[maltz1881]

Dean has sent all the Michigan Teams the following letter:

It is with great excitement that we recently announced the launch of a new pilot district event model for the FIRST Robotics Competition(FRC) in Michigan.

Over the years FIRST has aggressively taken steps to invent new programs and reinvent existing programs to find new ways to take our message to ever more participants. The FIRST Lego League(FLL) successfully reached out to younger participants and demonstrated great scalability. Very recently, FIRST Tech Challenge(FTC) filled the gap between FLL and FRC and is now excited to introduce a new, more capable platform this year. Junior FIRST Lego League(JFLL) recently created a new step before FLL.

The district event pilot in Michigan is an important opportunity to help reinvent FRC, our flagship program. It holds the promise of making FRC more accessible, thereby moving us closer to the day when every high school student has an opportunity to participate. Team members should be able to play more and play closer to home, all at a lower cost.

We need your help to fulfill this opportunity. Under the able leadership of Francois Castaing, Michigan's volunteer leadership has worked with FIRST Programs Staff to formulate an excellent model. However, all pilot programs require some de-bugging ! Please work with us all to make this an outstanding launch season and thereby open up new opportunities for FRC growth.

Thanks,

Dean