Welcome to the

SoCal FIRST® Tech Challenge

Interleague Tournament

Leagues A2 and C1

Monrovia High School

Sunday, February 19, 2023

WELCOME TEAMS! The SoCal FTC Committee looks forward to your participation in the upcoming SoCal FIRST® Tech Challenge (FTC) Inter-League Tournament!  Below is some additional information to help you prepare. Please read to the end of the document as there is helpful information for you.  

EVENT LOCATION

We will be competing at Monrovia High School. MHS is located north of the 210 Freeway, on West Colorado Boulevard, between the Myrtle Ave and Huntington Drive exits in Los Angeles County.

Monrovia High School, 845 W. Colorado Blvd, Monrovia, CA 91016

If you are late or have any problems the day of the event, please call or text Theresa Klemme (949-356-8674). If you leave a voicemail or text message, please include your name and team name and number.

PARKING and ENTRY

Park in the northern school lot off of S. Madison Ave, which is on the western border of MHS. This is the big student parking lot near the Monrovia High School Event Center. Go to the team check-in table or volunteer check-in table just inside the Event Center foyer. The tournament and pit are both inside the Event Center.

COVID PROTOCOLS

In following county guidelines, no vaccination verification, COVID screening or masks are required for events. Therefore, we will NOT be checking vaccination status at the door as we did last year. Also, it is your choice to wear a mask; we will not mandate it at the event.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Check-in will be set up as you walk in the gym lobby. The competition area and the pit area will be set up in the gym. There will also be a practice field available in the pit area. [Note: Teams will not be allowed to set up their own mats, poles, or field elements in the pit area.] Judging will be in the classrooms. Please refer to the map at the end of this document for the location of these buildings. 

We will be running a 28-team One-Division tournament with two competition fields and matches moving from one field to the other. The day starts for teams and volunteers at 7 am with check-in and pit set up.

Judging and Robot Inspection starts promptly at 8 am. Following the completion of judging interviews, the opening ceremony starts at approximately 10 am.  

For round robin play, teams play 5 matches. The points from these 5 matches, plus the top 10 points from your League Play, are used to determine the order of Alliance Selection and Playoffs. Playoffs run from approximately 3 pm to 5 pm, with an Awards Ceremony immediately following playoffs. The goal is to finish by 6-7 pm, but that is dependent on the complexity of the game and any technical difficulties during the day.

The top teams (as determined by the Game Manual advancement criteria) will advance to the SoCal Championship Tournament. These teams will be announced on the website socalftc.org.

Please verify your team’s name in your Team Management System with the Inspection/Judging Times provided.  If there is a discrepancy, please email TFKlemme@gmail.com.

SCHEDULE (which may shift based on the day’s events)

SUNDAY

6:45   AM       Volunteer Check-In

7:00   AM         Pits and Check-In Open

8:00   AM         Check-In Closes

8:00   AM         Judging, Robot, Field Inspections

9:30   AM         Driver Meeting

10:00 AM         Opening Ceremonies

10:30 AM         Qualifying Matches Begin

12:00 PM         Lunch (outside)

12:30 PM         Qualifying Matches Resume

2:30   PM         Alliance Selection

3:00   PM         Semi Final Matches Begin

5:00   PM         Awards Ceremony

6:00   PM        Event ends (tentative time)

6-8:00 PM        Clean up

TEAM CHECK-IN

Check-in is between 7 am and 8 am. All teams MUST check in by 8 am or they will not be given qualifying matches.  Please note – The judging and inspection schedules are pre-assigned and queuing starts prior to the end of check-in. You must check in prior to your scheduled judging or inspection time slot.

Bring to check-in:

1. FTC Consent form for each team member, mentor and parent. We highly recommend completing the consents using the following link: www.firstinspires.org (The benefit is you don’t need to collect forms – only print the roster of completions!) Your forms from league meets will NOT carry over.  You must bring new forms for the InterLeague because we do not still have your League form.

1. Coaches log into your account. Your dashboard has a “youth members” button. From there you can print your roster (printable roster button).  

2. Upload your Engineering Portfolio and Control Form a week prior. We will only review electronic versions, so it’s important you upload via this link: https://ftc-scoring.firstinspires.org/ by the deadline provided.  Control videos are not required since judging will be based on in-person observations. Engineering Portfolios are no longer than 15 pages (16 with a cover page).
3. Bring your Engineering Portfolio and Engineering Notebook.  Your team will only be judged via the electronic submittal of the Engineering Portfolio. However, please bring a hardcopy of the Portfolio and the Engineering Notebook (if you have one) for your pit area. This is optional.
4. Safety glasses for your team. Have them out and ready before entering the pit area. If you are in the pit or competition areas, safety glasses are required. Prescription glasses must have ANSI certified side shields or safety glasses over them. (Duct tape or paper attached to the side of glasses is not sufficient.)  Please have them for your visitors as well or ask them to bring their own if they plan to see you in the pit.
5. Bring your filled in Field Inspection and Robot Inspection Sheets (game Manual #1, Appendix)
6. Please wear closed toe shoes.  These are required for both the pit area and competition area. Without them you will not be able to enter most of the facility.  
7. Remember - 2 mentors (or assigned adults) are required to be on-site with your team. Do not send students unattended, even if they are well behaved.

INSPECTION

Inspections will begin at 8 am. Teams will be pre-assigned a timeslot one week before your event. Those times will be posted on the website here. Do not miss your timeslot. If you do, we cannot guarantee that you will get through inspection prior to the start of matches.  You may not compete without a completed inspection.  

A copy of the Inspection Checklists that will be used can be downloaded here: Robot inspection and Field inspection. Please review these prior to coming to the event to ensure that your inspection process goes smoothly.

JUDGING

Judging interviews will begin at 8 am and end by Opening Ceremonies. Teams will be pre-assigned a timeslot at least one week prior to the event, which the mentor can see on https://ftc-scoring.firstinspires.org/ and on our website https://socalftc.org/ilts/. Do not miss your timeslot. All team members are encouraged to attend the judging interview, just remember the time is 10 minutes so be sure to manage your time appropriately. A team can, but is not required to, have up to a 5-minute rehearsed presentation. This would be part of your 10-minute interview. If you do not want to give a practiced presentation, the judges will ask questions during the 10 minutes.     

One mentor or coach can accompany the team at the judging interviews, but only to view the process not to interact. The judges will also be visiting the team at their pit as part of the judging process and it is recommended that you have a team member at your booth, always.

Submit your Compass and Promote Nominations to link below by midnight, one week before the event. To submit videos, click here.

 VOLUNTEERS

As with League play, each team has a commitment to supply volunteers. For the Qualifier, we need 2 volunteers per team. The Volunteer Room opens at 7 am (see the map). Please check the volunteer assignments to see what time you need to check in. A separate Volunteer letter will be sent out.

KEY DATES (PLEASE READ)

February 12, 11:59pm – Compass and Promote Submission due before midnight here

February 12 – Look on website for Pre-Assigned Inspection & Judging schedule here

February 17, 9pm - Engineering Portfolio and Control Form uploaded to ftc-scoring.firstinspires.org

February 19th, 2023 – Competition Day!!!

FOOD AVAILABLE

There will also be a snack bar throughout the event for assorted snack, breakfast, and lunch items as well as a variety of beverages. Please note that food is not allowed in the pit area, only water.

Some nearby food options are within walking distance:

B&C Teriyaki

Alitalia Pizza

Starbucks

Campus Maps and Information

845 W Colorado Blvd, Monrovia, CA 91016