NorCal Pre-Kickoff Updates

[Mark Edelman]

All,

This is an important email with several important topics for the coming season.  Please take the time to read everything!

Topics in this email include:

• Kickoff is coming - 9/6/25
• AB506 screening for lead coaches
• Post-Kickoff DECODE Field Walk Through
• League Status
• Season Timeline
• Season Complexities

Kickoff Is Coming

The 2025-2026 DECODE FTC Season Kickoff will be taking place Saturday 9/6 at 9am PT.  

NorCal FTC is NOT holding an in-person event.  We will be hosting a stream/webinar.  The general timeline for the kickoff day is:

9:00am	FIRST Stream on YouTube
9:30am	NorCal FTC stream/webinar (following FIRST Stream)
10:15am	Brief NorCal Q&A
1:00pm - 4:00pm	DECODE Field Walk Through (appointment required) additional sessions 9/7, 9/13 and 9/14

Details for the NorCal steam/webinar will be released in the coming days - we are testing our setups and making sure we are ready!

AB506 Screening for Lead Coaches

All teams must have both lead coaches complete the AB506 requirements - mandated reporter training and LiveScan fingerprinting.  Please see https://www.playingatlearning.org/ca-ab506/ for additional information and links to the required steps.

Team are not "eligible" until this screening is completed.  Teams that are not eligible will not be able to register for or compete in events within NorCal.  

We have been warned that the LiveScan background check process can take as long at 5 business days.  Plan ahead and get things done early!  We are not able to make exceptions.

Post-Kickoff DECODE Field Walk Through

NorCal FTC will be hosting 4 DECODE field walk through sessions at our building in San Jose.  The sessions will take place Saturdays and Sundays across two consecutive weekends.  The sessions are:

• Sat 9/6 - 1pm to 4pm
• Sun 9/7 - 1pm to 4pm
• Sat 9/13 - 1pm to 4pm
• Sun 9/14 - 1pm to 4pm

Teams may signup for at most one session of 30 minutes.  Up to 4 teams may signup for the same time slot (i.e. 4 teams in a 30 minute slot).  Valid team numbers are required.  Please do not signup for more than 1 session per team. Teams that attempt to signup for multiple sessions may have their appointments canceled.

Signups can be done via Appointy at https://booking.appointy.com/mnedelman

League Status

We have closed the league interest form for the time being and are in the process of mapping the teams into the existing leagues.  It is likely that most if not all of the teams that completed the form will be able to be matched with a league - if they are willing to be flexible about which league.  If your team completed the league interest form, watch for emails in the next few days as we work through the list of teams.

We are adding one addition league this season - Central Valley League, centered around Fresno/Clovis.  If you are interest in this league, please email f...@playingatlearning.org

Season Timeline

9/6/25	DECODE Season Kickoff
9/22/25	Q&A Opens
early Oct	Qualifying Tournament Preferences Open
10/26/25	Screamage at The Play Space
Nov/Dec/Jan/Feb	Qualifying Tournaments & League Meets
12/15/25	Dean's List Nominations Due
2/8/26	last date for League/Qualifying Tournaments
2/14/26	Dean's List Interview Event
2/21/26-2/22/26	NorCal FTC Regional Championship (planned date)
4/29-5/2/26	FIRST Championship (Houston)

Season Complexities

We have been actively interviewing candidates for our FTC Program Coordinator position.  We are cautiously optimistic that we have a found a good candidates and that they will be joining us soon! Please be patient with our new staffer when they come onboard.  They will be learning the as fast as they can possibly manage.  Your help and support will be greatly appreciated!

On a different note, Mark is having the first of two foot surgeries late last week of August and will be mobility impacted until early to mid-November.  Your help will be needed to ensure that the season can run with minimal disruption.   There will be help/volunteers needed at several times:

• Kickoff Day - helper(s) for pre-order kit distribution
• Field Walk Through Days - helper needed to manage teams arriving & field management
• DECODE Field Build Days - 8 helpers needed for 2-3 hrs to assemble the NorCal fields - date TBD
• Screamage - help needed for setup and day-of management - 10/26/25
• Early Qualifiers - depending on recovery speed.  Please answer the call for help as the events get closer!

Without sufficient help, the season will be impacted.

Thankfully, the 2nd go round won't be until late Spring!

Here comes DECODE!!! 

Mark

-- 
Playing At Learning
Northern California Partner for FIRST LEGO League Jr, FIRST LEGO League and FIRST Tech Challenge
ma...@playingatlearning.org
(844)752-9576 x700