Oklahoma FTC weekly update - 10/13/2025

[Mary Jo Othon]

Hello FTC teams!

Good morning teams!  Another week into the build season!  Please work to get your team's FIRST registration complete and all your students' C&R forms online.  There are still a few teams that have not completed their registration and payment with FIRST.  I will be contacting those teams individually to see how I can help that process.  Please note that you cannot participate in the Oklahoma League meets until this payment is made.

Notice that the date and location of the Oklahoma Regional Championship have been set.  It will be held on 2/14/2026 at Memorial High School.  

📅  UPCOMING OKLAHOMA EVENTS:

• 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
• 2/7/2026 - Bishop Kelley League Tournament
• 2/14/2026 - Oklahoma Regional Championship Tournament - Memorial High School, Tulsa, OK

💲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).  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

• Competion Manual
• Competition Manual AI Chatbot
• Team Q&A System
• Game animation
• Combined Team Updates

🤠 “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 two students 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.

🏆UNITED STATES GOVERNOR’S CUP

• The United States Governor’s Cup is an inaugural FIRST Tech Challenge event hosted by the United States Department of Education and Experiential. At this exhibition and scrimmage style competition, one team from every United States state will be selected by their Governor to proudly represent their state on the national stage. From February 19–22, 2026, the iconic DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. will come alive with the energy of students, robots, and innovation on display. The United States Governor’s Cup is more than a competition, it’s a celebration of the next generation of STEM leaders, showcasing how the FIRST community inspires students to dream big, think boldly, and shape the future.
• One team from each of the 50 United States will be selected by their Governor through an application-based process. Applications will be released by FIRST on October 2 to any FIRST Tech Challenge team from the 50 United States that has completed, or is in the process of completing, registration for the 2025-2026 season. Teams must complete their registration for the 2025-2026 season prior to October 31 to be eligible.
• Timeline:
• Application released to United States FIRST Tech Challenge teams: October 2
• Applications from interested teams due back to FIRST: October 31
• Notification of teams selected by Governors, no later than: December 12
• Full details of event, including any available grant funding, released to selected teams: December 19
• Click here for more information and application.

 

🤔 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's Team Update 05 announced the FTC Judging Question Bank is available! It is strongly encouraged all teams to review this as they work on their Portfolio and in the weeks leading up to the League Tournaments! Per Section 6, the first two questions Judges ask in your Structured Interview will come from this document!

https://ftc-resources.firstinspires.org/ftc/archive/2026/event/question-bank

• This Thursday (October 16th) will be the first of three Team-Focused webinars, looking at Judging, Gameplay, and General Support. Teams need to sign up for the webinars to be able to join in on the calls. Teams may access the sign up links and access the playlist of recordings using this link:
  https://ftc-resources.firstinspires.org/ftc/archive/2026/team/team-webinar
  
  
• This Saturday (October 18), the FIRST in Texas region will be hosting the inaugural FIRST Tech Challenge Preview Event. This will be the first time a tournament-style event is run in its entirety (Judging, Qualifications, Playoffs, etc.). Teams can watch the live stream, starting around 10:30 AM Central at this link:
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96RZLC94jE4

📋EMILY’s EXPLANATIONS

• Nothing new this week, stay tuned!

Mary Jo Othon

    Oklahoma FTC PDP