OK FTC weekly newsletter - 11/17/2025

6 views
Skip to first unread message

Mary Jo Othon

unread,
Nov 17, 2025, 9:00:54 AM11/17/25
to 'Mary Jo Othon' via Oklahoma FTC News
Hello FTC teams!

Good morning teams!  This past weekend saw Carver League in action.  To see league results, please go to this website.   DaVinci and Herrington are back in action this Saturday!

📅  UPCOMING OKLAHOMA EVENTS:
  • 10/27/2025 - 1/24/2026 - League meets (League schedules link)
  • 11/22/2025 - DaVinci and Herrington League Meets
  • 12/15/2025 - Dean’s List Nominations due
  • 1/31/2026 - Mustang League Tournament volunteer link
  • 2/7/2026 - Kingfisher League Tournament volunteer link
  • 2/7/2026 - Bishop Kelley League Tournament volunteer link
  • 2/14/2026 - Oklahoma Regional Championship Tournament volunteer link

💲SEASON FEES:
  • Oklahoma Registration Fee - $275
  • Invoices have been sent via PayPal
  • In order to participate in Oklahoma events, teams pay a registration fee to OKSEF.   This non-refundable fee covers 3 to 5 League Meets, 1 League Tournament and the State Regional Championship (if qualified).  Teams will be receiving an invoice shortly for this.  OKSEF gives 45 days after the invoice date to pay without penalty. Teams must pay in order to compete in their League Tournament.
 

      DECODE COMPETION MATERIALS

🏃 LEAGUE MEET READY
  • FTC Meets have begun so it’s time to make sure that all teams are ready. At this point, all teams should have completed the following:
    • Paid FIRST HQ Registration Fee
    • Verified that Team Roster is Event Ready  Confirmed that ALL students who will be playing on the team have been added to the team roster (with an electronically signed consent & release form)  
    • Pre inspect your robot using the inspection checklist
    • Safety Glasses for all team members and visitors to the pits. Everyone in the pit area or competing at the field is required to wear safety glasses or have side shields on their prescription glasses. Safety glasses will NOT be provided.
  • If you don’t feel “ready,” come anyway. Meets are a great learning experience. We will help you get the robot running. If a team member is available to stand at the field, the team still gets points.If nothing else, your team can come and learn the rules of the game and get some building and strategy ideas.

🤠 “OK FTC - THE LOST OBELISK”- COMING TO THEATERS NEAR YOU!!!!
  • Your Oklahoma Head Referee, BR Bryan, has a fun video project for all teams to work on.  She is making a video to show at the Oklahoma Regional and she needs all teams, volunteers, mentors, and coaches help! Let’s help her have some fun with this!
  • Watch the trailer for more information on how you can get involved! 

📝 DEAN’S LIST NOMINATIONS
  • The Dean’s List Award recognizes outstanding student leaders (in 10th and 11th grade) in FIRST Tech Challenge. Coaches may nominate up to twostudents from their team who demonstrate leadership, dedication, and embody the values of FIRST.  Students selected as Dean’s List Finalists are celebrated during the season, and a small number of winners are honored at the FIRST Championship.
  • Participating in the Dean's List is an excellent way to highlight the impact of your team’s student leaders and connect them with the broader FIRST community.
  • The 2025–2026 season follows an updated nomination and interview process. Here are the key dates for this year’s Dean’s List:
    • Nominations are Open!
    • Nomination Deadline: December 15th
    • Interviews: 1/13/2026 to 1/27/2026 (remote)
  • For more information on the Dean’s List Nomination, see this link.

🦃 BLACK FRIDAY SCRIMMAGE
  • The Tulsa Robotics Center is hosting the 2nd annual Black Friday Scrimmage. This scrimmage is open to any FTC team from Oklahoma and surrounding states. This is the only regional scrimmage that also allows FIRST Alumni and coaches/mentors to enter a team to compete. Here are the details:
  • Game Details: We will follow 2025-206 FTC Decode unmodified game rules
Event Date: Friday, November 28th
Event Time: 8:00AM – 4:00PM
Cost: Free for teams to compete.
Lunch Details: The TRC will provide a Sandwich Bar. The cost of the sandwich bar ticket will be $5.
Event Location: Tulsa Robotics Center
Address: 4500 South 129th East Ave, Tulsa OK 74134
Team Registration Link: https://forms.gle/8jonkxdauUyo7uDH7
Event Contact: Christopher Smith
Event Contact Email: in...@tulsaroboticscenter.org
 
🤔 QUESTION BOX FOR TEAMS
  • You can use this form and one of the state leads will address your concern below.

🏁 BR’s BREAKDOWNS
  • I have a few reminders for all of you today. So buckle in and let's get to it! After you read through all of this, I want to challenge each team to go into their Team Rule Manual that I know all of you have either downloaded or printed, find each one of these rules, read it for yourselves, and then highlight them!

  • Make sure you folks are aware of what is going on during matches, even if you are resting back in your pit area. Know what match is playing and what match is up next. We need to keep our meets moving along and your awareness is a MUST. So let’s dive into the rules:

  • During Auto make sure your robot stays on your alliance side of the field. Let’s go to the rules:

  • Okay folks, this is a big one for this year: this is a contact sport this season! We have all at least gone to one league meet and now we all see how this game is played. It is physical. There is contact and even more contact. So let’s review a few rules:


  1. And finally, let’s make sure to keep in mind that your robot MUST be in the launch areas to score. To the RULES:


👨🏻‍⚖️CHRIS’s CORNER
  • Last week, Team Update 10 modified the wording to A201, which mentions the limits on the PORTFOLIO.
What does it mean for your team?
  • The page count is unchanged. Anything after the cover page, that is not a blank page, counts against your limit of 15 pages.
  • The page size (8.5 x 11 inches, or A4) is unchanged.
  • The paper size now allows for a PORTFOLIO to be printed on 11 x 17 inch paper (or A3), which is then folded in half.
  • This was also answered on the FTC Q&A system, under Q91. [link to the question]
  • If you're still confused, don't worry, you can look at the example below! This is how many magazines are printed!  Each page is still 8.5 x 11 after the paper is folded in half.  To be clear: You don't have to print it like this, but you now have the freedom to do so!


📋EMILY’s EXPLANATIONS
  • Nothing new this week, stay tuned!  

Mary Jo Othon
    Oklahoma FTC PDP
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages