08.23.25 Team Eblast

Sept. 6th Kickoff; Sign-up is Open!  l Prelim Fall Event List Posted  l  Key Dates l Competition Manual Posed l Season Reg is Open l HQ Hardship Grant  l  Rookie Team Grants  l  Grants l 99h Grant Usage Deadline l DECODE Game Elements l Rookie Boot Camp

SEPT. 6th FTC SEASON KICKOFF! SIGN-UP IS OPEN!!

The 2025-26 FTC season DECODE kickoff is Sept. 6th with the HQ broadcast at 12pm (noon) and the reveal of the season’s new game.

There will be a record 18 kickoff events in various locations around the state! All will feature a reveal of the DECODE playing field and include training and info sessions for teams.

TO SIGN UP: Visit the FiM FTC EVENTS site page for a list of area FTC kickoff events. Click on the event “Name” for the sign up link. Sign-up is done directly with the event host and not with FIRST in Michigan FTC. Kickoff events are free of charge.

If you don’t quite have a team formed yet, coaches and/or prospective coaches/team members/mentors are welcome to sign-up to attend an area kickoff event. It’s a great way to jumpstart the season and partake in in-person learning and networking opportunities!

While attending a kickoff event is optional, they are highly encouraged. Kickoff events offer workshops, info sessions, along with the “reveal” of the DECODE official playing field! I hear that one of the scoring elements this season really rocks! The BEST part? The opportunity to connect to your local FIRST community!!

PRELIMINARY FALL EVENT LIST POSTED

A preliminary list of fall 2025-26 event has been posted on the FiM FTC EVENTS site page: https://firstinmichigan.us/FTC/events/. There willl be some flux to the list as schools are still finalizing fall activity calendars which could impact event dates/locations.

We still have open spots for more Qualifiers (the Fri. date is set up):

  • 4 open spots – Week 1 10/31-11/1
  • 1 open spot – Week 2 11/7-8
  • 1 open spot – Week 3 11/14-15

Hosting is a great way to have an event close to home! It is also great outreach for an FRC team and allows more teams to play twice. Hosts retain the $100 per team event fee which comprises the budget for the event. FiM FTC tries to balance event locations on a given weekend to accommodate as many teams as possible and ease the crunch on local volunteers.

Information on hosting a FIRST in Michigan FTC event can be found in this Google folder: FIRST in Michigan FTC Event Organization. Resources include equipment list, sample budget, planning guides, schedule, layouts, etc.

UPCOMING KEY DATES
  • Sept. 6, 2025: 2025-2026 FTC Season Kickoff
  • Oct. 1, 2025 – Round 1 Event Registration Opens (anticipated)
  • Oct. 27, 2025: Earliest Event Date for League Meets or Qualifying Tournaments
  • 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.
COMPETITION MANUAL IS AVAILABLE

The preliminary Competition Manual is available to teams  https://ftc-resources.firstinspires.org/ftc/game/manual.

This is a “must read” document containing information about event rules, robot rules, and the new FTC advancement points system. This release will have placeholders for all the season specific information, which will be released at kickoff on September 6th.

Share this key document with your team members and mentors and get a jumpstart on the season!

FTC ADVANCEMENT POINT SYSTEM

The FTC Advancement process has changed this season. Under the new advancement system, teams will accrue advancement points throughout an event. At the end of the event, the top “N” teams according to advancement points will advance. Advancement points are gained over the course of a single event, so teams are only being compared with other teams at their event when considering advancement. Visit the HQ FTC Blog and the Competition Manual, Section 4 for more details.

FiM FTC will still allocate the “N” number of advancement spots for each event to one of our two FiM FTC State Championship events. The “N” is still being determined but will be posted on the https://firstinmichigan.us/FTC/event-registration/ site page once determined.

2025-26 SEASON REGISTRATION OPEN

Team registration for the 2025-26 season is open! The $325 FIRST HQ season registration fee can be paid via the FTC Storefront accessible from the Team Dashboard through firstinspires.org. HQ has increased the season reg fee by $30 this season.

It is key to register your team right away so that enough events are planned in support. Teams must be fully registered for the current season in order to register for FiM FTC competitions.

Returning Teams

Returning Teams (veterans) – Returning teams register with their existing team number. Check the MI Archive FTC Team List (tab 1 & 2) for a list of historical team numbers.Veteran Team Registration Guide – contains screenshots of the process.

