CENTERSTAGE
In CENTERSTAGE℠ presented by Raytheon Technologies, debuting September 9, 2023, FIRST Tech Challenge teams will raise the curtain on the power of design, creativity, and precision to create all new experiences.
2023-24 FIRST Tech Challenge Season in British Columbia
In British Columbia, we’re planning for a season with scrimmages and our Provincial Championship in February 2024. Based on the number of registered FTC teams we expect there to be some qualifying tournaments held in January 2024.
Season Start
- Kick-off – September 9, 2023 at 9am – The new challenge will be revealed. BC will have a local kick-off event at BCIT that will have the new game field setup for teams to explore. Click here for a video summary of the event.
- Sept. 23 – Open Field and Workshops at the University of Victoria. Click here for event details.
The slideshows from the presentations can be found on the Workshops page. - October 14 10am – 3pm Open Field. The CenterStage field will be set-up in the ECS lobby at University of Victoria for teams to drop in throughout the day. There may be some FIRST alumni around to help out if your team has questions about the game, robots, or programming.
Online Question Box for BC Referees, Inspectors, and Scorekeepers. Fill out this form to submit a question for a Referee, Robot Inspector, or Score Keeper. You can use this form to contact volunteers with a suggestion too!
Coaches/Mentor Meetings
- November 13, 2023 Meeting Slides
Workshops
- Nov. 10 – Robot Hang Time, ideas for hanging robots – motors, mechanisms, and center of gravity. Click here for the YouTube video.
- Nov. 13 – Preparing Robots for Competition – What is robot Inspection? What can we do to make sure our robot, drone, and team prop all pass inspection?
Tutorials
- Released Dec. 13 – Introduction to getting the robot moving in the autonomous period.
Autonomous Blocks Program Tutorials
- Blocks versions of Java sample programs that you can download and try:
Blocks Sample Programs
- Training TensorFlow for CENTERSTAGE – train TensorFlow to recognize your Team Props.
Scrimmages
At a scrimmage teams play robot matches. The scores don’t carry forward. A scrimmage is optional, but good for the teams to learn how things work before the Qualifier.
- Nov. 18 – St. Margaret’s in Victoria – YouTube video – Event Results
- Nov. 25 and 26 – St. Patrick’s in Vancouver
- Dec 9 – Mt Elizabeth in Kitimat
- Remote Scrimmage Dec 9-15. Robot scores only.
Qualifying Tournaments
- Jan. 20 – Delview Secondary, Delta BC
- Jan. 27 – St. Margaret’s in Victoria
- Remote Qualifier Jan. 11 – 17 – Robot scores and judging interview with awards. Top teams earn a spot at the Provincial Championships.
BC Championship
- Feb. 24-25 L.A. Matheson, Surrey BC
Past FTC Seasons
Click on this link if you are looking for past FTC seasons.