Welcome to the new weekly newsletter, 2nd edition!
Coaches or mentors will be added to this distribution list automatically, but anyone can join – volunteers, competitors, parents, administrators, sponsors, students, etc. are all welcome! They can subscribe by sending an email to:
ok-ftc-newsletter+subscribe@googlegroups.com
(sign in with a Google account may be needed). If you cannot get that work for some reason, then please email tsmith@firstpartners.org with the subject “newsletter subscription” and you will be added manually. Please check your spam/junk email folder to make sure it’s not ending up in the wrong location.
Kickoff is coming – Sep 12! Exciting news!
It’s just a couple of weeks away! Coaches, be sure to RSVP for the online kickoff event today, if you haven’t already!
Sign up your team here (if you haven’t, yet): https://forms.gle/1Kg3D2amXaSJHzWZ7
Kickoff EXCLUSIVE: The rules won’t be released on the FIRST web site until 1pm CDT, but if you tune in to the Oklahoma kickoff, we’ve been given permission to release them at 11:30am to teams attending the kickoff!
Please see last week’s newsletter for information about how to upload your team’s kickoff introduction video!
Monthly coach/volunteer hangout: Meet the new OK FTC leadership team – Aug 28
Coaches and volunteers – be sure to drop in to this come and go meeting to chat with the Oklahoma FTC Organizing Committee about anything you’d like to talk about!
Where: on your computer, phone, or tablet
When: Aug 28, 4-6pm
Link:
See you then!
Rookie Team Invites
Are you aware of any new teams that are starting up this season? Please forward their contact information to Luke Kerr (Luke.Kerr@chickasaw.net) so that we can reach out, welcome them and make sure that they are included in future communications. And be sure to invite them to the Oklahoma FTC kickoff!
Social Media and Online Help for Teams!
We are ramping up our social media game this year to help teams connect with each other and the community at large. We are just now getting started, but you can find us here:
Instagram: @OklahomaFTC
Twitter: @OklahomaFTC
Facebook: facebook.com/OklahomaFTC
New website: COMING SOON!
Online help and discussion (unofficial but very helpful):
Oklahoma FTC Discord (invitation link): https://discord.gg/pRhM9N6
Facebook discussion group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/oklahomaftc/
Volunteers needed:
We always need a lot of volunteers, but this week we are looking specifically for:
Public Relations volunteer(s) – if you know someone who is a professional in TV / newspapers / web media who can help us Make FTC Loud in Oklahoma, please have them contact tsmith@firstpartners.org. We have a pretty cool competition with awesome competitors and their amazing robots that are definitely newsworthy! We just need some help from some skilled professionals who can help make the right connections, assist with press releases, and the like.
Social Media volunteers – so you’ve built your social media brand to thousands of followers, all waiting impatiently for your next snap or instagram post? Help us run our social media! We’d like to put together a social media committee to make sure our events are covered and that our news gets out in a variety of different platforms. Please contact tsmith@firstpartners.org if you are interested.
Season Plans
- FIRST National Registration – current – coaches, please log in to your Dashboard to pay the fee or mark your Intent to Return
- Game Release Kickoff and Workshops – Sep 12
- OK FTC Training Camp – Oct 10 – tentative
- Event registration – October
- Events – Nov – Feb/Mar
We are planning on the early competitions to be all remote (see how in the FTC Game Manual Part 1 for Remote Events) and will reevaluate as the season moves forward. However, the good news is that we will have a season!