Thursday, October 30, 2025

GET READY TO DECODE!!!

 WAIT...DECODE TOURNAMENTS START WHEN????

Can you believe it's tournament season already??? Be sure your team is TOURNAMENT READY....
  • Deadlines: 
    • Qualifying Tournament Fees due November 1 - see your invoice for details.
    • Teams must be registered and paid with FIRST for the new season by 1 week prior to your first qualifying tournament OR by November 10 at the latest.
    • Teams must have two adult coaches registered and cleared through FIRST Youth Protection to compete.
    • If your team name or information needs to be updated, please do so on your FIRST Dashboard by no later than 4 days prior to your tournament. Name changes submitted later than that may not sync with the scoring system. 
  • Youth Team Member Registration:
    • NEW this season - ALL YOUTH must be registered and have a consent form signed ELECTRONICALLY. 
    • Paper consent forms are ONLY available in extreme accessibility circumstances (ex: no access to internet at school or home). Paper consent forms must be requested on a per team basis and are not generic. 
    • We suggest having a parent meeting prior to your first event and registering all students via the EXPRESS ENROLLEMENT process using the link or QR code that is unique to your team. 
      • Have extra devices available for families that might not have one. 
      • Have a translator available for families that don't speak English at home. 
  • Qualifying Tournament Information: 

GET YOUR TEAM READY - ATTEND A SCRIMMAGE!

Trivium Scrimmage
Trivium Preparatory Academy
2001 N Bullard Ave, Goodyear
Saturday, November 1st
11 am to 3 pm 
Teams can participate in mock judge interviews with feedback and matches. 
Questions? Email zarriaga@triviumprep.org

Scottsdale Scrimmage
Scottsdale Christian Academy
14400 N Tatum Blvd in Scottsdale
November 8
1-5 pm
Space available for 12-16 teams

Flagstaff FLL & FTC Scrimmage (AND MOVIE NIGHT!)

Coconino High School - Cafeteria
2801 N. Izabel St. 
Flagstaff, AZ 86004
November 14
2-6 pm: Scrimmage
Reset - Recalibrate - Recode your robot! Now that many of our northern Arizona teams have one event under their bots, come in and work on refining your game play and enhance your gameplay capabilities. 

6-8 pm: Movie night...LEGO BATMAN THE MOVIE! 
(Movie night $5 per person, concessions available, bring blanket & pillow or camp chair.)

Upcoming FIRST Tech Challenge Team Calls

The full Team Webinar Schedule can be found here

The next Team's Dean's List webinar will be Wednesday, November 12 at 8:00 p.m. ETYou can register and add this webinar to your calendar here!  

The Team Judging, Gameplay, and General Support webinar will be Thursday, November 13, at 8:00 p.m. ET. You can register and add this webinar to your calendar here! 

Thursday, October 9, 2025

Tournament Season is a Month Away!

 



Our first qualifying tournament of the DECODE season is less than 1 month away! Time to get ready to compete!

Follow this checklist to be sure you are ready to DECODE...

  • FIRST Registration
    • Your team CANNOT compete without being registered and paid for the 2025/2026 season. 
      • It takes time for registration to sync with the scoring system - be sure to pay your fees at least 1 week before your 1st event and no later than November 10!!
      • Please be sure to wait on confirmation of any grant applications prior to paying - payments cannot be refunded. 
    • Every team must also have two adult coaches registered and cleared through YPP prior to competing. 
    • Be sure to update your team information, including any changes to your team name before you compete. The scoring system pulls team and school information from the registration system and it cannot be changed once the tournament has started. 
  • Pay your qualifying tournament registration fees by November 1
    • This is paid to Coconino High School Robotics - NOT FIRST
    • Instructions are on the Invoice that was sent to each team
    • If you haven't received an invoice yet, please contact Christine ASAP
  • Register your youth team members with your team
  • Begin prepping your engineering portfolio and judging presentation
  • Read, reread, and read again competition manual!
  • Check out the Team Management Resources for information on getting ready for competition. 
  • Raise your Right Hand...and promise to bring your team to the competition even if you "aren't ready." We promise, they will learn more in that one day than they had the whole season leading up to the event!!! Volunteers and other teams are great resources to help you get your robot to the next level, even at the competition. We have helped teams get onto the field that show up with a box of parts - we will help you get ready if you come!
  • Speaking of getting your robot ready....

SCRIMMAGES

Tucson Scrimmage / Meet the Field
Date: Saturday, October 18
Time: 10:00 - 3:00 pm
Lunch Provided: Carne Asada
Location: San Miguel High School Gym
Address: 6601 S San Fernando Rd, Tucson, AZ 85756
Contact name: Brother Jack
Contact email: brojack@sanmiguelhigh.org
Contact phone number: (559) 779-4555
Event can host 10 additional teams; Please RSVP by Wednesday Oct 15 via text or email to Brother Jack!

Scottsdale Scrimmage
Scottsdale Christian Academy
14400 N Tatum Blvd in Scottsdale
November 8
1-5 pm
Space available for 12-16 teams