Please complete the survey below to let us know if hosting the 2026 FIRST Robotics Competition Bayou Regional on Easter weekend, April 2nd-4th, would prevent you from volunteering.

We have been informed that currently the only date available for the 2026 Bayou Regional is the week of Easter Sunday, April 2^nd – 4^th. There is still a possibility that could change, but we would like to gauge our volunteer participation if it turns out that is the weekend we have available. The alternative is to move to a different city, potentially an hour or more away.

We are not asking for a commitment. We just need to have a better understanding of the impact on our volunteers. This does not impact the 2025 Bayou Regional, which is scheduled for April 3rd – 5th at the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner.

Thank you!

Annette and Michelle
FRC Bayou Regional Volunteers

Need help getting started?  There are a number of opportunities to attend a FIRST LEGO League Challenge “Jump-Start” or a Coach Training this year! 

Jump Starts are a great way for rookie teams to get up to speed, but veteran teams are also welcome. Each Jump-Start is being individually hosted, so the particular agenda may vary, but they typically include breakout sessions where team members and coaches can learn about the robot, the challenge theme (for project prep) and core values. Attendance is free, but please register by the Wednesday prior to the Saturday event.  If the registration number exceeds the capacity of a facility, registration for that event will be closed. At least one adult (team’s coach, mentor, interested parent, etc.) will need to attend with each team (group of 10 students) and be with the students in any of the breakout sessions. No students may be dropped off unaccompanied.  

Coach Trainings provide an overview of the FIRST LEGO League program, including an introduction to the robot and coding, and are adults only. Attendance is free, but please register by the Wednesday prior to the Saturday event.  If the registration number exceeds the capacity of a facility, registration for that event will be closed.

To make the most of these opportunities, it is recommended that you:

• Build your robot ahead of time. Instructions for a basic robot come with the Spike Prime set (or EV3 set, which is still allowed).
• Bring your team laptop with the software already loaded. Note that the software for Spike Prime is Scratch based and also works with the EV3. For the old EV3 edition, go to the “EV3 Lab Software”. You can download the free LEGO EDUCATION SPIKE Prime software HERE or the EV3 Lab Software (original EV3 edition) HERE.

2024 Locations and Dates

LAFAYETTE:  FIRST LEGO League Jump Start (coaches and students)

Saturday, September 7^th , 8:30 – 11:45 am, at Acadiana Renaissance Charter Academy, 600 Savoy Rd, Youngsville, LA 70592. (High School Building) Hosted by FIRST Robotics Competition Team Phenomena 3616
Topics: Building and Programming Strategies to maximize Points and assistance with creating Innovation Solution to a problem relating to the 2024 Theme all guided by the FIRST Core Values.
Bring:  Robots and laptops will be helpful if you have particular questions. Valuable resources will be shared to help with programming and tips for an Innovation Solution to a Problem.
REGISTER BELOW  (please register by Wednesday, September 4, 2024).

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NEW ORLEANS: FIRST LEGO League Coach Training (adults only)

Saturday, September 7^th, 9am-12:30pm – at the University of New Orleans TRAC Center on UNO’s campus in New Orleans. Louis Jackson, Louisiana FIRST Senior Mentor and past coach of an award-winning FIRST LEGO League team, will introduce coaches to the new SUBMERGED season and provide guidance on building and programming your robot, tackling the missions, and managing a team. Attendance is free, but reservations are required. Parking details will be emailed to all registered participants. Both rookies and veterans are welcome! REGISTER BELOW.
WHAT TO BRING TO THE EVENT:
* A programmable base robot
* A device that can be used to program the robot

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HAMMOND: FIRST LEGO League Jump Start (coaches and students)

Saturday, September 21^st, 9am-2pm. FRC Torbotics 2080 is proud to announce their 7th annual FIRST LEGO League Jump Start to occur on Saturday, September 21st at Hammond High Magnet School.  This event will cater to both rookie and veteran teams with breakout sessions on programming, robot design and team development geared to the needs of each group. We are also putting together a panel of professionals in the area of oceanic discovery and engineering to help spark potential project research ideas as we aim to submerge ourselves. 

