Kansas City FIRST

FTC schedule change: Due to expected inclement weather tomorrow, the KC East and KC West Leagues will play simultaneously (instead of am and pm sessions). All begin at 1 pm on Saturday (January 15) at The Pembroke School. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to KC FTC Event Manager Phil Wood at [email protected].

FIRST Tech Challenge teams are back in action, with tournaments rapidly approaching! We're in need of all types of volunteers, but particularly referees and judges for the Kansas City East and West League Tournaments on Jan. 29 and Feb. 5. If you have questions or need help signing up, contact Brad Kelley at [email protected].

On October 11, 2019, Dr. Woodie Flowers passed away. While the FIRST community will always mourn his loss, we are looking towards the future to honor his legacy... as one Graciously Professional community. Woodie taught us so much over his three decades spent with FIRST, but he most importantly demonstrated what it means to be a Gracious Professional to do high-quality work, emphasize others’ value, and respect individuals while still competing with all your might. More important now than ever before, he encouraged us to serve as a generation driven by this ethos, one that lifts others up, collaborates, and remains open to others’ ideas. He reminded us that today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders and creators and exemplified the standards of kindness and understanding to which we should strive to hold ourselves. To celebrate Woodie’s legacy and impact on the FIRST community, we invite you to join us tomorrow (10/12) for Walk Like Woodie Day. Share your memories, acts of Gracious Professionalism, the impact Woodie had on you, and how you plan to carry on his legacy with #WalkLikeWoodie. Together, we will follow #FIRSTFORWARD in his footsteps.

FREIGHT FRENZY looks like a lot of fun! FIRST Tech Challenge teams in Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas; and Cass, Clay, Jackson, and Platte counties in Missouri, can apply now for grant support from the KC STEM Alliance. Find the details at https://www.kcstem.org/ab/what-we-do/targeted-grant-making/

Thinking about starting a FIRST LEGO League team for this season? Register by Sept. 30 and you'll automatically be entered in a sweepstakes for a reusable LEGO Education SPIKE Essential technology set! This set can give more of your team members hands-on coding and materials to explore potential solutions for their CARGO CONNECT model. Learn more and register here: https://info.firstinspires.org/firstlegoleague-explore-2021

There's still time to register for the FIRST LEGO LEAGUE "How to Start a Team Workshop"!! Sign up here: https://docs.google.com//1FAIpQLSdLDLkfA1wrU9n5Kz/viewform

In celebration of the 2021-2022 FIRST Tech Challenge season kicking off next month, FIRST HQ is giving away four partial game sets and scoring elements to help new or returning teams compete in FREIGHT FRENZY presented by Raytheon Technologies. Find out how your team can win the FIRST Tech Challenge 2021 Kickoff Sweepstakes: https://info.firstinspires.org/2021-kickoff-sweepstakes

Tune in this morning for the FIRST Robotics Competition Season Celebration! It will include winners of the 2021 FIRST Robotics Competition Dean’s List Award, 2021 Volunteer of the Year, 2021 Woodie Flowers Award, the Game Design Challenge, and the Championship-level Chairman’s Award Winners and Finalists. Watch on FIRSTtv starting at 11 a.m. CST: https://www.twitch.tv/firstinspires

HUGE congratulations to Lance Philgreen, who was just named one of only 10 FIRST Dean's List FIRST Tech Challenge Award Winners! From building awareness of the power of FIRST through community outreach to using his engineering and technical skills to help others, Lance is a great example of FIRST core values. Read this nomination from his teammates on Team 6547 Cobalt Colts to see why: "Lance models gracious professionalism and FIRST core values as a lead builder and d...Continue reading

Gold stars to Jared, Regional Judge Advisor and Volunteer of the Year for FIRST Tech Challenge Missouri-Kansas!

Please help spread the word to our local FTC teams:

Our friends from Camdenton FIRST LASER 3284 Robotics Teams share how they're adapting to the challenges of this season: https://www.businessinsider.com/first-robotics-handling-sch

ICYMI: Find out how to start a FIRST LEGO League Explore team (best for ages 6-10) this Saturday at noon.

Step into the world of sports for PLAYMAKERS and RePLAY, part of the 2020-2021 FIRST robotics season, FIRST GAME CHANGERS. Find out how this most unusual season will work in the KC region!

Today is #WalkLikeWoodie Day as we remember Dr. Woodie Flowers, who helped all of us be better by instilling the concept of Gracious Professionalism and FIRST Core Values into what it means to be a part of the FIRST community. Here are a few memories of Woodie's 2016 visit to the Greater Kansas City FIRST Robotics Competition Regionals. Please share your team's memories of Woodie and stories about how you've seen Gracious Professionalism in action.

Find out how FIRST LEGO League Explore (formerly FLL Jr) will work this season, including everything you need to know to put together and run a team during a season when we're all putting our problem-solving skills to the test!

Let's #WalkLikeWoodie as a community on Oct. 12.

FIRST Tech Challenge teams in Greater KC: It's not too late to apply for a grant for this season! Apply by Oct. 9: https://kcstem.info/FTCgrant

ICYMI: KC STEM Alliance is taking applications for FIRST Tech Challenge team grants in a six-county area: Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas; and Jackson, Platte, Clay and Cass counties in Missouri. Grants are awarded to teams with underserved populations, younger teams, teams new to fundraising and teams doing fantastic outreach. Apply by Friday, September 25! Find additional details and the application form here: https://kcstem.info/FTCgrant

Today’s the day! Tune in for the launch of FIRST Tech Challenge!

Have you checked out the scholarship opportunities recently posted on the FIRST website? Lots of opportunities are available for FIRST team members and alumni to apply for!

One week from today we kick off the next season of FIRST Tech Challenge! See the details below and join the live broadcast next Saturday.