Boston Tech Initiative FIRST® Tech Challenge Event Policies

 

Event Participation

1. Any Massachusetts FIRST Tech Challenge team in good standing with FIRST® may participate in a Qualifying Event.
2. Good standing with FIRST does not guarantee participation in an event. Teams must comply with the event registration procedures that include, but are not limited to:

  • Registration deadlines
  • Event participation fees
  • Event team capacity limits
  • COVID-19 and any other Health and Safety policies

3. Participants are required to follow all the event and game rules specified in the current FIRST Tech Challenge Game Manual.
4. Participation in the Massachusetts State Championship Event is by invitation only and based on event advancement requirements specified below.

Event Registration

1. Qualifying Event registration is conducted with a central, online registration system located at https://bostontechinitiative.org/bti-event-registration/.
2. Registration is first come, first served to teams in Massachusetts only. Out-of-state teams will not be allowed to participate in Massachusetts events this season.
3. Registration priority may be given for special circumstances. Contact the Massachusetts FIRST Tech Challenge Program Delivery Partner, Deb Rose, at drose@firstpartners.org, to request registration priority. Special circumstances include, but are not limited to:

a. Teams hosting officially sanctioned events.
b. One coach for multiple teams that must attend the same event.
c. Transportation issues: Teams traveling 2 or more hours and sharing rental/school bus.

4. Event participation fees (Qualifier Fee: $200, State Championship: $300) are Payable by check to: Boston Tech Initiative, Corp. Payment is due two (2) weeks from the notification date that your team is registered in an event in order to reserve your space. Send payments to:

Deborah Rose
86A Sherman Street
Cambridge MA 02140

Team No-shows and Withdrawals

1. No-shows are not in the spirit of Gracious Professionalism and are not permitted. Consequences of no- shows include, but are not limited to the following:

a. Loss of eligibility to attend the Massachusetts State Championship.
b. Reduced registration priority for future Qualifying Events.
c. Forfeiture of event participation fees.

2. Withdrawals are not in the spirit of Gracious Professionalism and are generally not permitted. The consequences for withdrawing from an event are the same as for no-shows. Special circumstances will be evaluated on a case by case basis by the Massachusetts FIRST Tech Challenge Program Delivery Partner, Deb Rose. Email withdrawal requests to: drose@firstpartners.org

Event Advancement

1. Event advancement is dependent upon the number of Qualifying Events, the number of teams at an event and the team capacity of the Massachusetts State Championship.
2. For the 2023-2024 CENTERSTAGE Season, the capacity of the Massachusetts State Championship is 36 teams. From each Qualifying Event, at least four (4) teams will advance to the Massachusetts State Championship.
3. Advancement criteria are specified in the Event section of the 2023-2024 season game manual.
4. Participation in a Qualifying Event assumes a team will participate in the Massachusetts State Championship event if they qualify for advancement.
5. Teams advancing from any other Regional Championship will be asked to give up their spots at the Massachusetts State Championship

Event Cancellation

The decision to cancel an event is not undertaken lightly. The situations most likely to cause a cancellation of all or part of an event include, but are not limited to:

a. Severe weather conditions
b. Exceptional circumstances including extended power outage, loss of heating/air conditioning, loss of water, fire, natural disaster
c. Significant illness that might involve the closing of a facility prior to an event

The Massachusetts FIRST Tech Challenge Delivery Partner and the Qualifying Host Partner will determine if there will be a delay, early dismissal, or cancellation of the event. If the event has to be canceled before the event day begins, teams will be notified by an email sent to the team’s first and secondary contacts as designated in the team’s registration with FIRST. The
information will also be displayed on the Boston Tech Initiative website,
https://bostontechinitiative.org/

If an event has to be cancelled the following will stand:

1.) All good faith attempts will be made to reschedule the event or complete a suspended event in progress.

2.) If rescheduling the event is not possible, attempts will be made to fit teams into future events. This may require asking teams already qualified to relinquish their second play, and qualifier hosts to expand their event size.

3.) If the above are not possible, a remote event will be held.

Mentor Information

The team mentors are aware of and have reviewed the 2023-2024 Mentor Manual:
https://www.firstinspires.org/sites/default/files/uploads/resource_library/ftc/mentor-manual.pdf

 

 

 

The Boston Tech Initiative FIRST Tech Challenge Event Policies may be modified from time-to-time.