WIth each new season, several kickoff events are hosted around the state to give teams an introduction to the fun and excitement ahead.
2023/24 MASTERPIECE Season Challenge release date: August 1st, 2023
Upcoming Kick-off Events:
FIRST Illinois Robotics will be making coach training available each season. Some coach training will be made available as webinars which will be recorded.
Coach Training events/Coach training sessions may be for Coaches only. Please adhere to the guidelines laid out by event coordinators. If you have questions, please reach out to the contact listed for the event or [email protected]
Using ask-us-anything formatting, we have begun hosting our monthly Coach Calls!
Join us on the 2nd Wednesdays each month at 8pm Central time. Please join by computer. These calls will be recorded and shared below.
Ring Central Call-in
Meeting ID: 825387092
Weds, August 19 Recording <<LINK TO RECORDING AND SLIDES
Weds, September 13, 8pm
Weds, October 11, 8pm
Weds, Nov 8, 8pm
Scrimmages and Mini-plays are hosted by third-party groups (FLL teams, FTC or FRC teams, schools, etc) and are not hosted by FIRST Illinois Robotics.
What's the difference between a scrimmage and a mini-play?
Scrimmages encompase all aspects of the competition: robot game and judging
Mini-plays are a new concept piloted by FIRST. Mini-plays do not encompase all aspects of the competition, or they are modified by from their official version. FIRST Illinois Robotics will publish mini-play plans for teams to use throughout the season.
Scrimmages and mini-plays hosted by third parties will be posted as they become available. Space is typically limited at these events, so registration is required through the organizing party.
In addition to registration required scimmages and mini-plays, FIRST Illinois Robotics is facilitating mini-plays amongst teams this season through an "opt in" contact form. Coachs may choose to "opt in" for their team to be included on a list distributed to other coaches across Illinois to aid in collaboration and potential mini-plays local to teams. This list will include team number, team name, coach name, coach email, team town. Mini-play suggestions coming soon!
Please remember that, in order to register in Illinois, teams must first be registered Nationally.
FIRST National Registration
Illinois Registration for the 2023/2024 MASTERPIECE season will be through Google Forms. NOTE: You must enter your permanent National team number (5 digits) when you register in Illinois.
Illinois Registration
Illinois Teams must select 5 events in attendance preference order: 1 favorite, 5 still can attend but least prefered of the 5. Teams are not guaranteed their first selection.
Teams may begin selecting their event preferences on September 15th (9/15/2023) and must complete selection by October 13th (10/13/2023).
Teams will be notified of their assignment by November 1st (11/1/2023).
Judging flowchart for Illinois: Illinois judging v2.pdf
Sectional location, dates, and information will be available once Qualifiers have been assigned (early November).
Saturday, February 17, 2023: Einstein at Elgin Community College
Volunteer opportunities are available for the FIRST® LEGO® League Illinois Championship Tournaments:
If your team does not make it to the State Championships or you are thinking about getting involved with robotics this year, you can get a head start on next season by signing up to volunteer at our State Championships. Maybe your team is going to the State Championship, but you have a couple parents who would like to help out for a few hours during the event. That is great! Volunteers often see some of their most insightful moments while volunteering at the State Championship. Come join us Friday (set up only) or Saturday, January 15th.
How do I volunteer?
Log in to www.firstinspires.org
If you do not have an account, you will need to register yourself with FIRST.
Once registered and logged in, choose the Volunteer Registration tab > then Event Volunteering. Set your search parameters for FIRST LEGO League Challenge program and Illinois state.
Find the State Championship you would like to volunteer at and select the roles you would like to volunteer for.
More information will be coming soon!