FIRST Robotics Competition Blog

Hello, Teams!

Remember this Wednesday, October 20, at 12 PM (Noon) Eastern Time is the deadline for your first event preference! A Wednesday deadline is a change from typical years, in which the deadline is usually Thursdays (and the change is due to COVID-related challenges).

A few things to keep in mind -

All available events are posted, and while we can’t guarantee things won’t change later, they will not change during the preferencing period itself. If they do change later, we will work with your team to resolve any issues that come up as best we can.  

You don’t need to pay your registration fee to participate in preferencing. Payment is not due until November 15. Even if you are unsure if you will be participating in the season, preferencing costs you nothing but a few minutes of your time. And right now, those open slots at events are like freshly made donuts – tastiest when you get to them early!

Also, while the Dashboard may show it as an outstanding task, you do not need to upload any tax-exempt certificates to preference you events. You will however need two mentors who have passed the Youth Protection Program background check.

In addition, the results of preferencing will be available no later than Thursday morning Eastern Time, October 21. And, right on the heels of first preferencing closing, second preferencing opens this Thursday, October 21, at 12 PM (noon) Eastern Time, and closes Wednesday, October 27, at 12 PM (noon) Eastern Time!

If you miss the first preferencing window, don’t despair. You will be able to pick your first event from those with remaining slots until November 15th.

Please see the preferencing system user guide for all the details.

Drive Base Option

Veteran teams: while you’re in the system doing your first event preferencing, don’t forget to head over to the Drive Base Opt-Out page in case your team prefers the AndyMark voucher instead of the drive base kit (we know, it’s a tough call!). In order to opt-out,

1. Lead mentor 1 or 2 must log into their dashboard,
2. click the team for which they’re selecting, under the “Parts and Products” drop down on the “Team Options” tab,
3. select “Drive Base Opt Out,” and check the box if you wish to opt out.

If your team prefers the drive base or are a rookie (the option is only available for Veteran teams), then you can completely ignore this part of the blog and there’s nothing for you to do for this.

The deadline for that decision is this Thursday at noon (Eastern), and late decisions aren’t accepted.