04.07.25 Team Eblast

Spring FTC Events  l  Upcoming Key Dates  l  Rollover Funding  l  Good Luck Teams  

SPRING FTC EVENTS
There are still open FTC Spring Event spots! Events are listed on the FiM FTC website’s EVENTS page: https://firstinmichigan.us/FTC/events/. Currently, the 5/17-Troy MAYhem event is at capacity. Participating in a spring event is optional for teams that have already competed in the 2024-2025 fall season.
 
There are two separate spring event registration forms this year. One for the FiM FTC Traditional Spring Events, and one is for the two Off-Season FTC All Girls Events. The off season events will not include a judging component.
Spring Event Registration Forms:
MUST DO before May 5th: Teams competing in spring events must make sure that all youth are registered on the team with electronically signed FIRST HQ Consent/Release Forms before FIRST system shut down on May 5th. The downloadable team roster will not be available after this date. See https://firstinmichigan.us/FTC/fim-ftc-event-readiness/ for the tasks that need to be done.
UPCOMING KEY DATES
  • April 18, 2025: 2024-2025 season closes.
  • May 5-9, 2025: FIRST systems will shut down for season rollover. This impacts the FIRST Dashboard.
  • May 14, 2025: 2025-2026 season opens for team registration.
  • Sept. 6, 2025: 2025-2026 FTC Season Kickoff
  • Oct. 27, 2025: Earliest Event Date for League Meets or Qualifying Tournaments
  • Anticipated FiM FTC States Dates:
    • Dec. 12-13, 2025:  FIM FTC States-NW, Muskegon
    • Dec. 13-14, 2025:  FiM FTC States-SE, Grand Blanc
      • Macomb Comm. College’s Sports & Expo Center will be undergoing renovation and will be closed during our usual States timeframe.
ROLLOVER FUNDING
  • If your team was a recipient of a grant administered by FIRST HQ and you still have funds in your FTC Storefront, those funds must be expended by April 18th or they will revert back to FIRST HQ. FIRST does not regrant funds back to the lower FIRST program teams so the funds can only be used on available FTC Storefront purchases.
  • Teams awarded the 99h MDE State Grant: Per legislation, any awarded funds for the 2024-25 season must be expended by September 30, 2025. Team Award funds can only be used by the team to which they were awarded. This grant is administered by the MDE and not FIRST in Michigan. Reach out to your fiscal partner regarding accessing awarded funds. 99h grant awards are posted at this link: https://www.techplan.org/edtech-initiatives/rdi/competitive-99h-robotics-competition-grant/.
    • Ways to use leftover funding:
      • Pay the team’s 2025-2026 FIRST HQ season registration fee of $325 (new amount) as early as May 14th.
      • Pre-order a set of the season’s game elements through AndyMark. Check the AndyMark website after the new season’s theme is announced (est. 4/19).
      • Purchase items from the team’s “wish list” like extra batteries, linear slides, swerve drive components, etc.
GOOD LUCK TEAMS!
Good luck to our FiM FTC teams who will be competing at the upcoming next tier events! We will be cheering you on!! 
Team School City Event
6134 Novi Middle School Novi FIRST Championshp
6294 Novi Middle School Novi FIRST Championshp
15555 Saline Middle School Saline FIRST Championshp
24253 Ferndale Middle School Ferndale FIRST Championshp
10255 Creekside Middle School Zeeland FIRST Championshp
10644 Saline Middle School Saline FIRST Championshp
15104 Hartland M.S. at Ore Creek Hartland FIRST Championshp
20332 Boulan Park Middle School Troy FIRST Championshp
10136 Frost Middle School Livonia FIRST Championshp
10653 Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy Saginaw Chicago Premier Event
22918 Larson Middle School Troy Michiana Premier Event
23439 Novi Middle School Novi Michiana Premier Event
5386 Freeland Middle/High School Freeland Michiana Premier Event
7252 Bemis Junior High School Sterling Heights Michiana Premier Event
8579 Bedford Junior High School Temperance Michiana Premier Event
10309 Jefferson Middle School Midland Michiana Premier Event
11129 Novi Middle School Novi Michiana Premier Event
11717 Baker Middle School Troy Michiana Premier Event
26606 Saline Middle School Saline Michiana Premier Event
10645 Saline Middle School Saline New England Premier Event
16523 Emerson School Ann Arbor Kentucky Premier Event
LOOKING TO START A NEW MIDDLE SCHOOL FTC TEAM?
Rookie grants will open in mid May! Visit https://firstinmichigan.us/FTC/start-a-team/. Please pass this info along to area schools that currently don’t have teams, and my contact info! Flyer to share: Middle School FTC New Team Grants.