We are proud to announce the 2024 – 2025 FIRST Tech Challenge State Championship for the CenterStage Season. This event will allow those Texas FIRST Tech Challenge teams that earn advancement from their Area Championship competition to compete in the state championship for advancement to the 2024 FIRST World Championship.

**NOTE**All coaches, students, and volunteers are required to complete the FIRST in Texas Consent and Releases in order to attend this event.

This event will host both the FTC State Championship and the FTC UIL State Championship together under one roof.

UIL State Championship Details:

XX 1A-4A Teams // XX 5A Teams // XX 6A Teams // The UIL State Championship is March 20th with load-in beginning at 7am. UIL Trophies for Gold, Silver & Bronze will be awarded.

UIL Judging:

There will be three onsite judged awards:  Innovate, Design and Team Spirit. No presentation nor portfolio is required. Winners are determined based on pit interviews and match observations.

Advancement from Areas:

To be determined (Jan 2025)

FTC State Championship:

72 teams in a dual division format // March 21-22 with Load-In beginning at 7:00AM.

FTC State Judging:

Judging will be onsite and occur the morning of March 22nd as indicated in the schedule at the bottom of this page.

Advancement from Areas:

Recruitment Row

This year at the FTC State Championship we will have a Recruitment Row. This will include Texas colleges / universities and businesses. Make time to visit our various supporters in Recruitment Row.

General Event Information:

Coaches Packet and Division Assignments: 

Coach / Team packets will be issued to those invited teams in early March, 2025.

Field Details:

Pits:

Teams will be provided a 10’x10′ pit and 110v @ 10amp power. Teams are expected to bring their own 50′ extension cord to connect to our power breakout locations. Remember to include tape to secure the cable to the floor to prevent a tripping hazard.

Registration Fee:

Teams attending UIL only will pay $500.00/ea. Teams attending just the FTC State Championship will pay $700.00/ea. Teams attending both UIL and the FTC State Championship will pay $1,000.00/ea.

To compete at this event you will need to follow the steps in  FIRST in Texas – How to Register for Advancing Events.pdf and complete the payment  by March 15th.

Consent and Release Requirements: 

All coaches, students, and volunteers are required to complete the FIRST in Texas Consent and Releases in order to attend this event.

Coaches will be expected to bring a copy of the Texas Roster and the FIRST Team Roster to this event, to show proof that all relevant parties have completed this requirement. Instructions on how to retrieve your roster can be found here: Consent and Release Form Systems Manual.

Safety:

Teams are required to bring their own safety glasses / side shields, wear closed toe and heel shoes and be prepared to secure any hair or jewelry that may become in contact with moving parts of the robot. Participants / Coaches are expected to follow any safety directions signs and instructions by FIRST in Texas volunteers / staff while onsite. Safety FIRST in Texas!

Tech Notice:

Teams are expected to have the latest version of software on control systems and all devices set to AUTO for channel assignments. We will be looking for this during your field inspection. Reminder, NO personal hotspots. We will be actively tracking down interference and those offenders not following instructions will be asked to leave.

Advancement to FIRST World Championship:

We have XX teams advancing form this event to the World Championship.

Teams advancing to World Championship must complete the registration process by April 1st. This is a quick turnaround from the conclusion of the State event. Please start fundraising now if you intend to advance from this event.

ADA Accommodation Information:

Cadence Bank Center Accomodations

Prohibited Items:

weapons, outside food, drinks, balloons, pets and items general prohibited at FIRST / FIRST in Texas events.

Food and Drinks:

The venue will offer concessions for this event but we do not have an onsite plan for lunch or other food. Closer to the event we will release a places to eat document for teams. You may order food to the venue but outside food our drink must be consumed outside of the venue.

Hotels: 

We are securing special rate blocks at the following hotels. These are on a first come first serve basis and will be available for booking in February, 2025.

Expo Inn And Suites:

Schedule

Will be released in Jan, 2025