FTC December Update

12/16/22

December Update Highlights

Important Dates

  • December 23-26 – FIN Offices Closed
  • January 1 – Happy New Year!
  • January 2 – FIN Offices Closed
  • January 15 – Dean’s List Nominations Due
  • January 21 – FTC League Tournament – Columbus
  • January 28 – FTC League Tournament – Hammond
  • February 1 – FIRST Indiana Robotics Day at the Statehouse
  • February 4 – FTC League Tournament – Elkhart
  • February 11 – FTC League Tournament – Crane
  • February 25 – FIRST Tech Challenge State Championship – Tippecanoe County Fairgrounds
  • February 1 – FIRST Day at the Statehouse
  • February 25 – State Championship, Tippecanoe County Fairgrounds, Lafayette, IN
  • April 19-22 – World Championship – Houston, TX

League Tournament Information

January 21 – Columbus Middle School Central 725 7th Street Columbus, IN 47201 7:30am – 5:30pm
Participating Teams
  3537    MechaHamsters, Home School, Greenwood 6190    Cyberstorm, Red Alert Robotics 8149    Panic in the Build Room, Red Alert Robotics 8435    Knightbots, Indiana Math and Science Academy North 8578    Juden Ki, Columbus Robotics Inc 8791    Green Machine, Greenwood High School 8793    Wired Woodmen, Greenwood Middle School 10621    North Robotics, North Montgomery High School 11959    Kernel Panic, Columbus Robotics Inc 13246    Steel Beaks, Southport High School 13295    Disaster Management, Red Alert Robotics 14954    Glorious Roborioles, Avon High School 15455    Classy Roborioles, Avon High School 19854    Monkey Wrench, New Palestine, IN 21478    aROARa, Eastern Hancock High School 21751    RoboKnights, Indiana Math and Science Academy North 21945    Majestic Roborioles, Avon High School 22049    Owls, Southport High School 22066    Infra-Red, Southport High School 22067    Red Rollers, Southport High School 22068    Short Circuit, Southport High School 22069    Kiwi, Southport High School

January 28 – Hammond Central High School 5926 Calumet Ave Hammond, IN 46320 7:30am – 5:30pm
Participating Teams 535    TOBOR, Crawfordsville High School 8272    CC Sparks, Lafayette Central Catholic Jr/Sr High School 11130     RoboKats, Kokomo Community 11272    Genesis, Faith Christian School 11992    Radioactivity, Merrillville High School 12014    The Fire Wires, GEARS 13377    Blackout, Heritage Christian High School 13414    Circuit Breakers, Kingman Community 13750    Lab Rats, 21st Century Geo Academy 14084    [Insert Name Here], Clinton Prairie High School 15544    RoboVikings, North White Middle-Senior High School 17012    Precision Guessworks, Jefferson HS, Tecumseh Jr High 18638    Giant Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man 20689    Battle Ground Robotics, Battle Ground Middle School 22138    Talos, 21st Century Geo Academy 22444    Revelation, Faith Christian School 22478    Trojan Thunder, Highland High School
February 4 – Success Academy 3408 Ardmore Trail South Bend, IN 46628 7:30am – 5:30pm
Participating Teams 4366    Westside Gold, West Lafayette Jr-Sr high school 5300    The Dirty Dozen, New Prairie Middle School 5543    Team X, New Prairie Middle School 6518    Westside Black, West Lafayette Jr-Sr High School 12130    Capy Bara, Mishawaka High School 13401    Robo Ducks – The Claw, Mishawaka High School 13402    Team with No Name, Mishawaka High School 14596    XLR8, GEARS 16501    Squirrel!, GEARS 18174    MISHines, Community Team, Mishawaka 18686    Hog Riders, New Prairie High School 19932    Westside Red, West Lafayette Jr-Sr High School 20027    The Granger Gurus, Community Team 20045    Grey Fox, Mishawaka High School 20430    Heroes, GEARS 21624    Titans, Trinity School 21931    Westside Gray, West Lafayette Jr-Sr High School 22331    random(), Canterbury High School
February 11 – Westgate @ Crane 13598 East Westgate Dr Odon, IN 47562 7:30am – 5:30pm
Participating Teams 7193    South Spencer Rebel Robotics, South Spencer High School 8971    Diamond Blades, Boys & Girls Clubs of America 9864    Jug Rox Robotix, Shoals Community Schools 10293    Optimum Blue, Perry Meridian Middle School 10455    Steel Wings, Perry Meridian Middle School 10755    Technomages, Northeast Dubois High School 11262    Pat Bot, Owen Valley High School 11329    ICE Robotics, RoboBoosters Inc. 12231    WarriorTech, North Miami Middle-High School 17994    Ragnabotics, North Posey High School 18505    Something to do with Waffles, Community Team 18375    Robo Tribe: Red Fury, Mississinewa Schools 19366    CTF, SuperiorSteam 4H Club 20699    WJHS Hatchet Ratchex Robotics, Washington Comm. Schools 21894    Digital Divas, Perry Meridian Middle School 22132    Gearserkers, North Posey Jr High School 21589    Tech-no-Logic, Bloomington High School South 22871    Rox-Paper-Scissors, Shoals Community Schools

FIRST Day at the Statehouse

On February FIRST, 2023, FIRST Indiana Robotics will once again be having FIRST Day at the Statehouse.  We will be supporting legislation to help us bring FIRST programs to more Indiana students, and we will have a virtual training session prior to the event.  We need teams to attend and show our state government how much these programs benefit our students!

