Hi , 

Program Updates, Deadlines, & Reminders

Closing Soon! Event Preferencing: Second event preferencing closes Thursday, October 12, at 12:00 p.m. noon ET. For more information about event preferencing visit our Event Preference User Guide. Remember, it does not matter when you indicate your preferences within this window, as long as you get your preferences in before the deadline.

Late Registration for Second Events: Event Ready teams that miss the second preferencing can pick their event in our late registration period that opens on Friday, October 13, at 12:00 p.m. noon ET.

Upcoming Deadline! Kickoff Kit Opt Out Options for Veteran teams: Reminder that “event ready” Veteran teams have until Thursday, October 19, at 12:00 p.m. noon ET to choose to opt-out of the Black Tote and/or the Drive Base Kit. To make selections, select “Payment & Product” under Team Options, choose “Black Tote Opt Out” or “Drive Base Opt Out,” and check the box to receive vouchers instead of the items. You can change your mind and uncheck the box until the deadline.

• Black Tote: If opting out of the Black Tote, the team receives $250 in vouchers: $125 to AndyMark and $125 to REV Robotics.
• Drive Base: If opting out of the Drive Base Kit, the team receives a $450 AndyMark voucher. 

As a reminder, new this year, the black tote includes some items for use on the KitBot. However, these items are components Veteran teams likely already have on hand or can easily replicate. So, veteran teams should not consider the KitBot a significant factor in their Black Tote opt-out decision. Read this blog post for more information to help make a decision on what options are right for your team.

FIRST^® Robotics Competition Mentor Guide: We have updated our “Guide to Running a FIRST Robotics Competition Team” to the FIRST Robotics Competition Mentor Guide. This guide is intended to help teams with best practices for running their FIRST Robotics Competition team and is a great resource for both rookie and veteran teams.

Team Tip – Delegate and Designate: Share this email blast with your FIRST Robotics Competition team! We know mentors are busy, it can be helpful to designate a team member or parent to read the weekly team blast on Thursdays and report important information out to the team. That way you won’t miss out on any upcoming deadlines or season specifics. If your designated team blast reader is over the age of 18, all they need to do is sign up to receive the email on our Team Blast Archive. All blasts are also posted on the archive within 24 hours of sending.

FIRST Updates

Extended Hours: Team Support will have extended customer support available until 8:00 p.m. ET on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays starting September 5, through November 2. They can be reached via 1-800-871-8326 or (603) 666-3906, extension 0, and via email.