Register Now for ULTIMATE GOAL!!!

A MESSAGE FROM DAVE AND CHRISTINE ABOUT THE NEW SEASON:

Happy Summer to everyone! We know this continues to be a time of uncertainty and unpredictability for us all, especially as we begin to look to reopening schools and resuming activities across Arizona. Please know that our commitment to providing a high quality experience in FIRST Tech Challenge continues to be unwavering, and that the safety of all our teams, coaches, mentors, and volunteers is our top priority. 

While we are still waiting for additional guidance from FIRST about what remote events will look like, please know that we committed to offering the opportunity for teams to participate no matter what reopening phase your school is in, be it full virtual or "business as usual." There WILL be FIRST Tech Challenge in Arizona this year!!!!

Please remember that we are here for you and your teams, along with the rest of our Arizona Planning Committee. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us with questions. While we don't have all the answers yet (just like everything right now!) we will communicate to you as soon as we have information to share. Please read the message from FIRST that was sent to teams recently about events this season, check out the teaser for ULTIMATE GOAL and the other information below, and know we continue to be your biggest fans! GO TEAMS!!!

From the June 18 FIRST Tech Challenge Team Blast:

"The 2020 - 2021 season presents some unique challenges with social distancing rules likely to still be in effect in many areas. As a result, regions around the world will have the option to hold Traditional FIRST Tech Challenge events or Remote events depending on the conditions in their area. 

Remote events allow teams to compete independently using half-sized fields and no alliance partner or opposing alliance to respect social distancing. These events also include remote judging across the same awards as Traditional events. 

Remote events will allow for transition to Traditional events as social distancing restrictions are relaxed. Both formats can also be followed throughout the season with advancement all the way to FIRST^® Championship. 

FIRST^® Program Delivery Partners (PDP) run local and regional events which may include physical, remote, or a combination of physical and remote elements.  Your PDP may charge an additional fee to participate in their events, and those fees are set and collected by the PDP. Team Registration does not guarantee that events are available in your area.  If you cannot locate an event in our system, please contact your local program delivery partner."

ULTIMATE GOAL - FIRST Tech Challenge 2020/2021 Season Teaser!
Get excited about the upcoming FIRST Season by checking out the Game Changers theme reveal and the FIRST Tech Challenge Teaser for this year's game "ULTIMATE GOAL!" Mark your calendars for the 2020/2021 Season Kickoff September 12! Check out the information on the new season here!

Team Registration Now Open
Registration is now open for FIRST Lego League and FIRST Tech Challenge teams for the 2020/2021 season! Go to www.firstinspires.org and log in to your dashboard to register your team for next season. 

Class Packs
New this season, FIRST is offering in-classroom options for FIRST Lego League (grades PreK-8) and FIRST Tech Challenge (grades 7-12). Class packs include materials for students and teachers, curriculum resources, and what you need to run an in-school event. Visit the FIRST educator resources page to find out about all that FIRST offers for schools, including professional development opportunities. The school formats are great options for schools wanting to incorporate STEM education into the regular school day, or schools that may not be able to offer after-school activities or field trips this year due to continuing restrictions because of COVID-19. 

2020 Arizona FIRST Tech Challenge Recap Video
Congrats to all the teams who competed in this year's FIRST Rise Season! The CocoNuts created this short recap video of the 2019/2020 Arizona FIRST Tech Challenge season to celebrate YOU - we hope you enjoy it! 

Congrats to the Class of 2020!
Congrats to all our 2020 graduating seniors! We know this isn't the end to your high school career you were expecting, but we're so proud of everything you've accomplished. Congrats to these seniors and to all our seniors on every FIRST team in Arizona and beyond! Good luck to you all in all your new endeavors. 

AndyMark's Robot Relief Program
Is your team struggling financially due to COVID-19? AndyMark is offering $500 gift certificates to FIRST Tech Challenge teams that need financial help to compete this year due to loss of funding. Donations can also be made to the Robot Relief fund to help support teams in need. See the Robot Relief page for details on the program, to donate to the fund, or to apply for funding. 

FIRST Lego League Global Innovation Award
The amazing accomplishments of these young innovators was celebrated at the Global Innovation Award show on June 27. What a great way to share what FIRST is all about with potential students, schools, sponsors, or volunteers interested in getting involved! Congrats also to team Fidgety Pokemon from Arizona on being a finalist for the Global Innovation Award! Check it out here!

Celebrate the Class of 2020!

Celebrate the Class of 2020!

Help us celebrate the graduating seniors of 2020! Arizona Teams - upload your pics of your seniors to this folder by Tuesday May 19. We're creating a video to celebrate the AZ FTC Class of 2020. 

Join FIRST Signing Day! Fashioned after athletes signing on to play sports for a college, FIRST Signing Day allows seniors to declare to the world where they will be attending college! FIRST Seniors from all over will be celebrated on May 20 in a FIRST broadcast. Check it out!  

Arizona FIRST Teams Honored at Virtual Showcase!

Congratulations to all the Arizona FIRST Teams who were honored last week at the FIRST Virtual Showcase and FIRST Robotics Competition Award Shows!

FIRST Lego League - Global Innovation Award Semifinalist

The Fidgety Pokemon - Phoenix, Arizona (Project = The Dust Collar)

FIRST Tech Challenge - Dean's List Winner

Brianna Williams - Team 11529, Navajo Code Writers (St. Michael's, AZ)

FIRST Robotics Competition Regional Chairman's Award

Team 498 - Cobra Commanders, Glendale, AZ (San Diego Regional)

Team 2486 - CocoNuts, Flagstaff, AZ (Las Vegas Regional)

Team 4146 - Sabercats, Scottsdale, AZ (AZ West Regional)
Team 6352 - Launch Team, Surprise, AZ (AZ North Regional)

Arizona FIRST Robotics Competition - Regional Volunteers of the Year

Dan Kipp (posthumously) - Arizona North Regional

Damon Dunsmore - Arizona West Regional

FIRST Robotics Competition Woodie Flowers Finalist Award

Adam Shroyer - Team 498, Cobra Commanders, Glendale, AZ (AZ West)

FIRST Robotics Competition Dean's List Finalists

Christine Ardavin - Team 2403, Plasma Robotics, Mesa, AZ (AZ West)

Martin Gioannetti - Team 4183, Bit Buckets, Tucson, AZ (AZ West)

Noah Temprendola - Team 2486, CocoNuts, Flagstaff, AZ (AZ North)

Special Arizona FIRST Robotics Competition Regional Awards

Teacher of the Year

Jeremy Knutson - Team 2403, Plasma (Mesa, AZ)

Susan Lindberg - Team 4146, Sabercats (Scottsdale, AZ)

Steve Sanghi Scholarship

Brad Pollock - Team 5059, Midnight Cicadas (Globe, AZ)

Travis Zhang - Team 698, Hamilton Microbots (Chandler, AZ)

FIRST FOUNDER'S AWARD

This year FIRST Founder Dean Kamen gave the Founders Award to ALL members of the FIRST Community, in recognition of your continuing dedication to each other, your communities, and Gracious Professionalism, even though the season didn't end the way we planned. Teams and individuals can download a special certificate here. Congrats on being a FORCE FOR CHANGE!

FIRST AWARD BROADCASTS

The FIRST Virtual Showcase can be seen here. 

The FIRST Robotics Competition Award Show can be viewed here.

AZ North Awards: 2 hr 21 min; AZ West Awards: 2 hr 47 min; San Diego: 2 hr 26 min; Las Vegas: 2 hr 35 min

FREE ROBOTICS WEBINARS

We are collaborating with NAU's Center for Science Teaching and Learning to offer FREE Robotics Webinars. Please see the descriptions and times, and sign up for any you're interested in attending. Please broadcast information on to schools and youth organizations that you think may be interested in starting new teams. Each webinar will be offered twice to allow for different schedules, and attendees can request PD certificates from NAU for their attendance. A flyer with all the webinars can be downloaded here. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Engage K12 in coding during COVID and beyond
Monday, May 11

2 sessions: 11 am -12 pm & 4 - 5 pm (choose the best time for you)
This 1 hour webinar gives an overview of resources to bring coding to your students homes now and into your classroom down the road. We will start with PK and move up through high school. This is designed to include something for everyone who's interested in incorporating computational thinking into their instruction.

Opportunities in FIRST Robotics for all grade levels

Thursday, May 14
2 sessions: 10 - 11 am &  4 - 5 pm (choose the best time for you)
Is your school or organization interested in starting a robotics program next year? This webinar is designed for participants interested in starting a  new robotics program. FIRST Robotics has programs for kids ages 3 to 18! Come learn about how to start teams and in-class programs for any age, and how FIRST promotes STEM learning.

