In CENTERSTAGE presented by RTX teams are raising the curtain on how design, creativity, and precision play a role in creating all new experiences. FIRST Tech Challenge teams (up to 15 team members, grades 7-12) are challenged to design, build, program, and operate robots to compete in a head-to-head challenge in an alliance format in this district qualifier.

For Teams

Norfolk Academy

Name: Norfolk FTC Qualifier
Start: 2024-01-27T07:30:00-05:00
End: 2024-01-27T17:00:00-05:00
Location: Norfolk Academy

Parking

Please park onsite at Norfolk Academy.

Concessions:

NO Concessions will be available at this event.
No food or drink allowed in the gym areas.
All food and drink to be stored and eaten in the cafeteria area.

Outside food is allowed.

***No food delivery can be made to this event. Teams ordering food from a restaurant in the area must send a parent or team volunteer to that location to pick it up.
***Food cannot be delivered to the actual building. There are many places to get food in the area within a 5 minute drive.

Refillable water bottles are allowed but can only be used in designated areas.

***Important message about SEATING!

This venue is primarily a standing event. You are invited to bring foldable camping chairs to the event to use when seating is needed. There will be areas for viewing matches, but there will not be seating. If you have spectators, please ask them to bring camp chairs as well.

Coaches

Be sure to bring a paper copy of your roster to your event to turn into pit admin. Paper rosters can be printed from your Dashboard at FIRST Inspires. Your roster should have a green checkmark next to every team member AND coach/mentor.

This indicates that all people associated with the team have signed a Consent and Release form. You may not compete without Consent and Release forms on file. FIRST Inspires does not want to manage paper and encourages teams to use these resources to register their children and sign the Consent and Release.

Competing Teams

Team Number	displayTeamNumber	nameFull	Team Name	schoolName	City	State	country	website	rookieYear	robotName	districtCode	homeCMP
293	293	Cape Henry Collegiate School	Phantom of the OpMode		Virginia Beach	VA	USA		2,007
3116	3,116	Farmer Machine -/Devoss Automotive/The Johnson Family/Genworth Financial & Henrico High School	Robo Warriors		Richmond	VA	USA		2,008
3804	3,804	St. Christopher's School & St Christopher's School	Team Snuffleupagus		Richmond	VA	USA		2,009	Snuffleupagus
7039	7,039	Pierian Spring Foundation, Inc./Homeschool Resources Group/Farmer Machine&Home School	Lord of the Bricks		Mechanicsville	VA	USA	https://lordofthebricks.org	2,013
8095	8,095	Norfolk Academy	NAnobots		Norfolk	VA	USA		2,013
12838	12,838	Lancaster County Virginia Educational Foundation&Lancaster High School	LHS Kinetic Storm		Lancaster	VA	USA		2,017
16067	16,067	Manchester Middle School	Retronic Lions Purple		Richmond	VA	USA		2,018
16439	16,439	&Family/Community	AlphaGo		Ashburn	VA	USA	https://ftcalphago.weebly.com/	2,019
17150	17,150	Tunstall High School	Trojans		Dry Fork	VA	USA		2,019
19969	19,969	Kecoughtan High School	Artificial Unintelligence		Hampton	VA	USA		2,021
20690	20,690	Peninsula Catholic High School	PCHS Knights		Newport News	VA	USA		2,021
21459	21,459	Family/Community	Techy Titans		Frederick	MD	USA		2,022
22761	22,761	Family/Community	TECH TIGERS		Fairfax	VA	USA		2,022
23218	23,218	Family/Community	Glory		Poquoson	VA	USA		2,023
23669	23,669	Family/Community	Fiery Phoenix		Midlothian	VA	USA		2,023
23928	23,928	Family/Community	Double Quarter Pounders		Mc Lean	VA	USA		2,023
23975	23,975	CACI Inc.&Family/Community	PigeonBots		Rockville	MD	USA		2,023
24163	24,163	Family/Community	Illuminate		Potomac	MD	USA		2,023
24977	24,977	Manchester Middle School	Retronic Lions Gold		Richmond	VA	USA		2,023
Team Number	displayTeamNumber	nameFull	Team Name	schoolName	City	State	country	website	rookieYear	robotName	districtCode	homeCMP

Judging

Team judging begins at 8:00 a.m. Please be prompt. Each Team will have a ten to fifteen minute “fact-finding” interview with a panel of two or three judges. At the start of the interview, Teams will have a maximum of 5 minutes to present to the judges. After the Team’s five-minute presentation, the judges will have the opportunity to ask questions about the Team, the Robot, and outreach efforts.