To attend the Hammond Jump Start, you must REGISTER AT THIS LINK =  https://forms.gle/Gqt4Ch1YS8eNfhFn9. At least one adult will need to attend with each team.  This adult can be the team’s coach, mentor, interested parent, etc. All students must be accompanied by an adult to the robot design, programming and professional panel break out sessions.  There will be an FRC Torbotics team member assigned to each FLL team.  This student will be your team’s guide throughout the event to assist you, as needed.  Several of our FRC team members started their FIRST journey on FLL Challenge and Explore teams and have also been involved in FTC.  They are a great resource to answer questions from a student’s perspective.
TENTATIVE EVENT SCHEDULE:
 9:00 am – 9:30 am   Team Arrival & Welcome
 9:30 am – 10:20 am   1^st Breakout Session
10:30 am – 11:20 am   2^nd Breakout Session
11:30 am – 12:00 am   3^rd Breakout Session and Team Core Values Exchange 
12:00 am – 12:40 pm   Lunch
12:40 pm –  1:45 pm    Project Development: Professional Panel and Activities
1:45pm – 2pm  Closing Remarks & Next Steps Reminders
BREAKOUT SESSIONS WILL INCLUDE:
* Robot Design & Strategy: Explore innovative robot design, strategic game play techniques, and helpful tips for attachment designs. 
* SPIKE Prime Programming: Focus on programming with SPIKE Prime, offering practical guidance and tips to help participants enhance their coding skills and optimize robot performance. 
* EV3 Programming: Explore programming with EV3 Mindstorms, learn essential techniques and strategies to enhance a robots performance and sensor usage
* Preparing for Competitions – What to Expect: Prepare for competition by learning what to expect on event day, including tips on navigating the schedule, understanding judging sessions, and helping your team feel comfortable with the experience. 
WHAT TO BRING TO THE EVENT:
* A programmable base robot (if you group would like help preparing a base robot before the event please let us know)
* A device that can be used to program the robot
* Innovation Project Ideas

Teams may elect to bring their own lunch or can participate in a bulk pizza order and delivery.  More information regarding lunch options will be sent to registered teams as it gets closer to the event. If you have any questions as you are helping your team plan for this event, you are invited to email frcteam2080@gmail.com or you can contact Jean Williams (jean.williams@tangischools.org).

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NATIONAL LEVEL TRAINING: FIRST Certified Professional Development

August, September, October – please see https://www.firstinspires.org/community/educators/professional-development for remote and in-person options. The fee is $600 per seat, but with the remote training, there can be 3 teachers per seat, as long as all are in the same location for the training logging in from a single computer.

FIRST has just announced that there are FREE SEATS available to teachers who would like to attend a 2-day FIRST LEGO League Challenge, Explore, Discover or FTC professional development workshop at NASA, Stennis Space Center in MS on August 26 & 27.  The flyer is attached. To request one of those free seats, please contact Dana Aucoin (daucoin@firstinspires.org) to process. This is an excellent way, for new coaches especially, to get up to speed. FIRST does a great job packing a lot into these workshops!

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General questions regarding the Jump Starts and Training may be addressed to
Louisiana FIRST LEGO League Program Delivery Partners:
Dr. Annette Oertling  and  Dr. Michelle Sanchez
aoertling@firstpartners.org           msanchez@firstpartners.org

We hope you had a great 2023/24 season with your FIRST LEGO League Explore and Challenge, FIRST Tech Challenge, and FIRST Robotics teams (or class packs)! BPX has expressed interest in continuing their funding for FIRST teams in your parish, but we need to provide them with a follow up report for last year’s funding and a statement of intent for next year. Please complete the brief form found below to provide the information we need to request funding for the 2024/25 season.

For currently funded teams to be eligible for funding next year,
you need to submit this form by Friday, March 29th, 2024!

Thank you!

Annette Oertling, Ph.D.
FIRST LEGO League Challenge Program Delivery Partner
President, FIRST Louisiana Mississippi, Inc.
aoertling@firstpartners.org

The 2023-24 LA State Championship is open to 60 teams who are awarded advancement from a sanctioned LA FIRST LEGO League Challenge Qualifying Tournament.

