championship and Premier Events!

• FIRST Championship:
• 23942 - Rez Kidz
• 23948 - Chieftains
• Western Edge Premier Event - CA
• 26006 - KC Broncos
• 26009 - Coltz & Boltz
• 31606 - Newcomb Skyhawks Techs
• Also advancing: 
• 26008 - Shiprock

Congrats to ALL the teams that played in the Four Corners Region this season!

Good Luck to the 50 Arizona Teams Competing this weekend at the Arizona Championship in Flagstaff!

Teams can find information on the Arizona Championship, including the schedule, pit map, information on tours of NAU Engineering, and food information HERE!

Links to the live stream are below. Congrats to ALL the Arizona teams that competed this season in 12 qualifiers!!!

GO TEAMS!

Advice from the AZ Head Referees

We are excited to see the action this weekend.  Teams have been improving at an amazing rate and we are anticipating some great Matches!  Here are a few points for Teams to think about as you head into the final preparations…

1. Safety Glasses – Remember our past Blog post re. wearing Safety Glasses.  We continue to be rigidly enforcing Safety Glass wear in the pits and competition field.  One (1) Team Warning which will escalate under G211 to a Yellow or Red Card for subsequent violation by any team member.  Coaches/mentors are included in this issue with Safety Glass Wear this season.  Please set the example for all!
2. Gameplay/Defense– We are seeing some really good shooting and with that comes a rise in defense!  This makes for an exciting match.  Remember to take a look at protecting your Power Switch AND expect heavy defense.  Keep in mind - There is a line between playing Defense and RAMMING a bot …  so hard RAMMING action can easily be seen as intentionally trying to damage a robot.  If you plan to play defense, keep defensive play tough, but be careful!
3. Human Player Actions –  We are seeing effective scoring and teams striving to get quick cycle times between loading and shooting.  HPs - Remember to place the Artifact in the robot effectively.  If the Artifact bounces out of the robot and leaves the Loading Zone when you are loading the robot, that is a violation of G432 D. and a Minor Foul per Artifact.  So, be careful when loading.
4. GATE Zone and Opposing Alliance Gate Activation- A number of matches have been decided by penalties resulting from Gate Contact/release of artifacts from the Ramp.  Be careful and maintain your situational awareness when operating near the opposing alliance Gate area. 

We look forward to seeing you all soon and…

Have a safe week and come ready to enjoy the weekend in the Snowy North Country!!!!

Enjoy,

Your Head Ref Team -

Rich, Robert, Samuel and Demian

RTI FTC Off-season events are in West Hills, CA for all teams worldwide on Aug. 1-2  2026

We are excited to work once again with the U.S. STEM EDUCATION FOUNDATION at West Hills CA after a successful Robo Tourney International competition last 7 years. The event will offer FTC off-season, Sumobots and Ball Blitz (9-16 aged) , Soccerbots and Ball Blitz (6-10 aged) and Speed(4-6 aged) Competitions.

Last year, FTC national teams from Romania, Canada, China and Kazakhstan had already confirmed their participation. We strongly recommend your team to participate in this event. The more teams we have the more we can show the world what we do and the more fun we can have doing it.

Other competitions will include contestants from the United States, Canada, Egypt, China, Jordan, South Korea, Dubai, Libya and other parts of the world.

Our competition will be held on August 1-2.
The location is Chaminade College Preparatory - High School, 7500 Chaminade Ave, West Hills, CA 91304.

You can register on the website (https://usefstem.org/robo-tourney-signup) or email us(usefstem@gmail.com) your team number and name, and we will register for you.

Discord Server(Scan QR): Announcements, Q&A, resources

LIVE STREAM LINKS - ARIZONA CHAMPIONSHIP 

            

                    Saguaro Division Live Stream                    Grand Canyon Division Live Stream

Free SolidWorks Class and Live Stream Links for Copper and Four Corners

FREE SolidWorks & 3D Printing Class

ERAU Prescott, in cooperation with the Yavapai County Education Service Agency (YCESA), has offered a free SolidWorks + 3D printing class that started on 1/23/26 as a part of a larger STEM Bridge program. The class will be held on Fridays between 10 to 12 each week until 4/17/26 in room 106 of the STEM building (building 76) except for the week of Spring break. This is for the teachers at high schools and middle schools so they can pass the knowledge to their students and start CAD/3D Printing clubs or offer elective courses in their schools.

Although the main focus of manufacturing is on 3D printing, demos for laser wood cutting, CNC machining, and 3D scanning will be provided. 

Certificates of completion will be given to the attendees so they can use it toward their personal development credits. 

As a bonus, a free Certified SolidWorks Associate (CSWA) exam voucher worth $100 will be given to the attendees at the end.  