Dean’s List Nominations

In an effort to recognize the leadership and dedication of FIRST’s most outstanding secondary school students, the Kamen family sponsors an award for selected 10th and 11th grade students known as the FIRST Robotics Competition and FIRST Tech Challenge Dean’s List Award. Similar to the very prestigious National Merit Scholarship Award winners, there are three (3) “categories” of FIRST Dean’s List Award students:
  1. FIRST Dean’s List Semi-finalists – comprised of the two (2) students in their 10th or 11th grade school year nominated by each team.
  2. FIRST Dean’s List Finalists – comprised of the students 3 (IN) recognized at the State Championship.
  3. FIRST Dean’s List Winners – comprised of the ten (10) FIRST Robotics Competition and ten (10) FIRST Tech Challenge students selected from the applicable FIRST Dean’s List finalists at the FIRST Championship.
The students who earn FIRST Dean’s List Award status as a semi-finalists, finalist or winner, are great examples of student leaders who have led their teams and communities to increased awareness of FIRST and its mission. These students have also achieved personal technical expertise and accomplishment. It is FIRST’s goal that these individuals will continue, post-award, as great leaders, student alumni, and advocates of FIRST. Prestigious colleges and universities have expressed great interest in meeting FIRST Dean’s List’s Award winners and FIRST hopes that each team will take advantage of the opportunity to nominate the most qualified students as FIRST Dean’s List nominees! For more information click here.
**Nominations are due January 15.**

AndyMark Video Contest

AndyMark, Inc. is partnering with FIRST Indiana Robotics (FIN) to conduct a contest among FIRST teams in Indiana to create informative, quick, five (5) minute videos. Prizes will be awarded to 6 entries. Indiana FLL, FTC and FRC teams are eligible for prizes, each being an AndyMark team sponsorship in the form of an AndyMark store credit. The intent of this contest is to build a video library covering topics related to FIRST teams, such as how they are supported, how robots are successfully built, how students and mentors are most productive and supported, how teams impact their communities and schools, to name a few topics. All teams providing video entry will be given AndyMark merchandise.  (3 t-shirts per team, regardless of the # of video entries) Awards Include Best FTC video – This video is focused on an FTC team and/or program and is the most impactful, important, informative, or entertaining.  Prize = $400 in AndyMark credit Best technical advice – This video describes, informs or demonstrates an important technical topic within a FIRST program (FLL, FTC or FRC) to help other teams learn about this technical aspect of their program.  Prize = $600 in AndyMark credit Best team advice – This video describes, informs or demonstrates important aspects of starting or running a FIRST team (FLL, FTC or FRC) in a clear manner with lasting impact on the viewer. Prize = $600 in AndyMark credit Best video – This prize is this contests’ top award.  This video is focused on any FIRST program and is the most impactful, important, informative, or entertaining.  Prize = $1000 in AndyMark credit
FIRST Championship Housing: Alert!
FIRST® Championship attendees have received emails or phone calls from housing or travel companies regarding booking hotel reservation for 2023 FIRST Championship. The e-mails are from non-approved housing agencies. They may look legitimate, but please beware. Each year, thousands of event attendees book rooms through unofficial entities only to find they do not have rooms when they arrive. Even if another housing agency is legitimate, their fine print often has terms that are not favorable.  We are proud to partner with ConferenceDirect as the only approved Official Housing Provider for the 2023 FIRST® Championship event.   FIRST® and ConferenceDirect work to ensure that we have a variety of price points, quality products, and amenities all situated in a prime location to ensure that we meet the needs and desires of 2023 FIRST Championship attendees and exhibitors. Only ConferenceDirect, the Event’s contracted Official Housing Company is authorized to use any likeness of the Event, claim partnership with and allowed to book within the Event Official Hotel Block. Reservations made through any company other than ConferenceDirect, are at your own risk. If you are contacted by anyone other than ConferenceDirect, please notify the   immediately.  Do not provide any personal or financial information to another housing vendor claiming to have rooms for the Event. Only FIRST and ConferenceDirect will contact your team regarding housing for the 2023 FIRST Championship. You can monitor updates and information on our main  FIRST Championship site here;  as we plan on releasing more details early 2023.

Season Resources

Check out these resources available on the FIRST Inspires website.

Scholarship Opportunities

FIRST Scholarship Portal is now open, please share this link with any college bound seniors on your team!

Who should I talk to?

Connect with Trisha Thompson to talk about

FTC Team Support
Registration
Training
​​​​Consent & Release Forms
Growth (start a new team!)

You can schedule a call with Trisha here

Connect with Dan Leathers to talk about

FLL, FTC, or FRC Competitions
Volunteers
Equipment
​​​​Purchasing

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