DATE: Saturday, January 27, 2024, 8am-5:30pm

LOCATION: Jesuit High School, 4133 Banks St, New Orleans, LA

REGISTRATION: is now open until Friday, December 30th. Please complete the form below to register your team. Teams awarded ALTERNATE STATUS at their qualifier MUST ALSO REGISTER, if they wish to be on the waitlist. The deadline to register is Friday, Dec. 30th. After that date, open spots will be given to alternates on the waitlist.

This survey is for nationally registered FIRST LEGO League Challenge teams in Louisiana who are not able to participate in Qualifying Tournaments in December 2021 due to delays in starting back to school following Hurricane Ida.  There are several opportunities being proposed, and we would like your feedback on them. This survey will help us gauge interest before moving forward with planning.

LA FIRST LEGO League Challenge State Championship, January 22nd – A limited number of open spots may be available by invitation only to teams that were not able to participate in December qualifiers. (All teams participating in December qualifiers will be invited to advance to the Championship.)

LA FIRST LEGO League Challenge Off-Season Competition – There is potential for an off-season, in-person competition in May or early June.

PLEASE COMPLETE THE SURVEY BELOW BY NOVEMBER 30TH, 2021, TO INDICATE YOUR TEAM’S INTEREST IN PARTICIPATING IN THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP OR AN OFF-SEASON COMPETITION IN MAY OR JUNE.

This survey is only an indication of interest, not a reservation or commitment.

If you believe there has been an error in the scoring of your Robot Game Video, please complete the form below and a referee will get in touch with you.

UPDATED POLICY (1/21/22):  Because of FIRST Youth Protection protocols regarding youth privacy and one-on-one digital communication, we ask that only adults use this form to communicate with the referees. We realize that at in-person events, students communicate directly with referees at the end of the match, but for remote events, please have an adult coach submit the communication. And please identify only one point of contact for your team, as multiple people sending in comments from one team creates confusion. We appreciate your understanding.

Teams are required to provide 3 Robot Game Videos by
5pm on Thursday, January 20^th.

Please refer to the instructions below provided by FIRST for producing your videos.

1. Robot Game Video Recording Tutorial – on YouTube
2. robot-game-video-recording-doc_UpdateFeb2021

To share your videos, please upload them to the platform of your choice and provide links to your videos by completing the online form below.

Any platform where you can post your videos and make them accessible to the referees is good. A shared school Google folder works, but an easy alternative is to upload your videos to YouTube using a designation of RESTRICTED (instructions provided here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtF2AgFSLAw&feature=emb_logo). Making it restricted means that the only way someone can find your video is if they have the link. It is not searchable, so it is not public.

Questions may be addressed to Annette Oertling, co-FLL Partner.

FIRST LEGO League (FLL) and FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) Teams are invited to provide a demonstration at the 2020 FIRST Robotics Competition Bayou Regional on Friday and Saturday, March 27 & 28, at the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner LA.  There will be a FIRST LEGO League and FIRST Tech Challenge display, and we are looking for teams to sign up for 1-2 hour time slots on Friday between 10am-6pm and Saturday between 10am-1pm to demonstrate their robot and talk to visitors about their experience in FIRST. You would need to bring only your robot, as FLL and FTC fields will be provided.  FLL teams may also bring project and core values materials to show.

While at the Bayou Regional, FIRST LEGO League and FIRST Tech Challenge teams are invited to visit the “pits” where team members work on their 120 lb robots, and enjoy the matches on the field where alliances of 3 teams compete against each other in the INFINITE RECHARGE^SM game focused on supporting boundless innovation and creating a society that’s empowered, inspired, and hopeful.  Stay for the very exciting final rounds on Saturday afternoon.  60 teams are expected in the competition, including teams from Mexico and Turkey! It is a great opportunity to see where FIRST can take you.

If your team would like to provide a 1-2 hr demo, please complete the information below. If your team is just visiting, there is no need to register, as the event is free and open to the public. And if you decide to join us, PLEASE WEAR CLOSED TOE SHOES, which is the only way a person can go into the robot pits. Hope to see you at the Bayou Regional!