State FTC Grant

On October 15, the application process opened for the State grant which provides for a FTC coach stipend of $1,500.

The application is available via MEGS+ https://megs.mde.state.mi.us/megs/login.asp.  It can only be accessed by a Level 5 school/district administrator.

Please keep in mind that while you can and should apply, we have only a total of 100 FTC stipends to be give out over the next 3 years. This means only 33 will be awarded each year. As we have just under 170 FTC teams this season, the award will be very, very competitive  .Grant Information PDF  

Field Perimeters and IR Beacons

There have been some changes to the field perimeters and IR Beacons for this season.

Middle School FTC Event Registration is OPEN!

The events for our 2013 FIRST in Michigan Middle School FTC season have been finalized and are posted on the FIRST and FIRST in Michigan sites.

 Mark your calendars for Tuesday, October 15th, at 7:00am - event registration opens!  The main contacts for each team will receive a google form via email to be used to register for this season's events.  Each team should submit one form.  Registration is on a first come-first served basis.

The FIRST in Michigan FTC Event Process, including advancement criteria, is available at this link:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fksfUCR19aTMHlHKAUNFti4cz3EE8UKaxZwUD5bBZD0/pub.

Battery Chargers

Per PITSCO, back ordered battery chargers will start to be shipped out to teams on October 15th.  

Due to a UL certification issue, PITSCO has been unable to ship 12V battery chargers with the FTC Kit of Parts.  Many teams have been asking for options in order to keep progressing with their build schedule.

FIRST in Michigan Approved options:
1. Wait for the replacement charger from PITSCO.

2. Find a local team (FTC or FRC) with a Tetrix battery charger you can borrow, or at least use to charge your batteries. Check the FIRST in Michigan site for FTC/FRC teams in your area. 

3. Find an alternate vendor - Amazon has them in stock. Looks like it's a charger/battery combo pack, but it is a good idea to have a second battery anyway if your team budget allows for it.