Pre summer update - 5/30/25

[Mary Jo Othon]

Hello FTC teams!

I hope this update finds you well.  The official calendar for FIRST has switched over to the 2025 -2026 season and our new FIRST Tech Challenge, DECODE!  For information on this year’s programs, see this link.  

We have completed the league realignment for the 2025 - 2026 season.  Currently, 77 teams have expressed an interest in participating in the upcoming season.  Of those teams, 55 teams submitted a league request form.  Of those teams, 95% received one of their first three choices, with 80% getting their first choice.  

This spreadsheet shows your league assignment and lists your league manager.  This map shows the geographic breakdown of the new leagues.  As new teams are formed, they will be added to the existing leagues with the priority of keeping all leagues the same relative size.  

The schedule for the 2025 -2026 season is currently being developed.  We have set two of the three regional tournament dates and are working on the third.  A date and location for the state tournament isw also being finalized.  

Each league manager will be developing a league schedule over the next two months.  League meets may begin on October 27th and must be completed before their league tournaments.  

Beginning on May 14th, teams can register with FIRST for the upcoming season on their dashboards.  Kickoff for FTC DECODE will be September 6th.

Finally, I wanted to make you aware of other opportunities for the summer in our area:

NEO Robotics Invitational

 

Green Country’s most prestigious off-season robotics competition is here! Hosted by the Tulsa Robotics Center, NEO brings:

· 48 teams | 2 divisions | 4 playing fields + 2 practice fields

· At least 10 matches per team

· Judged awards & Skills Olympics (Programming, CAD, Driving & more!)

· Playoff Match Analysis + Interviews on the FUN Robotics Network

· Saturday Night Social Event

 

 

Muskogee Civic Center, Muskogee, OK 

 

Missouri teams: We want you there! So, we’re offering a discounted $200 registration (instead of $300) to give every team an equal chance to compete. You can use the Texas/Chesapeake discount when registering. Please reach out on the Discord Server attached below if you have any questions!

 

Website

https://neoroboticsinvitational.com/

 

Discord Server

https://discord.gg/P7tw4ZJp 

Department of Defense STEM Grant

 

The 2024-25 school year is coming to a close and it is now time for the Annual Department of Defense STEM Grant Survey.  Please find it here: https://forms.gle/aZxcvJpXCJ4yBW1Q9

 

 

As you complete this form, https://forms.gle/aZxcvJpXCJ4yBW1Q9, please remember a few things concerning the DoDSTEM grant.

 

Please note that your application via the Oklahoma survey found here, https://forms.gle/aZxcvJpXCJ4yBW1Q9, does not guarantee award of the grant.

 

Please note that your chances for receiving this grant improve if your team has a military mentor with an active *.mil email and if you have their contact information prior to completing the survey found here, https://forms.gle/aZxcvJpXCJ4yBW1Q9.

 

If you do not have a military mentor, we have a few military mentors that volunteer to float that we can assign to teams.  The number of floating military mentors asking to be assigned is very limited.  If your team does not have a military mentor and we run out of floating mentors to assign to teams, your application cannot be submitted, and your team will not be eligible to receive the grant.

 

You must complete the Oklahoma survey found here, https://forms.gle/aZxcvJpXCJ4yBW1Q9, for every team that is applying for the grant.  Don’t submit a note asking us to submit all of your teams for you.  It doesn’t work that way, so fill out the Oklahoma survey found here, https://forms.gle/aZxcvJpXCJ4yBW1Q9, for every team that is going to apply.

 

Please note that you must wait for the grant to be awarded prior to paying your FIRST registration fees or filling out this form, https://forms.gle/aZxcvJpXCJ4yBW1Q9, will not benefit your team as the DoDSTEM grant for team registration is void if the registration has already been paid and FIRST will not issue any refunds.  Also note that funds are not typically awarded until the end of August so you must be patient.

 

You must complete the Oklahoma survey found here, https://forms.gle/aZxcvJpXCJ4yBW1Q9, as we will not enter information from emails making adjustments.  

 

If you mess up, go back and try again.  We will enter the information found on the last entry received through the Oklahoma survey found here, https://forms.gle/aZxcvJpXCJ4yBW1Q9, for duplicate team entries.

 

Please note that this Oklahoma survey form, https://forms.gle/aZxcvJpXCJ4yBW1Q9, must be completed by June 1st so the brave selfless dedicated volunteers that enter your information into the DoDSTEM systems will have ample time to do so prior to the close of the DoDSTEM application period.

 

Please note that if you are starting a NEW team that you will need to obtain a team number from the FIRST registration system to enter into this form, https://forms.gle/aZxcvJpXCJ4yBW1Q9.  If you need help with this step, please send me an email at sta...@firstpartners.org

 

Please note that you need to answer all of the questions on the Oklahoma Survey found here, https://forms.gle/aZxcvJpXCJ4yBW1Q9, as completely as possible and as accurately as possible.

 

One last thing, please don’t plan on the DoD STEM grant as your primary source of team funding.  Get the kids together and do some fundraisers over the summer, recruit a couple of sponsors, and be prepared just in case DoDSTEM funds are in short supply.  Many teams were surprised that they did not receive the grant this past season.

 

Summer Robotics Outreach

Would your team like to show off your robot at Science Museum Oklahoma?  There are opportunities this summer to set up a table and share about your team.  Summer is very busy at the museum, and you could get a few hundred visitors over the course of 3-4 hours -- typically people who are already interested in STEM from across the state (and often from other states or even other countries).  Setup is in front of the Team OKC Robotics workshop and soon-to-debut FIRST exhibit at the back of the aviation wing.  Please contact Travis at teamokc...@gmail.com for more information and to set up a date and time.

Boeing Family Day

Boeing Family Day coincides with the Tinker Air Show on Saturday, June 28. The event is 11AM-4PM, but we are working through some logistics to get onto campus around 10AM for setting up inside one of the conference rooms as well as snag some nearby parking before event-goers begin to show.

 

We are hoping to have a few teams come support this outreach opportunity, it would be awesome to get representation from each of our programs. The activity is for folks to drive around some robots and network. There is free food and drink provided by Boeing, typically burgers and hot dogs. We have also heard that there may be food trucks as well.

 

There is a little bit of paperwork involved, that is why we are acting on this early as well as hoping to snag the last-minute attention of coaches at the end of the school year.

 

Interested folks email Ingrid...@boeing.com Christophe...@boeing.com 

Mary Jo Othon

    Oklahoma FTC PDP