Hello FRC Team Leaders in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota,
Important reminder: This email is sent to the lead (2) mentors listed in each team’s registration via the FIRST Dashboard. It does not go to all mentors on a team. Please share this information with your mentors and your teams as is appropriate. Thank you to everyone who is reading these emails.
This week’s update:
  • Youth and Mentor Registrations
  • Event Information Website link
  • The FIRST Kickoff is less than a month away!
  • FUM Mentor Meetup – December 16
  • Sign up now open: 3rd Annual FIRST Alumni Reconnect, Sponsored by Medtronic
  • Submit your Team’s Force for Change Story
  • Applications sought for Minnesota State Tournament Committee
  • Signup for FIRST in Upper Midwest Newsletter
  • Thank you to our Regional Program Sponsors!
 
Youth and Mentor Registrations
Team Leads, we cannot emphasize this requirement enough times! All of your Youth Team Members are required to complete the online youth registration to participate in FIRST remote AND in-person team meetings, events, and of course, the upcoming regional competitions. Additionally, all students must have a signed FIRST Consent & Release form in order to be nominated and interviewed for the Dean’s List Award. Please reference this blog as well as this information page to help get all of your students registered.
December is also a good time to make sure all of your Team Mentors are registered with FIRST – and to also sign the online acknowledgement and consent/release forms. Having everyone registered online reduces the amount of paper you need to print and bring with you to events, including the 2022 Kickoff events. All participants that attend an in-person event, such as Kickoff, and/or picks up the team’s Kit of Parts will need to bring and hand-in a paper roster printed from your Team Dashboard. If there are mentors and/or students not registered online, team leads will need to seek paper consent forms and attach those copies to all team rosters. Rosters and any/all paper consent forms will also be needed to complete your team’s check-in at regional events. If you have questions about Youth registration, please email Ken Rosen, krosen@umn.edu.
Event Information Links
Bookmark this link to find updated information regarding FRC Competition events. The site is easily sortable by event weeks or alphabetical order of events. Each event page has a link to a specific webpage with additional information about the particular event. Event pages are in process of being updated, so check back frequently for additional information.
 
Kickoff is coming! 
Bookmark this page to keep up with Kickoff Information from FIRST!  
Every Kickoff location has a webpage dedicated to the specific event. Find your Kickoff event by using the search box on this webpage. Event coordinators will also be sending attending teams information specific to their Kickoff location and event. If you have questions, reach out to your local Kickoff Coordinator. Contact information is listed on each page.
FUM Mentor Meetup – Thursday December 16
Team Mentors, we have one last meeting before Kickoff! Please bring your organization, awards, technical topics to the December 16th Mentor Meetup! Depending on interest and areas of discussion, we can divide into breakout rooms. The updated meeting document and link is here.
Registration now open: 3rd Annual FIRST Alumni Reconnect Event
REGISTER NOW for the 3rd Annual FIRST Alumni Reconnect!  Join your friends on Thursday, January 6th as we gather together both virtually and in person to network and relive the excitement.  This event is open to everyone who is graduated from high school and has been a member of a FIRST Team, as well as our current season high school Seniors who are actively participating on a team in this 2022 season.  Spread the word to others, and most importantly, let us know you are coming. Be the first to get updated details sent directly to your email.  Register using this link: https://forms.gle/DR35iNfCeWr8utZR6
Submit your Team’s “Force for Change” Story
How has your FIRST team been a Force for Change? Share your story with FIRST. Stories are being gathered teams across FIRST’s global community demonstrating their commitment to making an impact and creating a better future for all. Please fill in this form and submit to FIRST for the chance to be featured in an upcoming project inspired by Star Wars: Force for Change.
Applications Sought – Minnesota State Tournament Committee

FIRST in Upper Midwest is seeking committee members to participate in a new Minnesota State Tournament Committee. This committee will be responsible for planning and executing the Minnesota state championship tournament, including determining the qualification process and tournament rules.  It works closely with the Events committee, which handles logistics for off-season events. This is a great opportunity to get involved with one of our most exciting events of the year. We are looking for a diverse set of committee members from different corners of Minnesota and with different background in FRC to ensure that we build the best possible state championship.  Anyone interested in joining the committee should reach out to Bryan Herbst (bryan.herbst@firstuppermidwest.org) by December 20th.
NEW! FUM FIRST Robotics Competition Updates
FIRST in Upper Midwest is now producing a regular newsletter for FIRST Robotics team mentors. Topics include: offseason events, training opportunities for teams and mentors, the FIRST/MSHSL State Championship, team outreach requests, State Fair participation, and more. This additional newsletter is opt-in only; it will not be sent automatically to team mentors. This is a separate mailing from this weekly email sent to all Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota FRC Team Leads registered via the FIRST Dashboard. For the FUM FIRST Robotics Competition Updates Newsletter, sign up at FUM FIRST Robotics Competition Updates.
During this Holiday Season, we would like to extend special thanks and greetings to our Regional Program Sponsors to make our 2022 FIRST Rapid React season a success!
  • Medtronic
  • USBank
  • 3M
  • Best Buy
  • Target
  • Boston Scientific
  • Marvin
  • Digi Key
  • University of Minnesota
  • North Dakota State University
  • Northern Clearing
  • John Deere
  • Emerson Solutions
  • Hartel’s
  • University of North Dakota
  • Info
  • Komatsu
  • Saturn Systems
  • TKDA
  • Barr Engineering
  • Visit Duluth

 

Regards,

Laurie Shimizu

FIRST Senior Mentor || ​Minnesota

Chief Volunteer Coordinator, ​FIRST Robotics Competition

Pronouns: she/her/hers