Engineering Portfolios
Teams should submit an Engineering Portfolio (not an Engineering Notebook). This is outlined in the Game Manual.
The Engineering Portfolio should be on paper (not electronic) and should be given to the Judges during the judging interview.

Control Award Submissions
Control Award Submissions, which are optional, should be on paper (not electronic) and should be given to the Judges during the judging interview.

Official Q&A Forum
If you have not already, make sure you check out and review the questions and answers on the FIRST Tech Challenge Official Q&A Forum. More questions and answers are added weekly!

Judging Schedule

Schedule:

	Panel 1	Panel 2	Panel 3	Panel 4	Panel 5
1/27/2024, 08:00 AM – 08:20 AM	3804 Team Snuffleupagus	7039 Lord of the Bricks	21459 Techy Titans	12838 LHS Kinetic Storm	17150 Trojans
1/27/2024, 08:20 AM – 08:40 AM	3116 Robo Warriors	293 Phantom of the OpMode	8095 NAnobots	23975 PigeonBots	19890 Distractors.exe
1/27/2024, 08:40 AM – 09:00 AM	20690 PCHS Knights	15371 O.A.K.S.	19969 Artificial Unintelligence	24163 Illuminate.EXE	23288 Dream 2 STEAM AI Crew
1/27/2024, 09:00 AM – 09:20 AM	22761 TECH TIGERS	16067 Retronic Lions Purple	23669 Fiery Phoenix	23928 Double Quarter Pounders	22202 Infinity.exe
1/27/2024, 09:20 AM – 09:40 AM	24977 Retronic Lions Gold	16439 AlphaGo	23218 Glory	–	—

Event Schedule
7:30 AM	Team Check-in, Pits Open
8:00 AM – 10:00 AM	Inspections, Judge Interviews, Practice
10:10 AM	Driver’s Meeting
10:30 AM	Opening Ceremony
10:45 AM – 12:30 PM	Qualification Matches
12:30 PM – 1:00 PM	Lunch Break
1:00 PM – 2:45 PM	Qualification Matches Continues
3:00 PM	Alliance Selection
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM	Elimination and Final Rounds
5:15 PM	Closing Ceremony
6:30 PM	Pits Close

Last updated December 13, 2023

Pit Size

Each team will have a 2’x 6’ table and the space immediately in front of that table. There is not a guaranteed minimum pit size, as we must keep the aisles clear for the judges and transporting equipment and robots.

Match Schedule

To be announced on-site.

Health & Safety

Appropriate safety attire, including safety glasses, ling hair tied back and closed-toe shoes, are required while in the pits.

Safety glasses must be worn at all times in the pit area. Teams are responsible for providing their team members AND guests with safety glasses.

We encourage all visitors wear a masks in the pits and in the stands. Please stay home if you are experiencing symptoms of illness, especially shortness of breath, fever, cough, or congestion.

Remember to also clean up after your teams and only go into areas that are permitted while at the venue.

Advancement

Three teams will advance from this qualifier to the FIRST Chesapeake District FTC Championship.

Order of Advancement

Inspire Award Winner
Winning Alliance Captain
Inspire Award 2nd place

***Advancement is based on rules in Game Manual 1.

Inclement Weather Policy for FIRST Chesapeake Events

Any changes to our event schedule will be determined by the policy of the event venue or hosting school district. Because of this, we recommend that all traveling teams make hotel reservations that are refundable.

In case of inclement weather the day of a FIRST Chesapeake event, click to call (804.404.3134) after 5am for updates.

For Volunteers

Empower the next generation of changemakers and innovators.

FIRST^® volunteers are part of a global robotics community preparing young people for the future. Even if you only have a few hours to give, your contribution can make a difference. Working side by side with FIRST participants, volunteers play an important role in shaping young minds and inspiring students to achieve.

Volunteer roles range from safety attendants and field reset to judges, emcees, and referees. Volunteering at an event is a great way to share technical or professional knowledge, but you do not need special skills or expertise to volunteer.

For Attendees

All FIRST Chesapeake competitions, qualifiers, and championships are free and open to the public.

If you would like to, you can RSVP below.

As we work as a community to prepare young people for a STEM future, FIRST aims to ensure its programs have a lasting, positive impact on all participants.

Join us in our mission to empower the young minds of DC, MD, and VA. Together, we can spark innovation, foster diversity, and make the impossible possible. Your support is not just a donation; it’s an investment in the future.

Together, let’s build a brighter, more innovative future.

Can’t Attend in Person?

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