FIRST Robotics Competition Blog

 

 

In just 3 weeks, more than 600 FIRST^® Robotics Competition teams will load in for the 2023 FIRST^® Championship presented by BAE Systems. More than 200 teams are already registered for the event, and many more will qualify in the next 2 weeks.

I. Can’t. Wait!

Event Information

General event information can be found on the FIRST Championship page and in the FIRST Championship app. You can find the app by searching “FIRST Championship” in your device’s app store. If you downloaded the app for last year’s event, it will update with this year’s info.

Information specific to FIRST Robotics Competition, including a daily schedule, layouts, and information on event accessibility can be found on the FIRST Robotics Competition Championship Information webpage.

On-Site Registration

If you choose not to book your event housing with FIRST, your team is still required to register through the registration system to receive your FIRST Championship On-Site name badges. Badges are required to access the Pits and Playing Fields.

Volunteer Opportunities

We expect more than 1300 people to volunteer at the 2023 FIRST Championship, and we have roles available like Robot Inspection, Field Reset, Team Queuing, Quiet Room Monitors, and more! If you have extra parents, mentors, or students coming to FIRST Championship, they can sign up to volunteer but please note the minimum age to volunteer for this event is 16. Many roles can be done in half-day or single-day shifts. Apply today!

We are also looking for students (ages 14-18) to provide fun and exciting tours to our generous sponsors and other special guests. We know our students are our best tour guides, and our guests would love to meet you! Volunteer to be a Student Ambassador at FIRST Championship this year and show our guests what FIRST is all about. To volunteer as a Student Ambassador, click the link above and then select “Student Ambassador” as your desired role. Time commitment for the role is a two-hour tour shift plus training. Training is Wednesday of Championship and tours are Thursday and Friday. If you would like more information, please contact studentambassador@firstinspires.org.

Streaming

If you can’t join us at the event or if you have family and friends who want to tune in back home, all of the FIRST Robotics Competition fields will be streamed on Twitch.  Streaming links will be posted to the FIRST Championship website prior to FIRST Championship. We are also very excited to announce that FIRST Champs Live will be back for 2023, providing coverage and in-depth analysis of all the playing fields!

Team & Robot Load In and Load Out

There are a few ways that teams can get their robots and pit materials to the event. Teams that ship their robots get early access to the pits with the goal of getting the robots out of their crates so that the crates can be more safely removed. Details on early load-in for teams who shipped their robots can be found on this page under Logistics.

Teams can also hand-carry their robots and pit materials in. More details on both of these options, including a timeline, check-in locations, and a map, can be found on this document.

Over the last few seasons, teams in multiple areas have grouped together to share the cost of a 53-foot trailer to get their robots and pit materials to Championship. If you are using this method of transportation, please make sure the person coordinating the truck has been in contact with the FIRST Robotics Competition Logistics Specialist by emailing frclogistics@firstinspires.org. We need to make sure the trucks coming are scheduled to avoid congestion on the streets and keep this option open for teams in the future. More details can be found on this document.

It's never too early to start thinking about how you will load-out of the event. Detailed instructions for team load-out are in this document.

Everything Else

There’s so much else going on in addition to the 600+ FIRST Robotics Competition teams and the nearly 1200 matches they’ll play during the event! FIRST^® LEGO^® League Explore will have 60 teams and FIRST^® LEGO^® League Challenge will have 104 teams at the event. FIRST^® Tech Challenge has grown to 192 teams.

There are conferences on the third floor of the George R. Brown Convention Center on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and a full schedule of the sessions will be available on the app.

The Innovation Faire and Scholarship Row are moving to the second floor this year, where you can see the latest technology from some FIRST sponsors and network with colleges and universities who recruit FIRST students.