Season Calendar
Key Dates and Events
| Event | What it is | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Kettering Offseason | Offseaon event before to kick off the new year | Sept 11 - 12, 2026 |
| Kickoff | The day FIRST releases the new game. | January 9, 2027 |
| Away District Event | Away district event | TBD |
| LSSU District Event | Home district event | April 8 - 10, 2027 |
| FIRST in Michigan State Championship | State championship event (if we qualify) | April 14 - 17, 2027 |
| FIRST Championship | World championship event (if we qualify) | April 28 - May 1, 2027 |
The team has a google calendar that has all events and meetings. If you need access, contact a mentor.
Weekly meeting schedule
Our weekly schedule starting after kickoff
| Day | Build season |
|---|---|
| Monday | 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. |
| Tuesday | 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. |
| Wednesday | No meeting |
| Thursday | 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. |
| Friday | 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. |
| Saturday | 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. |
| Sunday | No meeting |
Season Phases
Preseason
Preseason is the time between the start of the school year and kickoff and January. During preseason we perform outreach, work on fundraising, train new skills, and prepare for the upcoming season.
Some important things that happen during preseason:
- Parent and student orientations.
- Attend an offseason event.
- Training on tools, software, and machines.
- Fundraising and sponsor letters go out.
- The shop gets organized and stocked
The Student Handbook must be signed before you attend team meetings, and your FIRST consent and release forms must be completed before kickoff.
Kickoff
Kickoff is the day FIRST reveals the new challenge to everyone. FIRST live streams the reveal to all teams at the same time. It is the official start of build season. We attend LSSU's kickoff event where we attend workshops, watch the game reveal, and pickup our kit of parts. After the kickoff event we return to the school to go over the new rules, and start developing robot strategy and prototypes.
Build season
Build season is the period after kickoff when the robot gets designed, built, wired, and programmed. It is the busiest part of the year and involves a large time commitment. During build season we also attend between two and four competitions a year, depending on how far we advance. District events are usually Thursday afternoon through Saturday and at least one will involve travel and overnight stays. The state championship and world championship events are usually Thursday through Saturday. Events may also have travel days on top of competition days.
Offseason
Offseason is everything after our last competition. During the offseason we reflect on the previous year, continue to do outreach, and largely relax. We will also host our end of the year party during the offseason.