Weekly Oklahoma FTC Newsletter - 9/21/2025

[Mary Jo Othon]

Hello FTC teams!

Good morning teams!  Another week into build season!  Please work to get your teams FIRST registration complete and all your students C&R forms online.

✔️ TEAM REGISTRATION:

• Please understand that our slots to championships and premier events are based on registered teams.  When that number is low, so are our allocations. Please register your team!  You will not be allowed to compete in league meets unless paid in full on your  FIRST® Dashboard
• Coaches, sign into your FIRST Dashboard and make sure that:
• All contact information is current.  We cannot contact you unless we have current information.
• Your team has two screened Lead Coach/Mentors
• FIRST policies and acknowledgement forms are updated and signed

📅  UPCOMING OKLAHOMA EVENTS:

• 9/27/2025 - “Robot in 3 weeks” at DiscoveryFest - OKC Science Museum
• 10/27/2025 - 1/24/2026 - League meets (League schedules link)
• 12/15/2025 - Dean’s List Nominations due
• 1/31/2026 - Mustang League Tournament 
• 2/7/2026 - Kingfisher League Tournament
• TBD - Bishop Kelley League Tournament
• TBD - Oklahoma Regional Championship Tournament 

💲SEASON FEES:

• FIRST HQ Registration Fee - $325

In order to be able to compete as a FIRST Tech Challenge team, teams need to register with FIRST each season. The annual FIRST registration fees that all teams pay to FIRST stays at FIRST Headquarters in New Hampshire and does not get passed onto FIRST in Okalhoma. To pay your team’s $325, FIRST HQ Registration fee, please visit your team’s FIRST Dashboard.

• Oklahoma Registration Fee - $275

In order to participate in Oklahoma events, teams pay a rgistration 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 receive an invoice in early October.  OKSEF gives 45 days after the invoice date to pay without penalty. Teams must pay in order to compete in their League Tournament.

👀 DiscoverFest (formerly Tinkerfest) FTC "Robot in 3 Weeks" Scrimmage:

• This event is filled.  People can still come and watch and spend an admission free day at the museum.  The event is anticipated to be from 9am-4pm. 

      DECODE COMPETION MATERIALS

• Competion Manual
• Competition Manual AI Chatbot
• Team Q&A System - Opens September 22nd
• Game animation
• Combined Team Updates

📝 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 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.

 

🤔 QUESTION BOX FOR TEAMS

• You can use this form and one of the state leads will address your concern below.

🏁 BR’s BREAKDOWNS

• Nothing new this week, stay tuned!

👨🏻‍⚖️CHRIS’s CORNER

• This week, Team Update 02 highlighted the two new Project-Based animation Awards! These awards don't contribute towards your advancement at events in Oklahoma, but it's a great way to test your animation skills and get recognized on a global scale!
• See Section 6, specifically 6.6 Project-Based Global Awards, in the Competition Manual for more details.  

📋EMILY’s EXPLANATIONS

• Nothing new this week, stay tuned!

Mary Jo Othon

    Oklahoma FTC PDP