Supporting your robotics community during challenging times
Monday, May 18
2 sessions: 10 - 11 am &  4 - 5 pm (choose the best time for you)
Our webinar will look into ways to support each other within our team and community. Tips to keep students engaged, and excited with the potential to support/collaborate with teams in other areas. Fun ways to challenge each other and keep us on our toes.

FIRST ANNOUNCED THE THEME FOR THE 2020-2021 SEASON: GAME CHANGERS, POWERED BY STAR WARS FORCE FOR CHANGE!

Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks about the new season! Keep being a Force for Change and GO TEAMS!! (Happy Star Wars Day - May the Mass x Acceleration be with you all, always!)

Stuck @ Home? Engage with FIRST!

Like much of the rest of the world, we're all getting used to a new normal. If you're missing FIRST as bad as we are and are looking for ways to engage your students that are stuck at home, there are lots of ways to continue to be involved. 

NEW: FIRST @ Home
A compilation of some of the best in remote-learning activities, many of which are put out by friends and sponsors of FIRST, this new hub for digital learning allows teams to engage in meaningful and safe ways. The FIRST @ Home Hub includes guides for parents, hands-on activities in coding, core values, engineering design, CAD, electronics and more. What a great way for your students to stay sharp while at home! Check out all the great content here!

Building Star Wars Droids Activity!
Celebrate Star Wars Day (May the Fourth) with FIRST by designing a droid! Then join FIRST and Lucasfilm droid designer Matt Denton (creator of BB8 and D-O) on May the Fourth for Galactic Builders LIVE! Download the lesson plan here!

FIRST Rise Rewind
Share how your team is a Force for Change and celebrate the FIRST Rise Season using #FIRSTFFC on social media. Then check out all the incredible awesomeness from teams around the world on FIRST Rise Rewind. 

FIRST Virtual Showcase
We can celebrate together even if we're still apart, and that exactly what FIRST intends to do during the FIRST Virtual Showcase. This event takes place May 2 at 10 am Eastern and will celebrate teams and the FIRST Rise season. Many awards for volunteers and teams will also be announced! Don't miss it!

We miss you all dearly and hope you're all safe and healthy. Hope to virtually "see" many of you at the Showcase! As always, May the Force be with you!

Compass & Promote; Summer Invitational

Teams, we're thinking of all of you as we continue to plot a new course through uncharted waters. We hope you all are safe, healthy, and taking care of each other. Please feel free to reach out to us if you have questions or just need to chat with someone that's not in your household! 

All our love, from Dave, Christine & the AZ Planning Committee

Rover Robotics Invitational - Postponed

Due to the continuing worldwide COVID-19 crisis, all FIRST events have been postponed. We are working with NAU's ROADS on MARS coordinating team to pick a new event date and working with FIRST headquarters for guidance on timing of events. 

Can't get enough SKYSTONE? Come compete at the Rover Robotics Invitational TBD, 2020 at Sinagua Middle School in Flagstaff! This event will feature FLL (City Shaper), FTC (SKYSTONE) and the new NASA Challenge ROADS on Mars! 

Teams can fill out the registration form to express interest in competing. We will be in touch with interested teams as soon as we have a date. 

This event is only $100 per FIRST Team! 

In addition to the robotics competitions, there will be other activities to celebrate all things Rover. Come celebrate with us! 

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER 

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FLYER 

ROADS on MARS Freestyle!

Looking for a cool way to engage your robotics team during quarantine and maybe win a trip to NASA? Check out the ROADS on MARS Freestyle Challenge, which features mini challenges that students can do independently but together. Registration closes April 13. 

Submit your Compass and Promote Videos!

FIRST Headquarters is inviting all FIRST Tech Challenge teams that created a Compass or Promote video for the SKYSTONE season to submit it for the May 2nd FIRST Virtual Showcase presented by Qualcomm! Videos will be reviewed by FIRST HQ staff and the winners announced at the Showcase. 

**Submit your video by 3 PM Eastern Time on April 10, 2020 for consideration!**

To Submit Videos:

1. Be sure to read the criteria for the Compass and Promote Awards in Game Manual Part 1. 
2. The file name for your video must follow the naming convention:State Abbreviation_Team#_Award Type 
   Example: NH_12345_Promote.
3. Upload your video to your Google Drive account. If you do not have a Google Drive account, you will need to create one at https://www.google.com/drive/
4. Once your video is uploaded to your Google Drive account, share your video with ftcteams@gmail.com

1. Right click on your video file in your Google Drive account
2. Select “Share"
3. Enter ftcteams@gmail.com as the address with which to share your file.
4. Select “Done”. 

