[FRC] Mentor Memos, September 2025
Updated: 3 days ago
No more waiting...the REBUILT schedule is here!
We don’t want summer to be over, but we ARE looking forward to the official FRC season in New England! We are hosting 12 district events this year, with more events scheduled for Weeks 2 and 4. With a relatively late Kickoff date of January 10, 2026, the entire competition season is pushed back by a week. Week 1 doesn’t start in February (or right after) next year!
In addition to bringing back North Shore, we are returning to Bedford, NH, for the first time since 2019 and we have a brand new venue in Billerica, MA. We also return to Falmouth, ME, but since it’s the only qualifier in Maine, it will be called Pine Tree. Enjoy the “week off” before DCMP at The Big E (we know you’ll be working hard on robots and event prep!)
Recordings Available: 2025 NEMC Keynotes + Sessions
Thank you to everyone to made the trip to the second annual New England Mentor Conference, including our presenters, panelists, event volunteers, planning committee, hosts at WPI and of course our presenting sponsor, Onshape by PTC! We're excited to bring the event back in 2026 and welcome presentation applications any time.
Though we love seeing everyone in person, we want to make sure the amazing content is available to all. Keynotes and session recordings are available on YouTube and our website (fun fact: the sessions from 2024 are here too!)
Special appearance by FIRST CEO Chris Moore!
The 2nd Annual CT Manufacturing Forum—the region’s premier gathering of manufacturing leaders, innovators, and changemakers—has a special guest providing a keynote: FIRST CEO Chris Moore! A collaboration of the CT Office of Manufacturing, American Manufacturing Hall of Fame, CT Center for Advanced Technology, CONNSTEP, ReadyCT, and the U.S. Small Business Administration, this event is designed to tackle the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing manufacturers today. Local FIRST teams and NE FIRST leadership will be part of the CCAT exhibit in the lobby.
📅 September 11, 2025, 7:30 AM – 3:30 PM
📍 Connecticut Convention Center
Resource: New England Team Practice Field Directory
Teams throughout Maine, New Hampshire, 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. We're excited to welcome the newest addition to this list: a half-field at the University of Bridgeport! To add additional locations, please fill out this form
Dig deeper into district-wide resources:
Show your New England spirit with your very own WE ARE NE banner for your pit or shop! Order by September 8 to have yours ready for October events:
Sign up for alerts when emails to Lead Mentors and reminders to teams are posted to our website's TEAM page
Join almost 800 mentors from all over NE in Slack! Find state info like #ma-frc or topics like #mechanical and more
Our SmugMug albums have photos from the mentor conference, MA/CT States, and all 2025 REEFSCAPE events!
What else do you want to see in these memos? Email sspain@nefirst.org or use nefirst.org/feedback to share ideas!
![[FRC] Mentor Memos, July 2025](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/695840_15f77b7c150840b6a7010a85338e90ab~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_980,h_645,al_c,q_90,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/695840_15f77b7c150840b6a7010a85338e90ab~mv2.png)
![[FRC] Mentor Memos, May 2025](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/695840_f10bdf643ba44796bc9f7a7501bee322~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_735,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/695840_f10bdf643ba44796bc9f7a7501bee322~mv2.jpg)
The note that the late January 10 Kickoff pushes the whole season back a week is worth unpacking for teams. With Week 1 no longer landing right after February begins, build season effectively compresses against earlier district events, especially for squads attending Weeks 2 and 4. Does that shift change how mentors plan prototyping versus iteration time, or does the extra calendar week simply get absorbed by travel and event prep? Curious how others are adjusting their internal deadlines.
Related resource: https://stealanegg.net/
I appreciate how this memo addresses the real challenges FRC mentors face. I often create social media graphics to share our team updates and use image splitter to arrange photos for our feed. This kind of shared knowledge helps mentor communities grow stronger together.
This mentor memo is packed with actionable advice for FIRST robotics coaches. When I collect reference images for team presentations, bulk download images paired with bulk image tools saves me tons of repetitive editing work. It’s wonderful to see resources built specifically for FRC mentors.
Really helpful resource for anyone mentoring FRC robotics teams! I prepare team handouts and promotional photos, and bulk image crop keeps all my visuals consistent. I also love checking out slay the spire 2 wiki to unwind after long build season meetings. Great practical tips for new and veteran mentors alike.
I think Sprunki is especially captivating because it combines memorable visuals with recognizable audio, allowing the characters to become part of the music and helping every arrangement feel lively, personal, and easy to remember.