So that every student participant receives a valuable, enjoyable experience (regardless of learning environment this season) FIRST is extending the 2020-2021 event season for all programs through the end of June 2021 and moving the 2021 FIRST Championship from April 2021 to later in the year. 

What does this mean for your program in your city? See below for information and timelines in your region.

For some regions that continue to be disrupted by COVID-19 and require social distancing, we are offering remote event options supported by the FIRST Remote Event Hub to provide a comprehensive remote experience for teams and volunteers.

SO CAL:

• Qualifier Tournaments (remote): February 6, 7, 13 (proposed dates)
• Championship Tournament (remote or possibly in-person): March 13th (proposed date)
• Spring Season Event (official or unofficial): April – May

Program Registration: Open

Event Registration: Opens October 22, 2020

Details: http://socalfll.org/teams/ 

LOS ANGELES:

• Practice Tournament (remote): Nov 7
• Qualifier Tournament (remote): Nov 21 and 22
• Championship Tournament (remote): Dec 12

Event Registration: Closed

Details: https://la-fll.org

CENTRAL VALLEY:

• Qualifier Tournament – info coming soon
• Championship Tournament – info coming soon

Program Registration: Open

Event Registration: Open

Details: https://www.cvrobotics.org/fll/

NORCAL:

As mentioned in the RePLAY Challenge Kick-off our events will be held remotely (all online) using virtual platforms.

• Practice Tournaments (training and practice with online event environment): November 
• Qualifier Tournaments (remote): December 5, 6, 12, 13 & January 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24 (proposed dates)
• Championship Tournament(s) (remote) – February
• Spring Season (unofficial or possible official): March- June

Program Registration: Open

Event Registration: Open – https://www.norcalfll.org/norcalfll-qtreg-2019/

Details: https://www.norcalfll.org/2019-qualifiers/

For regions that continue to be disrupted by COVID-19 and require social distancing, we are offering remote event options supported by the FIRST Remote Event Hub to provide a comprehensive remote experience for teams and volunteers.

SAN DIEGO:

At this point the region is planning on holding the League Meets as remote events, with some additional region constructs.

• Remote League Meet Week #1 – February 6-7, 2021
• Remote League Meet Week #2 – February 20-21, 2021
• Remote League Meet Week #3 – March 6-7, 2021
• League Championship – March 27-28th or April 3-4, 2021
• San Diego Regional Championship – April 24-25th, 2021

Program Registration: Open

Event Registration: Open

More Details: https://www.sdftc.org/leagueplay2020-2021.html

LOS ANGELES:

The format this year will be remote Scrimmages and Qualifier Tournaments (instead of Leagues and ILTs) to buy as much time as possible before competitive play so teams who cannot meet until the second semester have time to build.

• Remote Scrimmage #1 & #2 – November/ Dec TBD
• Remote Scrimmage #3 & #4 – January/ Feb TBD
• Qualifying Tournaments (planning for remote events) – March 6, 14, 21, 27
• Championship Event (planning for a remote event) – April 17

Program Registration: Open

Event Registration: Open

To participate in the 2020-21 Scrimmages and Qualifier Tournament, each team must register with LAFTC and pay the $50 registration fee in order to play. (Fees have been reduced from $300 due to COVID and remote play). Mentors from returning teams receive an email inviting them to register. New teams should reach out to community@firsttechsocal.org for those details.

Details:  http://www.firsttechsocal.org/

Check the website under ‘new team info’ or ‘How to register’ for more information. Also sign up for LAFTC Robot News on the lower right of the home page.

NORCAL:

Info coming soon!

Website: https://www.norcalftc.org/ 

CALIFORNIA

FIRST has added 3 exciting new remote engagement opportunities, for the 2021 FRC season, to ensure everyone has a chance to participate and to keep the momentum of the FIRST experience going through continued innovation, teamwork, skills building and FUN!

To address the uncertainties and range of restrictions brought on by COVID-19, FIRST has made the tough decision to open the FIRST Robotics Competition registration, the week of October 5th, built around a season experience that does not include in-person competitions.  

In January, FIRST will re-evaluate if in-person competitions can take place later in the Spring.

• FRC Remote Kick Off – January 9th, 2021
• Remote Challenges – January-June
  • Game Design Challenge
  • Innovation Challenge presented by Qualcomm
  • INFINITE RECHARGE at Home
• FIRST Championship – Late July

Registration: Open

Contact your Regional Director if you run into any obstacles or barriers to participating this season.

Details: FRC 2021 Season Details

The Gene Haas Foundation and Haas Automation proudly support FIRST Robotics. For the past 7 years they have supported robotics teams from FIRST LEGO League to FIRST Robotics Competition, as well as sponsoring the Ventura Regional for the past six years.  In addition, they began sponsoring the Las Vegas Regional starting in 2020 and have plans to continue as Haas is building a second US factory in Nevada.