**Files not using the naming convention listed above will not be accepted. 
**Files not submitted via Google Drive will not be accepted. 
**Files that are not within the 60 second time limit will not be accepted. 
**Files submitted after ****3:00 PM EST on 04/10/2020**** will not be accepted. 
**Teams must have rights to any music used in the video and permissions must be listed in video credits.

Share your favorite moments from FIRST RISE

Now through May 2, share how your team is a Force for Change, as well as your team’s favorite moments during the FIRST RISE season, on Twitter and Instagram using #FIRSTFFC. We’ll be collecting your favorite moments, stories, monumental breakthroughs, and team accomplishments on FIRST RISE Rewind. Follow along as we compile these posts from our community around the world, honoring your hard work and achievements throughout the year. Together, we RISE.

Opportunities to Compete & New Mexico Championship Results

Rover Robotics Invitational - Registration Now Open!

Can't get enough SKYSTONE? Come compete at the Rover Robotics Invitational May 2, 2020 at Sinagua Middle School in Flagstaff! This event will feature FLL (City Shaper), FTC (SKYSTONE) and the new NASA Challenge ROADS on Mars! 

Registration will be open now through April 1, and is only $100 per FIRST Team! 

In addition to the robotics competitions, there will be other activities to celebrate all things Rover. Come celebrate with us! 

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER 

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FLYER 

Extra Life FIRST Tech Challenge Tournament!

San Diego is putting on a festival of robots and new challenges involving the SKYSTONE Field. Teams that are out of region can register starting now and through March 16, or until all spots are filled. The event takes place at the Del Mar Fair Grounds on April 25 & 26, 2020. Cost is $125 per team. 

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER 

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FLYER 

Maryland Tech Invitational

The Maryland Tech Invitational is all about robots. Teams apply to the Invitational, which is 3 days at John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland. Interested teams need to apply by March 23. The Invitational is June 19-21, 2020. 

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

New Mexico Championship Results

Congrats to all 25 teams that competed in last weekend's New Mexico Championship! 

Inspire Award: 10984, Beep Patrol

Dean's List Finalists:

Kasey (Brain Hackers)

Isabel (ENIGMA)

Winning Alliance

16265, ENIGMA

8081, Knights of the Lab Table

10523, Dragons

Finalist Alliance 

7649, Botrregos, Jr

10984, Beep Patrol

16159, HOT Squad

Think Award: 11054, Brain Hackers

Connect Award: 11298, Die Krieger

Collins Aerospace Innovate Award: 15789, Lovington RoboCats

Design Award: 14571, Marvels

Motivate Award: 16159, HOT Squad

Control Award sponsored by Arm, Inc: 10523, Dragons

Promote Award: 14571, Marvels

Compass Award: Mr. Vasudev, Beep Patrol

Judges Award: 16845, Error 404

New Mexico Championship Live Stream

Rover Robotics Invitational - Registration Now Open!

Can't get enough SKYSTONE? Come compete at the Rover Robotics Invitational May 2, 2020 at Sinagua Middle School in Flagstaff! This event will feature FLL (City Shaper), FTC (SKYSTONE) and the new NASA Challenge ROADS on Mars! 

Registration will be open now through April 1, and is only $100 per FIRST Team! 

In addition to the robotics competitions, there will be other activities to celebrate all things Rover. Come celebrate with us! 

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER 

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FLYER 

FIRST Tech Challenge Jump Start

Is your school interested in starting another team? Do you have a feeder school or another school in your district interested in starting a team? Do you mentor a FIRST Lego League team that's ready to "graduate" to FIRST Tech Challenge? 

The FIRST Tech Challenge Jump start program is now open! Teams can register early for the 2020/2021 season and get their robot kit prior to regular registration opening in May! Jump Start is EXTENDED THROUGH MARCH 15, so start recruiting those new rookie teams now! 

Find out more here.

Good luck to all the Teams competing this weekend and the NEW MEXICO FIRST TECH CHALLENGE CHAMPIONSHIP!! 

Watch all the robot action here!