Out to New England FIRST Robotics Competition teams...

NE FIRST Things FIRST

Week of May 16, 2016

2017 Team Pre-Registration is Open!

Pre-registration for the 2017 FIRST Robotics Competition season opened today at noon! Be sure to login to the new registration system with your existing username and password to update your account team information for the 2017 season. A detailed PDF with step-by-step instructions on how the new system works can be accessed here.

To login, click on the "Log In" button at the top-right corner of the website homepage. New users can create accounts by clicking on the "Sign Up" button. Please note that the Youth Team Member Registration System will not be available until Wednesday, June 1.

Main and alternate contacts will need to confirm their data for the season and be cleared through YPP if they have not been cleared already before registering their team in September. Updating your team information now guarantees that your team mentors will receive all important communications over the summer and when the pre-season starts in the fall.

NE FIRST Swap Meet & Sale

Clean out your workspace before the end of the school year and share or sell your spare parts and materials with other NE FIRST FRC teams! The rescheduled NE FIRST Swap Meet & Sale will be held on Saturday, June 18 from 8 a.m. - noon at NE FIRST Headquarters (400 Woodland Ave, Bloomfield, CT 06002).

Schedule:

8-9am - Setup
9-11am - Sale/Swap
11-noon - cleanup

Attendees must RSVP for the event and can do so here. The event will be held rain or shine. Bring display tables, chairs, extension cords (outlets are limited). Materials too large to bring? Bring a photo and arrange for pickup after the sale. All leftover materials must be removed from the premises at the end of the sale!

2017 District Event Venue Suggestions

NE FIRST is looking for suggestions on potential District event venues for next competition season. In order to maintain our program and have a schedule that meets the needs of teams and volunteers, we are on the lookout for venues that meet our cost and size requirements. While we are still making the schedule for the upcoming season, a number of past locations may not have open dates which match our competition schedule for 2017.

Any member of our community with suggested venues for use by NE FIRST can send them to info@nefirst.org or their Regional Director.

Off-Season Reminders & Updates

No Portcullis for Off-Season Events

Due to safety concerns, the Portcullis will not be provided to any off-season events.

Beantown Blitz

Beantown Blitz, sponsored by FRC Team 125, the NUTRONs, will take place on Saturday, June 18 at Revere High School in Revere, MA. Registration is $250/team and can be submitted by check or PayPal. Teams can register through the form and volunteers can sign up here. Please email nutrons@gmail.com with any questions.

Summer Heat

Summer Heat, sponsored by FRC Team 58, Riot Crew, will be held at South Portland High School in South Portland, Maine on Saturday, July 16. Registration cost is $125/team. More information and the registration form can be found on the event page.

NE FIRST University Day Workshop Series

Save the Date - NE FIRST University Day in CT 2016

This year's NE FIRST University Day in Connecticut will be on Saturday, Sept. 10 at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, CT! The event is open to FLL coaches; mentors and students from FRC; invited guests; and potential rookie teams.

If you would like to run a workshop for this event, please email ljefferson@firstinspires.org by Monday, Aug. 1. Workshops can be done by individuals or groups and can be presentations or panels. Topics from previous years have included social media strategies, community outreach, scouting, drivetrain design and an Ask a Mentor panel.

Help Expand NE FIRST University Day in New England!

NE FIRST is looking for other locations across NE interested in holding University Days in the fall across all FIRST programs. University Day is an opportunity for members of the FIRST community to learn, meet, and share their knowledge with other teams.

We need host campuses, presenters, and volunteers in order for this to happen. If you are interested in helping with this initiative in your area, please email Steve Cremer at scremer@nefirst.org ASAP.

U.S. Air Force / FIRST Leadership Experience Reminder

The U.S. Air Force develops leaders of great character and vision.For the fifth year, the U.S. Air Force is offering a unique three day leadership program providing 25 FIRST mentors who are also teachers with hands on leadership training taught by Air Force personnel.The event consists of lectures, team building exercises and tours of the Air Force Academy and a local Air Force Base. Applications must be submitted by tomorrow, May 20 and more information can be found here.

Upcoming Events

Robo-Palooza

Saturday, May 21

11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Children's Museum of New Hampshire

6 Washington St, Dover, NH 03820

Event Page

Battlecry@WPI

May 21-22

WPI Harrington Auditorium

100 Institute Rd, Worcester, MA 01609

Website

Webcast Link

Mayhem in Merrimack

Saturday, June 4

Merrimack High School

38 McElwain St, Merrimack, NH 03054

Website

Where is Wolcott Invitational

Saturday, June 11

Wolcott High School

457 Bound Line Rd, Wolcott, CT 06716

Touch Tomorrow

Saturday, June 11

WPI

100 Institute Road, Worcester, MA 01609

Website

Beantown Blitz

Saturday, June 18

Revere High School

101 School St, Revere, MA 02151

Team Registration

Volunteer Sign-Up

Email nutrons@gmail.com with any questions

NE FIRST Swap Meet & Sale

Saturday, June 18

8 a.m. - noon

NE FIRST Headquarters

400 Woodland Ave, Bloomfield, CT 06002

Registration Link

Contact Us

NE FIRST Executive Director

Bruce Linton (blinton@nefirst.org)

NE FIRST Advisor

Jessica Boucher (jboucher@ingenuityne.org)

NE FIRST Regional Directors

Connecticut - Carol Scully (cscully@nefirst.org)

Maine - Karen Giles (kgiles@nefirst.org)

Massachusetts/Rhode Island - Steve Cremer (scremer@nefirst.org)

New Hampshire/Vermont - Scott Heaton (sheaton@nefirst.org)

NE FIRST Senior Mentors

Connecticut - Stacey Gray (sgray@firstinspires.org)

Massachusetts - Dana Henry (dhenry@firstinspires.org)

Archives of NE FIRST Things FIRST are available on the archive page and on the NE FIRST site under "News." Submissions and suggestions can be sent to ljefferson@firstinspires.org.