FTC Mentors- If you have not already received this information from FIRST Inspires, below is an abbreviated version of what was sent out to all FIRST partners. We apologize if this is duplicating efforts, but we want to make sure that our FIRST Chesapeake teams are informed as quickly and as thoroughly as possible.
The FIRST® Dashboard and FIRST® Tech Challenge Storefront for registration and product purchases for the 2022-2023 POWERPLAYSM presented by Raytheon Technologies season is scheduled to open May 19, 2022.
North America teams will be able to register and order parts starting May 19, but the REV Robotics Control Hubs are currently out of stock due to global supply chain issues. The Control Hub is the device which controls the robot, sending and receiving signals to sensors and motors. All efforts are being made to source missing components and we hope to have Control Hubs in stock in time for kickoff, September 10, 2022.
Rookie teams are most directly affected since veterans can reuse their Control Hubs. We realize that if Control Hubs are not available by the beginning of October, rookie teams may not be able to fully participate this season, especially in regions holding earlier competitions.
As a result, if Control Hubs are not available to ship by October 1, 2022, rookie teams that registered for this season through the FIRST Dashboard and are unable to compete due to lack of Control Hubs for their robots, will be able to request a voucher to apply their 2022-2023 season registration fee to the 2023-2024 season. Rookies who receive the voucher will not be able to compete in the 2022-2023 season and will have a $295 grant available to apply to the 2023-2024 season.
A notice and a link to receive updates is being posted in several locations to keep current and prospective teams informed of developments. Please refer to this document for more information – Control-Hub-Availability-
