Preliminary AZ Kickoff Schedule

ONLY 9 DAYS UNTIL THE SKYSTONE KICKOFF!!!

YOUR COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF CHECKLIST:

1. Register with FIRST - FTC Teams registered prior to Sept. 4 will be entered to win robot kits or a Skystone field!
2. RSVP for Kickoff - so many amazing workshops, reuniting with friends, surprises from the Affiliate Partners...and oh yeah, the SKYSTONE GAME!
3. AZ Teams - Register for your 1st Qualifying Tournament! Some are already half full, don't wait or you may not get your first choice. Click here to register for your 1st event. 2nd Event Registration begins on September 15.
4. Check out all the amazing workshops we're offering and make a plan with your team to get to as many as you can! (This schedule is tentative, and will be finalized by next week.) 
5. Apply for Grants - See the links to the right for Rookie Grants, Arcona grants (for teams in Chandler/Tucson areas) and APS/Phoenix Suns Mini STEM Grants. 
6. Get in the FIRST RISE spirit - get on social media and share how your team's excitement using #FIRSTRISE, #SKYSTONE, #FORCEFORCHANGE

SEE YOU AT KICKOFF!!!

Qualifying Tournament Registration Now Open

Arizona Teams - Register Now for your 1st SKYSTONE Qualifying Tournament!

Arizona Teams may now register for their 1st SKYSTONE Qualifying Tournament. Click the links below to sign up for your event. Our website is in the process of being updated, and will be live with registration information soon. 

Teams may only register for ONE event at this time. 

Registration for a 2nd event will open on September 15. 

Click here to read the full details on Qualifying Tournament Registration. 

Your team will receive a confirmation email within 3 days of receiving your registration. Do not send any money at this time. Invoices will be sent that reflect the cost of your whole season the week of October 13. If your team needs to begin generating a PO, a cost estimate worksheet is available under Quick Links. 

REGISTRATION LINKS:

November 9 White Mountain

November 16 Gilbert

December 7 Tucson

December 14 Glendale 

December 14 Downtown Phoenix (Bioscience High School)

December 21 Central Phoenix (MetroTech High School)

January 11 Chandler

January 18 Queen Creek
January 25 Scottsdale

February 8 West Valley

SEE YOU ALL AT KICKOFF SEPTEMBER 7!
CLICK HERE TO RSVP FOR KICKOFF

RSVP for the Arizona Kickoff + Qualifying Tournament Information

Are you READY for KICKOFF??

The 2019/2020 SKYSTONE game will be revealed in only 22 Days!!

CLICK HERE TO RSVP FOR KICKOFF

Arizona Kickoff 2019

The Kickoff for the Skystone season in Arizona will be at the Arizona State University Memorial Union on Saturday, September 7, 2019. A basic schedule is below. A more detailed schedule of workshops is coming soon.

7:45 am: Doors open to teams

8:30 am: Season welcome

9:00 am: Game Reveal

9:30 am: Game deep dive

10:15 am: Coaches best practices, team meet & greet

11:45 am: Lunch on your own

12:30 - 4:00 pm: Workshops for team members and coaches

Remember to register your team with FIRST before September 4 to be eligible to win robot kits or a game field as part of the Kickoff Sweepstakes! Winners will be announced at Kickoff. 

Rookie Team Workshop: This year, the FIRST partners are offering a workshop at Kickoff for teachers, principals, administrators, parents, community partners and potential coaches interested in starting a team at any level. Anyone interested in starting a team is invited to join us for the game reveal and best practices session, with a the "So you think you want to start a FIRST team" workshop during the lunch break. If you're in contact with any school or organization interested in starting a team that wants to learn more, please invite them to attend kickoff and pass along their contact information to Christine, Dave, or Patti. 

Qualifying Tournament Information
Registration for Arizona Qualifying Tournaments will open on Monday, August 12 at 7:45 am. Please carefully read the information about registration dates, event cost, and how the tournaments will be structured now that New Mexico has their own Championship. 

The information can be found HERE and under the Quick Links to the right. 

Capacities for the qualifiers will be updated on a daily basis and can be seen to the right.

Have you heard?? New Mexico is their own independent FIRST Tech Challenge season now! Click the New Mexico Welcome under quick links to the right to read a message from Jim Jackson, New Mexico Affiliate Partner. 

Grants Available for Teams in the Chandler and Tucson Areas
Arconic is once again offering grants to teams within 25 miles of their Chandler and Tucson locations. Grants are $1000 for rookie teams and $500 for veteran teams. For more information, click the link to the right. 

Kickoff Sweepstakes!

ONLY ONE MONTH UNTIL THE KICKOFF OF THE SKYSTONE SEASON!!! 

ARE YOU READY???

Guess what?!?!!? In honor of Kickoff happening in just one month, FIRST Tech Challenge is launching a sweepstakes! 

All teams that register before September 4th are eligible to win a REV Robotics competition kit, a TETRIXrobotics competition kit, or a AndyMark, Inc. full game field set! So register your FIRST Tech Challenge team ASAP and tell all your friends to too! Find out more here! 

Coming Next Week: 

Information for teams on qualifying tournament registration plus a list of events! 

Qualifying Tournament Registration opens August 19 so don't wait to register your team with FIRST. Be sure to also read the blog from July 11 for more information on what you can do to be ready for Kickoff. 

