UPDATE: As of 10/26 all NorCal Qualifiers are full. I am working with FIRST and Central Valley FLL Partner to figure out how many teams can be accommodated in that region. I will be contacting each coach individually for teams that submitted both pre-reqs and will be refunding fees paid promptly as well.
IMPORTANT: As of 10am October 17th, if you did not complete either of the 2 pre-reqs, we believe we do not have space for your team. If you would like to be on a waiting list, you must PAY and submit your JOTFORM. As I work through teams that are not able to complete their pre-reqs, I will move down the waiting list starting on Tuesday 10/21 in order of the last pre-req received.
Most important items to know about Qualifier Tournaments (QT) in NorCal:
1.NorCalFLL Qualifier Tournament (QT) Registration opens in October – typically the 2nd Tuesday of October. The exact day/time will be published ahead of time.
2. NorCalFLL uses its own local registration system for tournaments and does not use the FIRST TIMS system for tournament registration, so you can ignore the “Event Application” button in the TIMS system.
Explanation / Overview of NorCal Registration Process
3.There are 2 QT PreReqs that must be completed before your team can register in October for a tournament. The deadline to complete the prereqs for the earliest tournament registration is September 30th.
There are 2 steps to finishing the PreReqs: Pay and Jotform
Both require your team number!
A. Pay regional support and tournament registration (total $185) – Paypal is strongly preferred (paypal link).
We are FULL – No additional teams will be accepted in NorCal – do not pay, it will just be refunded
In the paypal link, you have the option to add additional team support as a separate line item – which we will use for the hardship teams as well as for tournament and program costs.
If you can not pay by paypal, or you need a hardship reduction for the $100 Regional support fee, please send email to teaminfo at playingatlearning dot org describing your situation.
B. Fill out Team Jotform – there are several pieces of information that you will need to gather before filling out this form
We are FULL – do not submit a new jotform entry – it will be ignored.
a. The name of your team’s adult volunteer to help with the qualifier (this can not be one of the 2 listed Team Coaches). At this time, you will only need your volunteer’s legal name and their email address. List of possible tournament volunteer roles are here (note that the team’s volunteer can not be a judge or referee at a qualifier).
The team’s adult volunteer should not sign up for a tournament in VIMS yet, as they don’t know which tournament to apply for… your team’s volunteer will volunteer at the tournament that your team attends… so, until you register into a tournament in October, that information is TBD. The volunteer can create a login in VIMS but can not APPLY for a specific role at a specific tournament!
b. The coach must complete the STIMS Team Roster on the FIRST site and download a PDF copy to upload to the Jotform. STIMS: FAQ [Example of a completed roster]
More information about Team Registration and Team Roster
To print the Team Roster: access the Team Roster using the View button from the Team Summary Page in TIMS. Click the “Printable Team Roster” button.
To invite an adult Mentor to the team roster in TIMS, a Lead Coach would login to the TIMS. Once logged into their account, they would click on the “Team Summary” button. On the “Team Summary” page, they would then click on the “Edit/View” button to the right of “Team Contacts.”
Here they will be able to click on the “Invite Contact” link to the right of “Team Mentor” to send an invitation via e-mail to that individual to be a Mentor for the team so they may be listed on the roster. Coaches also may request that a Mentor complete the YPP screening from this same section on the Team Contacts page, once the mentor has accepted the invitation.
For Youth / Student Mentors under 18 years of age. Unfortunately, they can not sign up through the FIRST team (TIMS) registration system. Parents of the student mentor will need to complete the paper version of the Consent and Release Agreement Form (aka Waiver Form), and to be listed on the team’s roster, the coach will hand write in the Student Mentor’s name onto the printed team roster in the “Additional Student Team Members and Mentors Not Listed Above (write in)” section. They will also want to indicate that they are a Student Mentor/Junior Mentor in the “Role” column. The Student Mentor would not need to complete the FIRST Team Member Registration form.
If you have to handwrite in any coach/mentor (all youth and any adult) names on the team roster, please upload a copy of the updated version of the roster (you can take a picture or scan it) to the jotform. We will need a copy of the Consent and Release Agreement Form physically mailed to Playing At Learning or emailed to teaminfo at playingatlearning dot org.
If you have to handwrite any team members’ names, please upload a copy of the updated version of the roster (you can take a picture or scan it) to the jotform. We will need this a copy of this (link fixed 9/24) “FIRST Team Member Paperwork form” physically mailed to Playing At Learning or emailed to teaminfo at playingatlearning dot org.
c. You will need the full names of all coaches, mentors, and team members. Also, you will be asked if any coach or mentors are affiliated with FRC or FTC teams. And you will be asked demographic information about the team members (gender, race, etc). Finally, you will be asked if all team members, mentors and coaches are rookies (ie in their first year of FLL).