The FIRST Kickoff is the event where FIRST reveals the challenge game the robots will play during the spring competitions. Last year, the two Minnesota teams trekked to a Milwaukee suburb to attend the simulcast event. This year, due to the growth of the FIRST program in Minnesota, Edina Robotics has the privilege of hosting the FIRST-ever FIRST kickoff event in Minnesota. The kick-off will be at the University of Minnesota’s Coffman Union on January 6, beginning at 8:00 a.m. Friday evening January 5, the team will be presenting workshops for rookie teams. Twenty-three teams will be participating from Minnesota, North and South Dakota, and Iowa. The kickoff marks the beginning of FIRST’s infamous six-week build period, during which teams design and build the robots that will compete at regional events beginning in March 2007.