RSVP for the AZ Kickoff on September 7!

Forget Winter...Kickoff is Coming!

FORGET WINTER...KICKOFF IS COMING!

IS YOUR TEAM READY FOR THE 2019/2020 SKYSTONE SEASON?

With less than two months to go until Kickoff, there's lots of things your team can do to get ready for the new season! Check out our pre-season checklist to make sure your team is competition ready:

1. Complete the team registration process with FIRST by logging in to www.firstinspires.org. 
2. Pay your team registration fee to FIRST. 
3. Get two adults to pass the Youth Protection Screening. 
4. Read Game Manual Part 1 (just released July 11!)
5. Recruit rookie teams, and invite them to apply for the Rookie Grants
6. Arrange transportation to Kickoff at ASU for September 7 (or Nex+Gen Academy for our friends in NM)
7. Start fundraising for the new season
8. Start recruiting new team members
9. Start looking at dates your team would like to compete in qualifiers - we expect qualifier registration to open by late August! Qualifiers will run November 8 to February 8 with the AZ Championship taking place on February 22. 
10. Start your Purchase orders for parts, transportation, and tournament registration.

***NOTE: #1-3 are REQUIRED for all teams to compete in official events. We really suggest you complete this process sooner rather than later to avoid any last minute scrambles when competition season rolls around.***

Save the Date - 2019/2020 KICKOFF!

KICKOFF IS COMING!!!!

GET FIRED UP FOR THE 2019/2020 FIRST TECH CHALLENGE "SKYSTONE" SEASON!!!

The 2019/2020 FIRST games are powered by STAR WARS: FORCE FOR CHANGE and all fall under the theme FIRST RISE 2020! Check out more information here!

Save the Date: Skystone Season KICKOFF - September 7, 2019
Once again, we will offer a live game reveal and a variety of workshops for teams and coaches at the Arizona Kickoff at Arizona State University (Tempe) and New Mexico Kickoff at Nex+Gen Academy (Albuquerque). Look for more details in mid-August! 

If your team is interested in hosting a kickoff workshop, please contact us: Arizona OR New Mexico. Please include your workshop title and a brief description of what topics would be covered. We're looking for both technical and non-technical topics. 

Rookie Team Grants Now Available! 
Does your school want to start a 2nd team? Do you want to expand participation to other schools in your district? Maybe reach out to a community organization or non-profit to start a team? Rookie Grant Applications are NOW OPEN! Send potential coaches and schools here to learn more and apply.

Your team could win a competition kit! 
Complete your team's 2019/2020 season registration by June 21, 2019 and be entered to win a REV or Tetrix kit for your team! Check out more details on the sweepstakes and register your team here. 


Only a Few Spots Left for the Lunar Legacy Invitational
Teams can now apply to compete at the Lunar Legacy Invitational at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ July 19-20, 2019. 

The three events are FIRST Lego League (Into Orbit), FIRST Tech Challenge (Rover Ruckus) and NASA's Apollo Next Giant Leap Student Challenge "ANGLeS." 

Cost will be $250 per team. The $250 includes travel and field trips for 8 members. Additional members above the 8 are $15 each. NAU will handle registration and payment with teams once they are accepted. 

Teams will be notified of their acceptance status to the Invitational within a couple of days. Acceptance will be based on the quality of applications received and the capacity for each program, which is projected to be around 36 teams each. We have a lot of interest from teams outside of AZ and NM and even international teams! 

Teams will get to compete in their chosen program over the course of the two days, as well as attend presentations and professional development opportunities. Teams will also get to tour historic sites in Flagstaff that contributed to the Apollo Moon Missions, including Lowell Observatory and the Cinder Fields where the Apollo astronauts were trained. 

For more information and to apply to the Invitational, please visit the event web page.
Apply today! 

Lunar Legacy Application Deadline Extended - Apply by May 22

CAN'T WAIT FOR NEXT SEASON??? 

The teaser video for the 2019/2020 FIRST Season 

"FIRST RISE Powered by Star Wars Force for Change" 

is now live! Check it out here!

Lunar Legacy Invitational Applications CLOSE MAY 22 (deadline extended)
Teams can now apply to compete at the Lunar Legacy Invitational at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ July 19-20, 2019. 

The three events are FIRST Lego League (Into Orbit), FIRST Tech Challenge (Rover Ruckus) and NASA's Apollo Next Giant Leap Student Challenge "ANGLeS." 

Cost will be $250 per team. The $250 includes travel and field trips for 8 members. Additional members above the 8 are $15 each. NAU will handle registration and payment with teams once they are accepted. 

APPLICATIONS CLOSE MAY 22. Once applications close, teams will be notified of their acceptance status to the Invitational within a couple of days. Acceptance will be based on the quality of applications received and the capacity for each program, which is projected to be around 36 teams each. We have a lot of interest from teams outside of AZ and NM and even international teams! 

Teams will get to compete in their chosen program over the course of the two days, as well as attend presentations and professional development opportunities. Teams will also get to tour historic sites in Flagstaff that contributed to the Apollo Moon Missions, including Lowell Observatory and the Cinder Fields where the Apollo astronauts were trained. 

For more information and to apply to the Invitational, please visit the event web page.
Apply today!