COVID-19 UPDATE

September 7, 2022

FIRST in Michigan will no longer require masks to be worn at our events during our official 2022-2023 event seasons. While masks are encouraged, individuals attending our events whether as participants, volunteers, or spectators, are free to choose whether or not to wear a mask.

Masks will be available upon request at our official events. As always, anyone showing Covid-19, Flu, or other communicable disease symptoms is asked not to attend the event.

FIRST in Michigan reserves the right to amend the mask policy should conditions change.

February 26, 2022

Currently, all volunteers and attendees at FRC events will be required to wear a mask from set up to tear down and all the time in between while on-site at the event. This rule applies whether you are unvaccinated or vaccinated once, twice, or twice with a booster. As always, our highest priority is the safety of our volunteers and attendees.

Please share these Covid protocols for events with all attendees associated with your team including students, parents, mentors, sponsors, etc. and resolve any issues before they get to the event. If for any reason someone can not or will not wear a mask, please invite them to watch remotely but make it clear they may not attend.

October 10, 2021

FIRST in Michigan Fall events for the FIRST LEGO League-Explore, FIRST LEGO League-Challenge, and FIRST Tech Challenge programs will require that masks are worn by all persons while in the event venue for the duration of the event. This includes event set up and tear down. The addition of a mask requirement at our FIRST in Michigan Fall events will allow the events to remain accessible to the greatest number of people, most importantly, our student team members, their coaches and mentors. and our volunteers. 

FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) events will likely have the same requirements in place but we will make the final determination as to what is required closer to our March event season. 

At a minimum, all FIRST in Michigan events will follow the CDC and Michigan guidelines. Some venues may have additional requirements which will be included in the individual event’s information posted on each program’s  “Events” page on the FIRST in Michigan website.

September 01, 2021

FIRST in Michigan (FiM) is anticipating that we will be able to deliver our 2021-2022 season events in the traditional (physical) format.

If a FIRST Tech Challenge, FIRST LEGO League-Challenge, and FIRST LEGO League-Explore team can only operate in the remote event format, FiM will organize remote events in support of those teams. The timeline for remote events will likely be after the fall season calendar of events concludes.

To stay abreast of the latest information, be sure to read all team eblast communications sent by the FIRST in Michigan program delivery partners.

November 18, 2020

Our FIRST in Michigan teams have multiple ways to stay engaged this season despite COVID-19 restrictions and constraints. We are committed to holding the ship steady and moving it forward as we learn to safely navigate these uncharted waters together.

2020-21 FIRST in Michigan Season Engagement Plans (click link)

Teams are able to choose the engagement option(s) that work best for them. The FIRST in Michigan sanctioned engagement options “check the box” on the competition requirement of grants like the 99h MDE State Grant as well as sponsor specific grants.

Visit our FIRST in Michigan Progression of Programs Overview for an at-a-glance look across all program offerings from preschool through high school. Now, more than ever, we need to continue to cultivate and grow the next generation of innovators and leaders in our state.

September 8, 2020

All FIRST programs are a “GO” this season. FIRST in Michigan is committed to keeping our 32,000 students on nearly 3,000 teams engaged in our PreK- 12 programs. With the support of our sponsors and teams, we’ve collectively been able to put FIRST within reach of every school and district, whether big, small, urban, rural, or suburban. Students in just about every county are being prepared to pursue careers in STEM, whether college-bound or in skilled trades.

This season, we are reinventing how to play together so that no team sits the season out. Schools taking even a single gap year can break the momentum that we’ve all worked so effectively to build.

It’s more important than ever to deliver the life-changing experiences of FIRST to students in our state. As an organization that teaches young people how to solve problems and innovate, we are committed to adapting to these circumstances and enabling our community to stay engaged with FIRST programs in the challenging year ahead.

