The 2024 FIRST Robotics Competition season officially begins on January 6th with over 130 Kickoff events across the United States and all over the world in Brazil, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Israel, Mexico, and Turkey. These events not only announce the Game Challenge for the new season, but also provides teams with the opportunity to gather and compare notes, exchange ideas, make friends, find mentoring teams, learn the game, pick up their Kit of Parts, and get geared up for the exciting competition season. In addition, several of the Kickoff events host workshops on a wide range of topics, enabling students, mentors, and coaches alike to learn new skills or increase their proficiency.
In Illinois, we host three main kickoff events. These various events are hosted throughout the state and can be selected through your FIRST dashboard.
Times TBA
Hosted by the Chicago Robotics Alliance, this Kickoff will take place at the Aviation Institute of Maintenance (AIM) at 3711 S Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60609. Additional details regarding the schedule for the Kickoff and programming available for teams will be made available closer to the event date.
For more information on the Chicago Kickoff Event, contact Keith Van Rhein and Tessa Parker at [email protected]
Hosted by the Bradley University Caterpillar College of Engineering and Technology, this Kickoff will take place at Bradley's Business and Engineering Convergence Center at 1500 W Main St, Peoria, IL 61606. Parking will be available in the adjacent deck on W Main St and N Maplewood Ave. Additional details regarding the schedule for the Kickoff and programming available for teams will be made available closer to the event date.
For more information on the Peoria Kickoff Event, contact Julie Reyer at [email protected]
Hosted by FIRST Robotics Competition Team 2338 - Gear It Forward, this Kickoff will be held at Oswego East High School at 1525 Harvey Rd, Oswego, IL 60543. Additional details regarding the schedule for the Kickoff and programming available for teams will be made available closer to the event date.
For more information on the Oswego Kickoff Event, contact Holly Twardowski at [email protected]
All teams planning to attend Kickoff events must register in TIMS for that Kickoff Event. For those of you who are unable to attend a Kickoff Event or are hosting a Team Kickoff Party, FIRST normally provides an online broadcast. Please see the FIRST website for details.