Region Manager

2026–2027 ⟩ Florida ⟩ Northeast Florida ⟩

Welcome to the 2026-27 BIOBUZZ™ Season: Save the Dates and Scrimmage Info

Sent: 23 September 2026
Recipients: Northeast Florida (All)
Subject: Welcome to the 2026-27 BIOBUZZ™ Season: Save the Dates and Scrimmage Info
Preview: Welcome to the 2026-27 BIOBUZZ™ Season: Save the Dates and Scrimmage Info

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I’m Carol Hall, your Northeast Florida FIRST Tech Challenge League Coordinator, and Jo Curtis is our Co-Director. During the BIOBUZZ season, you’ll regularly receive Coach Blasts from both me and AJ Foster, the Florida Program Delivery Partner for FIRST Tech Challenge.</p><p><strong>Save the Dates</strong></p><ul style="margin:16px 0;padding-left:24px"><li><p style="margin:0"> October 3, 2026 Scrimmage </p></li><li><p style="margin:0"> October 24, 2026 NEFL FTC Meet #1 </p></li><li><p style="margin:0"> November 21, 2026 NEFL FTC Meet #2 </p></li><li><p style="margin:0"> December 12, 2026 NEFL FTC Meet #3 </p></li><li><p style="margin:0"> January 9, 2027 FTC Meet #4 </p></li><li><p style="margin:0"> February 5-6, 2027 NEFL League Tournament </p></li></ul><p><strong>Location for all events:</strong><br/> Bolles Middle School Campus, Gym <br/> 2264 Bartram Rd, Jacksonville, FL 32207</p><p><strong>Step 1: FIRST Registration:</strong><a href="https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/ftc/cost-and-registration" style="color:#1d4ed8;text-decoration:underline">Go here</a> to register your team on the FIRST dashboard.</p><p> Reminders:</p><p> · YPP’s MUST be completed prior to attending any event.</p><p> · Consent and Release forms must also be completed prior to attending any event.</p><p><strong>Step 2: League Dues:</strong> League fees are $200 and are due by November 13, 2026. After you complete your FIRST Registration (Step 1), we’ll send you an invoice with payment details. These fees cover the costs of running our events, including the facility, volunteer lunches, trophies, and field components and elements.</p><p><strong>Step 3: Event Registration:</strong><a href="https://ftcregion.com/" style="color:#1d4ed8;text-decoration:underline">Go here</a> to register your team for events (email us if you run into any issues).</p><p><strong>Step 4: Volunteer Registration:</strong><a href="https://my.firstinspires.org/AccountManager/Account/Register" style="color:#1d4ed8;text-decoration:underline">Go here</a> to register to volunteer. You MUST complete your YPP prior to being assigned as a volunteer.</p><p> We are always in need of volunteers, especially referees! We also need game announcers – any person age 15 or older can apply.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Scrimmage Schedule</strong></p><ul style="margin:16px 0;padding-left:24px"><li><p style="margin:0"> 8:00 a.m. Doors open </p></li><li><p style="margin:0"> 8:15 a.m. Inspection Guide </p></li><li><p style="margin:0"> 10:15 a.m. Coach and Driver Meeting with the Refs </p></li><li><p style="margin:0"> 10:45 a.m. Opening Ceremony </p></li><li><p style="margin:0"> 11:00 a.m. Scrimmage matches start </p></li><li><p style="margin:0"> 12:00–1:00 p.m. Lunch </p></li><li><p style="margin:0"> 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. Scrimmage matches continue </p></li><li><p style="margin:0"> 2:00 – 2:30 pm Q&A with Refs </p></li><li><p style="margin:0"> 2:30 Breakdown </p></li></ul><p><strong>Need to Know</strong></p><ul style="margin:16px 0;padding-left:24px"><li><p style="margin:0"> Safety glasses are required for everyone in attendance. </p></li><li><p style="margin:0"> Everyone must wear closed-toe, closed-back shoes. </p></li><li><p style="margin:0"> Anyone with long hair must tie it back when working with the robot. </p></li><li><p style="margin:0"> Review the <a href="https://www.firstinspires.org/sites/default/files/uploads/resource_library/ftc/robot-inspection-checklist.pdf" style="color:#1d4ed8;text-decoration:underline">Robot</a> and Field Inspection checklists to make sure your robot is ready. </p></li><li><p style="margin:0"> Put your power and safety labels on your robot, along with your team number. </p></li><li><p style="margin:0"> Plan ahead for lunch. There are no vending machines on campus. There are restaurants and a Publix nearby, or you can bring your own food and drinks. It will be a long day, so consider bringing extra drinks (with proper-fitting lids). Bolles has a nice open courtyard, and we ask teams to eat outside to help keep our venue clean. </p></li><li><p style="margin:0"> Bring your robot, phones, chargers, extra batteries, alliance markers, tools, etc. </p></li><li><p style="margin:0"> Most importantly, bring your best Gracious Professionalism! </p></li></ul><p> The scrimmage is a great opportunity to test your robot, practice strategies, and get feedback from your peers. We encourage all teams to collaborate and share insights, because it’s all about learning and improving. Your robot does not need to be ready to compete, so please come anyway! :)</p><p> If you have questions, or if there’s anything we can help with before the scrimmage, feel free to reach out.</p><p> We look forward to seeing everyone there and getting the season off to a fantastic start!</p><p> Best regards, <br/> Carol and Jo</p><p> </p></td></tr></tbody></table><table role="presentation" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" width="100%" style="max-width: 680px;" id="footer"><tbody><tr><td style="padding:20px;font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:15px;text-align:center;color:#4b5563;font-style:normal;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none"><p> This message was sent via <a href="https://ftcregion.com" style="color:#374151;text-decoration:underline">Region Manager</a> on behalf of a region, league, or event administrator for Florida <em>FIRST</em> Tech Challenge. You can <a href="/user/settings" style="color:#374151;text-decoration:underline">manage subscriptions or unsubscribe</a>.</p><p><a href="https://flfirst.org" style="color:#374151;text-decoration:underline">Florida <em>FIRST</em> Tech Challenge</a> is delivered by <a href="https://orlrobotics.org" style="color:#374151;text-decoration:underline">Orlando Robotics Foundation</a>.</p><p> PO Box 781291, Orlando, FL 32878</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div></center></body></html>