ADAPTING OUR COMPETITIONS

  • The length of the season has been extended for each program to allow teams to meet in small subgroups and/or on alternating days. Dates for States and Worlds have been adjusted to accommodate the extended season.
  • Events will be smaller with fewer teams in attendance at one time, or teams playing remotely from home/school/HUBs.
  • All Judging will be virtual using online video conferencing platforms like Zoom.
  • Establishing local HUBs around the state where small groups/single teams can access a competition field to play official matches.
    • Social distancing, gathering size adherence, PPE usage, and strict sanitization will be mandated.
    • Team travel and event time commitment will be minimized while preserving the essence of the FIRST experience.

MODIFIED EVENT STRUCTURE
Traditional multi-team events that are smaller:

  • Our events have been scaled way down, both in number of teams/people allowed to attend, and duration.
  • Webcasting will keep in-person head count to a minimum.
  • Event duration reduced to eliminate the need for overnight stays.

Remote competition format introduced:

  • FLL and FTC will use the new FIRST Remote Event competition format for events. Teams will videotape or record match scores from home/school/hub and will participate in virtual judging sessions.
  • For high school teams that cannot even build a robot, FIRST is creating purely remote competition alternatives that continue to meet FIRST’s mission. Specifics will be announced at kickoff in January.

BONUS: All teams have access to FIRST at Home which is an online list of STEM resources for teams to use free of charge. The list has been available since quarantine began in the spring and is constantly being updated.

CELEBRATING FIRST TEAMS IN THE NEWS

April 3, 2020

With the closure of school facilities in Michigan for the remainder of the school year and in compliance with public health recommendations and regulations due to the current and ongoing threat of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) in our state, FIRST in Michigan has decided that the spring FIRST in Michigan FLLJr, FLL, and FTC Spring Events will be canceled until further notice.

March 11, 2020

Due to the current and potential threat of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) in our state and in accordance with public health recommendations, FIRST in Michigan has decided that, effective immediately, the upcoming FIRST in Michigan FRC District Events in our state will be postponed until further notice.

At this time, FLLJr/FLL/FTC spring season events that are scheduled to occur in May will be held as planned.

This message does not speak to the FIRST Championship Events in Houston and Detroit which are hosted by FIRST HQ. Currently, both FIRST Championships in Houston and Detroit remain unchanged in scope and schedule. Due to the extraordinary circumstances of COVID-19, FIRST will refund the 2020 FIRST Championship registration fee in the event that FIRST Championship is canceled by FIRST HQ.

We recognize that teams have put an enormous amount of work into preparing for the season and we regret having to share such disappointing news. At the same time, we feel strongly that this action is necessary given that COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in Michigan and the Governor has declared a State of Emergency.

Please know this decision was not made lightly. It was made in consultation with FIRST, our University partners, and our sponsors, many of whom are represented on the FIRST in Michigan Board of Directors. Our primary concern is always the health and safety of our participants and our volunteers.

We will continue to follow recommendations from the CDC, the State of Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, and local health departments as we monitor and assess the situation over the coming weeks to develop a plan to resume our FRC season and its events.

March 9, 2020

The health and safety of our teams, volunteers and staff is our top priority. FIRST in Michigan is closely monitoring the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. As of this writing, there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Michigan. As such we have not canceled any of our Michigan FRC events, and FIRST has not canceled The Championship in Detroit.

We do, however, want to make sure that we are taking precautions to keep our teams and visitors to our events safe by instituting good hygiene practices and taking common sense measures to prevent the spread of the virus, including the following:

  • Suspending the high-five line during the awards ceremony, and handshake during the final rounds of competition.
  • Placing hand sanitizer at many locations throughout the event.
  • Regularly wiping down driver stations and other high-touch areas.
  • Promoting elbow bumps in lieu of flesh to flesh contact.
  • Discontinuing loaning out of safety glasses.
  • Asking those that are exhibiting any symptoms to stay at home.
  • Asking those that have been exposed to others with the virus not to attend our events.

We will continue to update you as new information that could impact our events is released from FIRST, the CDC and Michigan.gov.

If any of our volunteers feel they are at high-risk or do not feel comfortable attending our events, please just let us know and we will gladly restaff your position.

We will continue to update