Charlottesville, VA Qualifier II - FIRST Tech Challenge

Free and family-friendly. Cheer on robots designed, built, and coded by students ages 12-18 at this FIRST Tech Challenge qualifier! Watch the robots. Meet the students who built them. Charlottesville, VA Qualifier II - Dec 13, 2026. Doors open 7:30 AM | Opening ceremony 10:30 AM St. Anne's-Belfield School - 2132 Ivy Rd, Charlottesville, VA 22903 FIRST® Chesapeake invites you to Charlottesville, VA Qualifier II, a FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC®) qualifier in the FIRST CANOPY™ - BIOBUZZ™ season, presented by RTX . Admission is free, and spectators of all ages are welcome. What is FIRST Tech Challenge? FIRST Tech Challenge students learn to think like engineers. Teams of students, ages 12 to 18, design, build, and code robots to compete in an alliance format against other teams. Along the way, they document their work in an engineering notebook, raise funds, build a team brand, and give back through community outreach. The result is more than a robot. Students build teamwork, conflict resolution, public speaking, and leadership skills. FIRST Chesapeake inspires and prepares young people across Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. for the future through mentor-based, hands-on robotics programs. What to expect as a spectator • Head-to-head matches. Two-team alliances face off on the field. Each match opens with an autonomous period, when robots run on student-written code alone, then shifts to drivers taking the controls. • A packed day. Teams spend the morning on robot inspections and judging interviews. The opening ceremony kicks off at 10:30 AM, followed by qualification matches, playoffs, and awards. • A lot of energy. Expect music, an emcee, and cheering from the stands. It gets loud, so consider ear protection for young children. • Competition with kindness. In FIRST, teams compete hard and still help each other, lending parts and advice to the alliance they may face in the next match. We call it Gracious Professionalism. • Come and go. Drop in for a few matches or stay for the whole day. Awards close out the event by 6:30 PM. Plan your visit • Parking, food, and venue policies: See our Website • Can't make it in person? Watch the livestream • Want your student involved? Learn about FIRST Tech Challenge at firstchesapeake.org/ftc Volunteer Today! Robots build kids. You make it happen. Every FIRST event runs on volunteers, from referees and scorekeepers to judges and emcees. No technical background or FIRST experience is needed, and we train you before every event. Find a role that fits you at www.firstchesapeake.org/volunteer.