After witnessing the amazing success of and benefit to FIRST students for a number of years, the Gene Haas Foundation increased their support and became a FIRST corporate sponsor for the Championships in Houston and Detroit in 2019. Additionally, millions of dollars of Gene Haas’ personal foundation funds have been donated directly to FIRST teams and FIRST schools with CNC programs for support and scholarships.

STRENGTHENING OUR MANUFACTURING ECONOMY

The mission of Gene Haas Foundation’s work with schools is to strengthen our country’s manufacturing economy by assisting schools and student organizations in training students for dynamic careers in the manufacturing industry by providing scholarships, teacher training and supporting dynamic organizations such as FIRST. Over 70 million dollars in grants to manufacturing related technologies education has been funded in the last 10 years.

In addition to the work of the foundation, Haas Automation created and fully funds HTEC (Haas Technical Education Centers) more aptly Community where educators can meet in person and digitally for training, networking, collaboration, sharing best practices and developing mentorship for new programs. HTEC conferences are held throughout North America at local schools. HTEC also has industry partnerships with related technology suppliers to assist educators with what they need to run their programs who also participate in conferences and provide resources.

Gene Haas is also known for his love of automobile racing. He owns NASCAR and F1 race teams, as well as a full-size rolling road wind tunnel in North Carolina, WINDSHEAR.

STEM CAREERS AT HAAS AUTOMATION

Join Jeremy Bout on a tour of Haas Automation where he talks about some of the many careers found at a manufacturing company.

FREE ONLINE TRAINING

Haas is also offering online training on how to operate a CNC mill and in the next couple weeks the lathe training will be released as well. For all of you looking for things to learn during these “stuck at home times” check out https://www.haascnc.com/content/haascnc/en/myhaas/haas_certification.html .

The training is FREE.  If you choose to acquire the certification, there is a charge for the test.

FIRST California would like to thank KLA for their impact on our robotics community through their generosity of time, donation, and endless passion. From raw wafers to next-generation microchips to world-altering technologies, KLA enables what’s next, including enabling tomorrow’s workforce through FIRST.  KLA is a generous sponsor of FIRST events and teams mentored by KLA employees at their offices in California, Michigan and New York.

FIRST Alumni reflect on their FIRST experience and careers at KLA.

 “FIRST introduced me to the engineering design process, good engineering principles, and working in multidisciplinary teams. Those experiences and interpersonal skills translate directly into my day-to-day work. As an alumni mentor, I strive to prepare today’s students much as I was mentored, by inspiring and enabling learning and curiosity. Also, I try to bring real-world best practices and experiences into the classroom so that the students can see how their work relates to industry.”

 “I felt like a welcomed team member (regardless of my skillset) and realized that the FIRST community really emphasized the value of inclusivity—and lived up to it. I love that there are so many opportunities available to someone who joins a Robotics Club – marketing, art, communications, engineering, etc. Just because someone isn’t interested in engineering doesn’t mean that robotics isn’t for them!  A FIRST robotics team really is a microcosm of the high-tech workforce.” 

Check out the video below that Nicole created for KLA to celebrate FIRST Robotics Competition team accomplishments during this challenging year.

We keep looking ahead with KLA and are thankful for their support in inspiring a new generation of technology innovators and leaders!  

2020 Regional Chairman’s Award Winners in California.

The Chairman’s Award is the most prestigious award at FIRST and it honors the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate and best embodies the mission of FIRST. It was created to keep the central focus of FIRST Robotics Competition on the ultimate goal of transforming the culture in ways that will inspire greater levels of respect and honor for science and technology, as well as encouraging more of today’s youth to become science and technology leaders.

We are proud to recognize the following 14 teams who earned the Regional Chairman’s Award in and from California. 

AEROSPACE VALLEY REGIONAL

Team 3925
Ventura, CA

CENTRAL VALLEY REGIONAL

DEL MAR REGIONAL

Team 1622
Poway, CA

LOS ANGELES REGIONAL

Team 4400
Torreon, Mexico

LOS ANGELES NORTH REGIONAL

Team 2429
La Canada, CA

MONTEREY BAY REGIONAL

Team 1671
Clovis, CA

ORANGE COUNTY REGIONAL

Team 5810
Santa Fe Springs, CA

SACRAMENTO REGIONAL

Team 1197
Torrance, CA

SAN DIEGO REGIONAL

Team 498
Glendale, AZ

SAN FRANCISCO REGIONAL

Team 4904
San Mateo, CA

SILICON VALLEY REGIONAL

Team 604
San Jose, CA

VENTURA REGIONAL

Team 2584
Calabasas, CA

IDAHO REGIONAL

Team 3309
Anaheim, CA

ST. LOUIS REGIONAL

Team 1678
Davis, CA