 

The class currently has 10 open seats. For more information, please contact Dr. Mehran Andalibi (andalibm@erau.edu). 

 

Advancement & Capstone Event Preferencing + Summer Opportunities

MTI Team Applications Open February 1, 2026

On Sunday, February 1st, team applications open for the tenth annual Multinational Tech Invitational (MTI) - formerly the Maryland Tech Invitational - a highly competitive, tech focused, international, off-season FIRST® Tech Challenge tournament.

Be part of the experience. Compete for team grants. Earn your place on the MTI field.

Event Dates: June 26-28, 2026

Location: Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, MD.

Invitations are earned through on-field performance during the DECODE℠ season and demonstrated capability in the required solo match video submission.

Application Deadline: Sunday, March 29, 2026
Registration Fee: $800

Important

The MTI is not an FTC Premier Event. Teams must apply to be considered. Invitations are extended to top-performing robot game teams.

Additional MTI opportunities include

• STEM Exposition 
• Intern Networking Program.

See the MTI website to APPLY and for more details.

Questions? Direct them to info@mti.firstchesapeake.org

ADVANCEMENT - FIRST Championship & Premier Events!

We are excited to announce the advancement numbers for FIRST Championship and Premier Events for the 2025/2026 season!!! Advancement from these events is from the region Championships (Arizona and Four Corners). Read more details at this blog post from FTC leadership HERE!

ARIZONA

• 4 teams to FIRST Championship
• 7 teams to Premier Events
• 48-50 teams will compete at the AZ Championship
• About 20% of the teams will advance to the next level

FOUR CORNERS

• 2 teams to FIRST Championship
• 4 teams to Premier Events
• 18-19 teams will compete at the Four Corners Championship 
• About 1/3 of the teams will advance to the next level

Premier events take place all over the USA and internationally from April to July. If a team receives an invitation to a Premier event, they will have the opportunity to choose from the different event options! Find out more about Premier events HERE!

Plan your fundraising as if your team is moving on...you never know what will happen!!!

Capstone Event Preferencing

All FIRST Tech Challenge teams interested in attending the FIRST Championship presented by BAE Systems or a Premier Event are encouraged to submit their team's event preference list. Learn more about Premier Events and event preferencing on our blog.

If your team has qualified for the Arizona or Four Corners Championship, we encourage you to meet with your teams and decide on events you'd like to attend before you compete at your Championship. Plan ahead! Meet with school and district administrators and discuss travel. Consider timing of events, entry fees and deadlines, and if your team wants to fly or drive. There are no automatic placements. All teams that want to play at a capstone level event, including FIRST Championship, need to submit a preferencing list, even if only one event is on that list. Lead Coach 1 and 2 from ALL region championship teams may begin creating preferencing lists now, or select "decline invitation" if your team doesn't want to play a capstone event. Spots that become available due to teams declining will be filled by teams that have completed preferencing lists. 

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED - Region Championships

If your team is done competing for the season, consider volunteering for the Championship events! We especially need referees and judges for both events. To learn more about volunteer roles, visit the FIRST Volunteer page. 

Students can volunteer in support roles as well! To sign up, login to your FIRST Dashboard and select "Volunteer." 

• Four Corners Championship: February 6 & 7, Kayenta, AZ
• Arizona Championship: February 20 & 21, Flagstaff, AZ
• Judging interviews for the AZ Championship will take place Friday evening. Judges should arrive by 5 pm Friday. 

Summit Education: 2026 Summer Programs

Summit Education hosts virtual summer programs for high-achieving students interested in STEM. In 2026, Summit will host the Summit STEM Fellowship (SSF) and Summit Research Scholars (SRS).  

• Summit STEM Fellowship (SSF): The Summit STEM Fellowship (SSF) empowers the next generation of leaders in STEM. Students explore diverse STEM fields and career pathways while learning from 50+ mentors from Harvard, Stanford, and MIT. The fellowship is a flexible 10–15 hour per week commitment, allowing students to participate alongside other summer activities.  
• Summit Research Scholars (SRS): Summit Research Scholars (SRS) helps students get started with original research by teaching core research methodologies and technical skills, from literature review and research design to Python, data science, and statistics. Students develop an original research proposal and learn how to apply research to solve real-world problems.  

Applications for Summer 2026 programs are now open. Admissions are rolling, and students are encouraged to apply early to maximize their chances of acceptance. To learn more and apply, please visit www.summiteducation.org. 

Compass Award - Event Preferencing Open NOW!

 Welcome to 2026!!

There is a lot of exciting DECODE gameplay coming up with 5 qualifiers left in Arizona before the AZ Championship, and the Four Corners Championship - the largest RezBotics tournament yet! Read on for information on finishing the season strong!

