INTO THE DEEP Season

2024-25 FIRST Tech Challenge Season in British Columbia

In British Columbia, we’re planning for a season with scrimmages and our Provincial Championship in February 2025. Based on the number of registered FTC teams we expect there to be some qualifying tournaments held in January 2025.

In INTO THE DEEP^SM presented by RTX, two competing ALLIANCES collect deep sea SAMPLES to score in their NET ZONE or BASKETS, work with HUMAN PLAYERS to create SPECIMENS to score on the CHAMBERS of the SUBMERSIBLE and ASCEND from the depths before time runs out.

Season Start

• Kick-off – September 9, 2024 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.
• Season Launch – September 21 at 9am to noon – Open Field and presentations at the University of Victoria. Click here for event details.
  • FTC Events in BC – PDF of slideshow
  • Judging Tips – PDF of slideshow
  • FTC Robot Rules – PDF of slideshow

Coaches/Mentor Meetings

• TBA

Workshops

• Java/Robotics Programming Workshop – Thursdays from October 17 to December 15 at Esquimalt High School (Victoria area).
  Introductory workshop to what programming is, and how to program in Java and for Robotics.
  For more info and to register please fill out this Google form: https://forms.gle/8S3Sf7hatBKazdDW8

Links to past workshops and tutorials can be found on our Workshops page.

Tutorials

• INTO THE DEEP autonomous programming in Blocks. If learning Java to program your robot seems like too much, you can also program your robot in Blocks (a visual programming language). If you come from a FIRST LEGO League team you’ll be familiar with visual programming. The tutorial starts with an introduction to the autonomous period and the INTO THE DEEP game and continues with a couple of Blocks programs to get your robot moving in the autonomous period.
• AprilTag Localization. This is a tutorial on using a new sample OpMode that makes use of AprilTags to determine robot position on the field. With six AprilTags on this year’s field, your robot is never far away from an AprilTag, so the robot can always determine where it is on the field.

Scrimmages

At a scrimmage teams play robot matches. They are usually hosted by a team and their school. The scores don’t carry forward like in league event. A scrimmage is optional, but it’s a chance to test your robot in actual matches and learn how the game is played before a Qualifier tournament.

• October 26 – Esquimalt High School (Victoria area). Click here for details and to register.
• November 16 – The Port Moody Robotics Teams will be hosting a Scrimmage on Saturday November 16 from 9am to 5pm. More information and how to register will be available soon.
• November 23 – Esquimalt High School (Victoria area). Click here for details and to register.

If you wish to host a scrimmage, please contact Christine and we’ll add your event to this list.

Qualifying Tournaments

FIRST Tech Challenge qualifying tournaments include judging sessions, robot inspections, qualification matches, playoff matches, and awards. Teams advance to the BC FTC Championship based on awards and match play.

There is a news post about assignment of teams to the BC Qualifiers.

• December 14 – First Lower Mainland qualifier at L.A. Matheson Secondary School in Surrey. Click here for details.
• January 18 – Yukon FTC Qualifier in Whitehorse – Click here for details.
• January 18 – Second Lower Mainland qualifier at L.A. Matheson Secondary School in Surrey. Click here for details.
• January 25  – St. Margaret’s in Victoria. Click here for details.

BC Championship 2025

FIRST Tech Challenge championship tournaments include judging sessions, robot inspections, qualification matches, playoff matches, and awards. Top teams will advance to the FIRST Championship in Houston TX in April 2025.

• February 22 and 23 2025 – St. Margaret’s in Victoria. Click here for details.

Past FTC Seasons

Click on this link if you are looking for past FTC seasons.