FIRST LEGO League – Challenge

2023-24 – Masterpiece

last updated (Qualifier Results) on February 13, 2024

previous updates: July 7, September 11, September 15, October 3, October 13, October 29, November 6, 2023

Team, Volunteer and Tournament Details:

Team registration with FIRST

  • Any team from BC or the Yukon should register and compete in BC.
  • Registration will be open “all year”
  • If your team has registered after October 31 and wants to attend a qualifier, contact uleslie@firstpartners.org to find out if this is possible.

Coach and team member online sign-up

  • Each team needs two coaches with their YPP screening done and the FIRST consent and release form signed.
  • Also, please make sure that the parents/guardians of your team members get their FIRST accounts and sign up their kids for the team.
  • It sometimes takes a while before all adults do this, so it is a good idea to start early.
  • FIRST has made the sign-up much easier with the new express enrollment, where the coach sends a direct link!
  • How to sign up
  • If things don’t seem to work on the FIRST website, call FIRST at 1-800-871-8326 or at 1-603-666-3906 for help.

COVID Precautions

  • There are no COVID-related restrictions any more; but of course this might change.
  • You can read FIRST BC’s COVID policy here (scroll down a bit).

Event Volunteers

  • We always need lots of volunteers at tournaments. Please encourage family and friends of your teams to sign up as volunteers! To do this they need to set up an account with FIRST (just like the team parents/guardians) and then go to the “volunteer registration” tab on their dashboard and select the event of their choice.
  • Here is the “volunteer starting page”.
  • It is helpful if volunteers sign up soon since that will give them more time to do any necessary screening or training.
  • Referees and judges should not be associated with any competing team, but all other event volunteers could be.

More Volunteering

  • In addition to volunteers who run the events we also need people who work “behind the scenes” – helping to plan an event, organizing food for volunteers, identifying tournament sites, contacting the media, updating this website, …
  • These jobs are not necessarily tied to one particular event, and they can usually be done from your computer or phone.
  • If you are interested in helping out this way, please contact Uschi at uleslie@firstpartners.org

Scrimmages

  • Several scrimmages are planned; please watch for announcements by email and under “events” on this website.

Qualifying tournaments

  • Qualifying tournaments are as follows:
    • Northern BC: January 13, 2024
    • Victoria: January 14, 2024
    • Whitehorse: January 20, 2024
    • Vancouver 1: February 3, 2024
    • Vancouver 2: February 4, 2024
    • Kelowna: February 10, 2024
  • If your team is located very far away from any qualifier, we will work out an individual solution.

Qualifying tournament registration

Payment for tournament registration

  • The tournament registration fee is $200. (Sorry to say, due to general price increases we had to increase this fee as well.)
  • The registration fee covers all BC/Yukon tournaments (i.e., there is no extra tournament fee if your team advances to the championship). It also covers participation in our new online mini-tourneys (see below).

Cancellation policy

  • If your team registers and pays for a tournament and then has to cancel
    • You will get a full refund if cancelling by the end of the registration period.
    • You will get a $100 refund if cancelling after the end of the registration period but by December 31 or at least two weeks before your qualifier, whichever comes first.
    • You will get no refund if cancelling after December 31
  • If a tournament has to be cancelled and can’t be rescheduled, we will do a random draw to determine the advancing teams
  • If a tournament gets rescheduled and your team can’t make the new date, you will unfortunately have lost the chance to compete

Qualifier Results

Click here for results from all qualifiers

Advancement to championship tournament

  • A percentage of teams from each qualifier (the same for each one) will advance to the championship.
  • Advancing teams will be notified at the awards ceremony at the end of their qualifier.

Championship Tournament

  • The BC championship for FLL Challenge will be held on Saturday, March 9, 2024, at Meadowridge School in Maple Ridge.

Online Mini-Tourneys

  • We are running a series of online mini-tournaments – short events with abbreviated judging and robot game.
  • These events won’t lead to advancement to other tournaments.
  • All teams are invited to participate.
  • One-page explanation of Mini-Tourneys

Coach Support

  • This year, every month we will host an online “coach chat” – a chance for coaches (and mentors) to connect, exchange experiences and gets tips.
  • These chats are planned for Monday nights at 7:30pm, with the first one happening on October 16, and the following ones on the 2nd Monday of the month.

Judging Details:

Competition tables in robot judging rooms

  • The judging rooms won’t have competition tables set up.

Spectators in judging rooms

  • Spectators are welcome in the judging rooms.
  • No spectators can enter any interview room after the interview has started.

Questions?

  • Email uleslie@firstpartners.org