[MEMOS] FRC Mentor Memos, February 2026
- Feb 28
- 3 min read
ONE WEEK until competition season!
Last weekend we got our FIRST look at REBUILT! Week 0 welcomed teams to snowy New Hampshire to experience this year's FIRST Robotics Competition game in action for the first time.
Hosted by FRC 811, it was a great way to watch live gameplay before competition season starts in just two weeks! Congrats to all 29 teams that rushed builds to bring robots to the arena.
In one week we'll be starting the opening ceremonies at both of our Week 1 events. Good luck to all teams as build season carries on!
Action: Before your first competition
Please remember the following as you prepare to compete in the coming weeks:
✅ Confirm your team roster is ready for check-in at Pit Admin
🦺 Prepare your event safety plan!
♿ Request accommodations and share info with event planners
🍕 Confirm meal pre-orders for any events that offer them
📱 Bookmark each event's Quick View page
⏰ Be ready for the new Day 0 hours: 4–9 p.m. at 11 out of 12 events
📕 Review the NE FIRST Event Procedures
Have parents looking to help out during your event? Encourage them to volunteer in Quiet Rooms, Machine Shops or Test Areas!
Keep an eye out at events for fun extras, like FIRST focus groups, sponsor exhibits, college reps from FIRST Scholarship providers, FIRST LEGO League Explore Festivals, and more
Tour the University of Rhode Island College of Engineering!
The URI College of Engineering is opening its doors exclusively for the FIRST community on Thursday, March 19, before load in for the URI District Event.
Come explore the state-of-the-art Fascitelli Center for Advanced Engineering, the picturesque URI campus and enjoy a FREE lunch on the house!
Tours are available at Noon or 2:30 p.m. on March 19. Lunch will be provided at 1:30 p.m. Students are welcome to choose the tour before or after lunch.
Please RSVP below so the department knows how many to expect for lunch and tours! You may register an entire team, or an individual may register if not coming with a team. All are welcome, even if they aren't competing at URI!
Fascitelli Center for Advanced Engineering is located at 2 East Alumni Avenue, Kingston, RI 02881. Parking is available in Lot 6 off Bills Road (behind the Fine Arts Center).
Resource: New England Team Practice Field Directory
Looking for driver practice and auto testing between competitions? Teams throughout Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut have larger FRC practices fields that are open to visits from other teams.
These spaces help all teams level up together! Each one is a little different, so we've pulled together everything about the open fields into one new directory.
To add additional locations, please fill out this form!
Dig deeper into district-wide resources:
Sign up for alerts when emails to Lead Mentors and reminders to teams are posted to our website's TEAM page
Join almost 900 mentors from all over NE in Slack! Get #first info in feeds or follow topics like #parts-sharing and more
Our SmugMug albums will soon be full of competition and award photos from every REBUILT qualifier in New England!
What else do you want to see in these memos? Email sspain@nefirst.org or use nefirst.org/feedback to share ideas!