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Date: October 17th, 2024 at 11:00am CT
From: FIRST Wisconsin Board of Directors & Staff
To: Wisconsin’s FIRST Robotics Competition Community
Re: District Model of Play Proposal
The FIRST Wisconsin Board of Directors, along with FIRST Wisconsin President Renee Becker-Blau, are pleased to share that a formal proposal for Wisconsin to adopt the district model of play in the 2026 competition season has been submitted to FIRST Headquarters.
This is not a decision we take lightly or arrived at hastily. The idea of moving to the district model began back in 2016 when a group of Wisconsin mentors encouraged the board to consider the move.
Over the past eight years, we have explored the district model of play; attending district events for a first-hand look, consulting with leaders in territories that are in the district model and soliciting feedback from the Wisconsin FRC community. A healthy amount of time was spent clarifying the different options of play and listening to community concerns. The feedback provided on what direction to move was not unanimous; however, the overwhelming majority of teams in Wisconsin favor a move to the district model of play.
Concerns have been expressed about the quality of the event production, the availability of volunteers, maintaining community relationships, and the recognition of sponsors. The board shares these concerns, and work is already under way to ensure events have a high level of production value, develop a sustainable volunteer pipeline, improve communication via the formation of an engagement committee, and increase sponsor recognition opportunities at district events. Ultimately, the board assures the Wisconsin FRC community that while the model of play may change, we remain committed to delivering a quality program that continues to inspire and impact our students.
The board is grateful to all those who brought us to this point in FIRST Wisconsin history through their research, guidance, and service on the various boards and committees over the years. We want to express our sincere thanks to Greg Billetdeaux, Kristin Flickinger, and Chris Maupin who were instrumental in recent months in pulling together critical data, providing keen insights into the many facets of the shift in game play, and collaborating on the development of the proposal.
The next FIRST Wisconsin FRC Mentor Call takes place November 6th at 6pm CT. It will include more details on how you can participate in the transition process and ways to volunteer.
Ultimately, if the proposal is approved by FIRST Headquarters, our board and president believe the transition will expand the reach of FIRST, increasing program access to students throughout Wisconsin.
Any questions can be directed to the FIRST Wisconsin Board of Directors and staff via email at frc@firstinspireswi.org.
The official announcement on FIRST Wisconsin letterhead is included at the bottom of this blog post in PDF format.
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