The Compass Award will be awarded at both the Arizona and Four Corners Championship events. This award requires videos prepared by the team to be submitted in advance. Compass Award submissions are due February 1 by 6:00 PM. Please see the game manual section 6 (awards) for guidelines on preparing your submissions and upload your submissions to the appropriate folder linked below by the deadline. (Please name your submission in this format: Team#MentorName. Ex: 2486RockytheSquirrel)

• FOUR CORNERS CHAMPIONSHIP COMPASS AWARD SUBMISSIONS
• ARIZONA CHAMPIONSHIP COMPASS AWARD SUBMISSIONS
• Note - these links were updated on January 12. Please use these links instead any previous sent. 

ADVANCEMENT - FIRST Championship & Premier Events!

We are excited to announce the advancement numbers for FIRST Championship and Premier Events for the 2025/2026 season!!! Advancement from these events is from the region Championships (Arizona and Four Corners). Read more details at this blog post from FTC leadership HERE!

ARIZONA

• 4 teams to FIRST Championship
• 7 teams to Premier Events
• 48-50 teams will compete at the AZ Championship
• About 20% of the teams will advance to the next level

FOUR CORNERS

• 2 teams to FIRST Championship
• 4 teams to Premier Events
• 18-19 teams will compete at the Four Corners Championship 
• About 1/3 of the teams will advance to the next level

Premier events take place all over the USA and internationally from April to July. If a team receives an invitation to a Premier event, they will have the opportunity to choose from the different event options! Find out more about Premier events HERE!

Plan your fundraising as if your team is moving on...you never know what will happen!!!

Capstone Event Preferencing

All FIRST Tech Challenge teams interested in attending the FIRST Championship presented by BAE Systems or a Premier Event are encouraged to submit their team's event preference list. Learn more about Premier Events and event preferencing on our blog.

If your team has qualified for the Arizona or Four Corners Championship, we encourage you to meet with your teams and decide on events you'd like to attend before you compete at your Championship. Plan ahead! Meet with school and district administrators and discuss travel. Consider timing of events, entry fees and deadlines, and if your team wants to fly or drive. There are no automatic placements. All teams that want to play at a capstone level event, including FIRST Championship, need to submit a preferencing list, even if only one event is on that list. Lead Coach 1 and 2 from ALL region championship teams may begin creating preferencing lists now, or select "decline invitation" if your team doesn't want to play a capstone event. Spots that become available due to teams declining will be filled by teams that have completed preferencing lists. 

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED - Region Championships

If your team is done competing for the season, consider volunteering for the Championship events! We especially need referees and judges for both events. To learn more about volunteer roles, visit the FIRST Volunteer page. 

Students can volunteer in support roles as well! To sign up, login to your FIRST Dashboard and select "Volunteer." 

• Four Corners Championship: February 6 & 7, Kayenta, AZ
• Arizona Championship: February 20 & 21, Flagstaff, AZ
• Judging interviews for the AZ Championship will take place Friday evening. Judges should arrive by 5 pm Friday. 

SAGUARO BLOSSOM LIVE STREAM

 

PETRIFIED WOOD LIVE STREAM

Dean's List Deadline is 3 Days Away!!! Plus December 14 Qualifier Live Streams

Congrats to the teams that have advanced to the Arizona Championship from the Turquoise and Painted Desert Events! Good luck to the teams competing this weekend at Diamondback and Monument Valley!!

• 10246 Midnight Cicadas
• 18538 BASIS Java Beans
• 14584 Pioneer 327
• 12767 Catholic Master Builders
• 26585 Project Cobra
• 13968 Herberger Howlers 
• 6174 Automatons
• 32026 Safety Third

Dean's List Deadline - 3 days away (December 15!)

You have a student on your team, who above all others, demonstrates leadership, has an entrepreneurial spirit, and is dedicated to increasing awareness of FIRST.
FIRST^® Tech Challenge students are changing the world – help the changemaker on your team further their potential – nominate them for the Dean’s List Award. The Dean’s List Award recognizes the leaders and ambassadors from each FIRST Tech Challenge team. This recognition helps these inspiring students attract recruiters and stand out on their college applications and resumes. Read the nomination guide and start your nomination today.
Dean's List Award nominations are open and will close on Monday, December 15, 2025, for all FIRST Tech Challenge regions. 

Interviews for Arizona and Four Corners will take place remotely via the FTC Scoring System the week of January 5, 2026. 

Read more about the changes to the Dean's List Award deadlines for the 2025-2026 season, and review the nomination guide for requirements and instructions on how to nominate a deserving student on your team!

DIAMONDBACK QUALIFIER LIVE STREAM