Visit the new CAREERS page on the FIRST in Michigan site. It contains opportunities to work with us/community partners to further the mission of FIRST!

The registration guides linked below contain info on establishing a FIRST Account, setting up a team profile, inviting contacts, applying for screening, accessing the Storefront, etc. with screenshots.

• RETURNING TEAMS (veterans) – remember to register using your existing team number. MI Archive FTC Team List (tab 1 & 2 contain a historical list of team numbers).
  • Veteran Team Registration Guide – includes screenshots
  • Update team contacts – Remember to have matriculating team contacts invite their replacements before moving programs.
• NEW TEAMS (rookies) – Grants are available that covers 100% of a newly forming team’s season registration fee and reusable robot kit of parts!
  • Rookie Team Registration Guide – includes screenshots
    • Team Name is a mandatory field when setting up the Team Profile. If your team does not have a name yet, just fill in TBD. You can update this field at a later time once a team name is chosen.
  • Start the team registration process but DO NOT PAY for anything until applying for the FIRST FTC HQ Rookie Team Grant.
    • Apply for this grant using your temporary team number which starts with “2020”.
  • FIRST in Michigan FTC Rookie Team Grant is available to newly forming teams. Visit the GRANTS page on the FIRST in Michigan FTC website for details.
    • All past team numbers out of a given school district must be registered for the current season before a newly forming team is eligible for the grant.
    • Teams must apply for the FIRST HQ FTC Rookie Team Grant first.
    • A similar grant is available for newly forming FLL-Challenge teams too! Email michiganfll@gmail.com for details.

2020-21 FiM FTC EVENTS

Visit the August 20 team eblast for an overview of how the 2020-21 FIRST in Michigan FTC event rollout will work. A synopsis of the plan is listed below. FIRST HQ will launch the remote event experience this fall as an event option for FIRST LEGO League and FIRST Tech Challenge teams. It will make the experience as close as possible to a traditional FIRST program event for teams and volunteers, with the necessary modifications to accommodate a remote environment.

FIRST in Michigan FTC will start competition season (with advancement) in December and will expand it into January, February as needed. This adjustment should give teams the time to decide on ways to meet, build, and play that keep to the scenario and/or comfort zone they are in. We will plan for our usual spring events (mid May) but the format of those events i.e. remote or traditional is unknown at this time.

See the recent eblast from FIRST HQ regarding the extension of the overall FIRST season across all programs.

FIRST in Michigan FTC will support two types of event rollouts for the 2020-21 season that will be adaptable to the conditions in a given area: traditional and/or remote events. We will begin the 2020-21 competition season in the remote event rollout utilizing the “hub” location concept.

HUB LOCATIONS:

More on the HUB location concept is outlined below. If you think that your location could serve as a HUB, please fill out the linked Google form below. HUB locations aren’t limited to FTC – we would love to find sites that could accommodate our full progression of programs!

FIRST in Michigan HUBS will be physical locations where teams can make an appointment to access an official game field and run official matches per the remote event rollout. FTC official events will be managed through a new portal developed by HQ called the FIRST Remote Event Hub system. Note that we are both using the word “hub” but are referencing two different things. I’ll try to think of a different word for our “hub locations”! Events will still be managed by an event coordinator assisted by a volunteer coordinator who will utilize the FIRST Remote Event Hub system.

The most limited remote event rollout scenario will be where a team competes independently or a team member operates independently to execute the team’s official robot matches with remote judging. Arrangements could be made for a team to borrow a sanitized field/game elements from an area hub/team for their robot runs. Team coach(es) or family members would fill the roles of FTA/CSA/Inspector/Referee.

FiM HUB LOCATION FORM (link)

• FTC HUB locations will be identified all around the state.
• FiM will either place an official game field at a hub location and/or utilize a hub host supplied official game field. Due to the limits on gathering size, we will need many more hub locations than previous traditional event locations in order to service our teams.
• HUB locations and on site personnel will follow sanitizing protocol and adhere to PPE usage, social distancing, and gathering limits per state/local/venue ordinances.
• HUB hosts will have volunteers on site trained to fill roles such as FTA/CSA/Inspector/Referee to assist teams. Depending on the gathering limits in play, a maximum of two volunteers might have to cover these roles.
• HUB venue ideas:
  • Traditional event venues can transition to HUBS and possibly run multiple remote events at the same time as space/gathering size allows.
  • Venues that have been too small to host large scale traditional events can likely work as a HUB.
  • As HUB equipment needs are less with a rather small footprint, hubs can move physical locations as needed.
  • School/sponsor/community sites such as an indoor sports arena, large conference room, venue birthday party room, church hall, etc.

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