2019 – 2020 New Mexico FTC Team Qualifying Tournament Registration Information

Welcome to the 2019/2020 FIRST^® Tech Challenge SKYSTONE Season!

The New Mexico FIRST^® Tech Challenge Affiliate Partner Presents: A dialogue with a coach in 3 pages.
Coach: 3 pages????

Jim: Yes, it’s three pages…but I promise it’s really important. Please read the whole thing! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

I heard New Mexico is breaking away from Arizona? True! For the last seven years, New Mexico has been officially part of the Arizona FIRST^® Tech Challenge region for events, advancement and Dean’s List. We’ve loved working with our neighbors to the west, who have built the program in NM and worked tirelessly the last several years training us to be independent. Because of our growth and new found independence, I am pleased to announce that starting this season, New Mexico will be considered our own independent region. For those that don’t know me, I am Jim Jackson, long time FIRST^® coach and volunteer, and I officially signed on to be New Mexico’s Affiliate Partner this summer.

What does this mean for my team? I love the camaraderie and collaboration that’s been nurtured across our state lines. I plan to continue allowing teams from both states to cross borders and compete in both regions. The AZ and NM Partners are excited to announce that this change will allow teams the opportunity to qualify for and compete in two separate Championship events – one in Arizona and one in New Mexico.

This means that teams may compete in qualifiers in either state for a chance to advance to either Championship: Arizona qualifiers will advance to the Arizona Championship and New Mexico qualifiers will advance to the New Mexico Championship, as per Game Manual Part 1.

From the 2019 Game Manual Part 1, Section 6.3 Eligibility for Advancement: “Teams are eligible for advancement at any one of the first three tournaments they participate in at any of the following levels, regardless of the region. This applies to both Teams in North America, and Teams outside of North America:

• League Tournament
• Qualifying Tournament
• Super Qualifying Tournament
• Championship Tournament

In other words, teams have the opportunity to advance to a State Championship from their first three events, regardless of where they are played. For example, if a team signs up for 2 qualifiers in New Mexico and 1 in Arizona, they can advance to the NM Championship from either of their NM qualifiers AND the AZ Championship from their AZ qualifier. BUT if a team plays a 4th event in either state, that event is played for fun and the team is NOT eligible to advance or win awards at that 4th event.

I’m so excited for SKYSTONE! How do I register for my tournaments? Registration for qualifiers will be done in four easy rounds. We’re requiring teams to register for their first qualifier at an event taking place in their home state. For Round 1, Arizona event registration will begin on August 19, and New Mexico registration will open at Kickoff on September 7. Registration for each state will be handled through their respective websites. After round one, teams may register for a 2nd event in either state.

Timeline for NEW MEXICO QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT Registration:
Round 1: September 7 – September 14 Teams may register for 1 event only in their home state
Round 2: September 15 – September 28 Teams may register for a 2nd event in either AZ or NM
Round 3: September 29 – October 12 Teams may register for a 3rd event in either AZ or NM
Open: October 13 Teams may register for any open spot at any event
Out-of-region teams will be eligible to sign up for any open spots at qualifiers on October 13.

I encourage teams to complete at least twice this season, and to compete in the early events to learn
the game and make improvements for later events. New Mexico Registration is done through our
website nmftc.org – NOT via your firstinspires.org dashboard. Teams can visit the blog for updates on
tournament capacity, which is updated on a nearly daily basis. The blog & registration link can be found
at https://www.nmftc.org A link to the AZ registration website is here http://www.azftc.org.

Teams will receive a confirmation email within approximately 3 days after registering for a
tournament. We will create a wait-list for tournaments as they fill up, and bring teams up to fill spots if
they become available. This may be as late as one week prior to the event. Teams wait-listed for events
are also welcome to come Saturday morning to a tournament with their robot and team members and
compete in place of any team that no-shows.

WOW! Can I really play all these events for so little money?!? It’s true! We pride ourselves on providing
the highest quality experience at the lowest cost possible.

Teams will be sent a personalized invoice the week of October 13th for their events for the whole
season. Pricing for this season will be as follows:
1 event: $150
2 events: $250
3 events: $325
Additional events: $100 each

Teams competing in multiple events will receive a $75 discount on their season registration if they register for and compete in a November tournament!

Payment for your season is due by November 20.

But wait…what’s it going to cost if I want to compete in Arizona AND New Mexico? That’s the amazing
part – it will cost you the same. I am working closely with Christine & Dave in AZ, and they are offering
the same prices for their events. If your team competes in both states, you will send some money to
Arizona and some to New Mexico but the total cost remains the same for you.

What if I totally space it and don’t submit my payment paperwork to my school on time to make the
deadline? This year NM and AZ are adding a late payment fee of $50 that will apply to both the
qualifiers and Championship. We have purchase orders to write too and they take time…your entry fees
go toward fields, equipment to run tournaments, t-shirts for volunteers, awards and travel for the
planning committee members to each event. We need payments in a timely manner to make your
events a reality.

Late payment fees will not apply under the following circumstances:

• A purchase order request was made AND sent to us prior to the payment deadline.
• A school purchasing department contacts us with payment status prior to the deadline.
• A team registers for an event after the payment deadline.

“The check is in the mail” doesn’t work, sorry folks!

Please do not send any money until your team receives your official invoice in October, as the price
changes depending on your team’s events. It’s easier for us to handle one payment per team.
What if I need to create a Purchase Order and it takes my school a long time to process one? We
encourage teams to begin their PO process in September with their school by estimating their season
cost. Typically, an invoice can be submitted for payment once a PO is in place but please be sure to
communicate with your school or district bookkeeper. Purchase Orders for must be made to:

FOR ARIZONA EVENTS:
Coconino High School Robotics
2801 N. Izabel St.
Flagstaff, AZ 86004

FOR NEW MEXICO EVENTS:
Land of Enchantment Robotics ℅ Jim Jackson
1213 Apache Dr.
Socorro, NM 87801

Teams competing in Arizona and New Mexico will be sent a separate invoice with payment instructions
for each state. Teams competing in the November White Mountain or Gilbert events, please send your
PO request to AZ before you compete if your school needs until November 20 to cut and send your
check.

No seriously, I can’t wait!!! When are the tournaments?
Glad you asked

I can’t wait to watch your teams RISE to the occasion as they play
the 2019/2020 FIRST^® Tech Challenge game SKYSTONE! How will you
BUILD your team to meet the challenge?
GO TEAMS!
Jim Jackson, New Mexico FIRST^® Tech Challenge Affiliate Partner