    • Take care of “Outstanding Tasks” on your Dashboard
      • Update the Team Profile, update team contacts as needed, Lead Coach/Mentor 1 and 2 must electronically sign the season’s FIRST Consent/Release form and check that their FIRST Youth Protection Screening is up to date.
      • Instruct any departing team contacts (Team Admin, Lead Coach/Mentor 1 and 2) to invite their replacements.

New Teams (Rookies)

New Teams (rookies) – FIRST HQ has will again offer their FTC Rookie Team Grant for newly forming teams that meet their grant criteria. This grant works with the FIRST in Michigan FTC Rookie Team Grant to 100% cover a newly forming FTC team’s first season registration fee and reusable kit of parts purchase.

Visit the FiM FTC START A TEAM https://firstinmichigan.us/FTC/start-a-team/ site page for the steps to follow to maximize available grants. Remember, do not pay for anything yet until grant award decision(s) are received.

  • FiM FTC Rookie Grant specifics:
    • All past team numbers out of a given school must be registered for the current season before a newly forming team is eligible for the grant.
    • New teams must reach out to FiM FTC to see if they meet the criteria for the FIRST HQ FTC Hardship Grant.

FIRST HQ HARDSHIP GRANT

FIRST HQ has revamped their FTC Rookie Team Grant which is now called the HQ FTC Hardship Grant and is open to rookie and veteran teams.

The new process is that FiM FTC must nominate a team that has an established need for this grant. FiM FTC will prioritize newly forming (rookie), school-affiliated middle school FTC teams for nomination. This grant will then work in conjunction with the FiM FTC Rookie Team Grant, as in the past, to 100% cover a newly forming school-based team’s season registration fee and reusable robot kit of parts.

 LOOKING TO START A NEW MIDDLE SCHOOL FTC TEAM?

Start a new middle school FTC team in just 3 steps: https://firstinmichigan.us/FTC/start-a-team/. Please pass this info along to area schools that currently don’t have teams, along with my contact info! Flyer to share: Middle School FTC New Team Grants. New teams affiliated with an MDE-recognized school (public and non-public) maximize the use of available grants.

Veteran teams out of the same school must be registered for the current season before a new team can be eligible for rookie team grants.
GRANTS

Stay tuned to the FIRST HQ Grants site page as well as the FiM FTC site Grants page for available team grants.

2024-25 99h FUNDING USAGE DEADLINE, SEPT. 30
  • 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 .
      • Pre-order a set of the season’s game elements through AndyMark.
      • Purchase items from the team’s “wish list” like extra batteries, linear slides, swerve drive components, etc.
  • Teams that were awarded a 99h state grant but did not satisfy the 2024-25 FTC competition participation requirement (participate in one FiM FTC event in 2024-25), the MDE will no longer roll over awarded 99h grant funds into the next season. In this case, the MDE has defunded the amount of the 99h grant award for that team. The team will still be eligible to apply for the 2025-26 99h state grant.
  • The 99h state grant is still moving through the state budget legislative process. Current status is that it will likely be retained as a categorical line item. Resolution of the School Aid Budget is not expected to occur until after Labor Day. Stay tuned and we will eblast teams as soon as we have any news.
DECODE GAME SET PRE-ORDER THROUGH ANDYMARK

Teams looking to spend down 2024-25 grant funds or those wanting to get ahead of the “game”, AndyMark is accepting pre-orders for DECODE full or partial sets of game elements: https://www.andymark.com/categories/first-tech-challenge-2025-2026-decode. Pre-orders will ship after kickoff on Sept. 6th.

Teams will also be able to order DECODE game sets (full and partial) through the FTC Storefront beginning Sept. 6th but the FTC Storefront will not accept pre-orders. The cost of game sets has gone down this season!

  • Full Set: $485
  • Partial Set (red or blue): $250
  • Prices do not include shipping/handling
ROOKIE TEAM BOOT CAMP

FTC 6294 Atomic Toads are offering a bootcamp for rookie FTCteams across Michigan. This program will cover programming, design, build, outreach and team structure, either virtually or in-person at Novi Schools. If your team is interested, please fill out the linked survey. Proposed dates are Sept. 14 and/or Sept. 21. The last question in the survey is where you can pose questions.

Survey link: