FIRST Robotics Competition Blog

The stage is set, and official events begin next week! I’m excited for official matches of CRESCENDO^SM presented by Haas!

Even if your team is not competing until later this season, there are things that you can be doing now to make sure you’re ready for your first event.

• We created this video of “What to expect” at a FIRST^® Robotics Competition event. I encourage everyone, from rookie teams to 20-year veterans, to check it out! Thanks to Tyler Olds of First Updates Now for helping with the original script for this video and to Justin Holmes for editing the video!

• Now is a great time to host a team meeting on travel expectations and Youth Safety. Resources for mentors are available on the FIRST^® Youth Safety page. Lead mentors – make sure you have emergency contact information, medical needs, and parent permission slips as required by your host organization or school. Make a plan for what team members will do in case of emergency.
• Teams can find event information, including public agendas, team lists, and local detail on each event’s webpage. Other event information is also available on the FRC-Events webpage.
• Conducting a pre-inspection is a great way to make sure you’re ready for your official inspection at the event. Your team can work through the same Inspection Checklist that Inspectors will use. And check out our Inspection Video playlist to get an idea of what Robot Inspection is like.
• When packing for your event, don’t forget to bring your:
  • Safety glasses,
  • Tools for your robot,
  • Robot, bumpers, and batteries,
  • Team Roster, and
  • Additional recommended items that can be found on the District & Regional Event webpage.
• If you haven’t yet, please review the Event Rules section of the Manual. I want to remind everyone of E117:

• If your team needs accommodation for events, including accessible seating, please contact the Program Delivery Partner for the event.
• Finally, if you’ve not yet registered your team members, please save yourself time and do that before the events. Teams in the United States and Canada can use the new Express Enrollment to make the process much easier! Make sure you print your team roster prior to the event to make check-in at the event easier. More information is available on the Youth Registration webpage.

With this information, how prepared is your team for their event?