Parents
About FRC
The Iowa City FRC program runs year round and is split into 4 seasons:
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Off-Season (May-Aug): During this time meetings are more sporadic and event-based. We focus on outreach events, fundraisers, and host robot camps for 3rd-8th grade students.
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Pre-Season (Sep-Dec): The team meets biweekly to recruit and train new FRC members.
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Build Season (Jan-Mar): This is the most critical time for the team. In this two months the competition game is revealed and the robot is constructed. Team meetings will be more frequent.
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Competition Season (Mar-Apr): The team travels for 1-2 regional events to hopefully qualify for the world championship.
Season Breakdown
The FRC game changes every year and the kickoff of a new season is typically the first full weekend in January. This is a virtual event but we typically get together and watch it as a team. Kickoff is also an important day for students to breakdown the rules of the game and begin forming their strategy.
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During the build season, we typically meet 3-4 times a week. As we get closer to our competition date, the frequency of meetings increases. You can always find our practice schedule on the team calendar or in Discord.
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The team typically registers to compete in 2 regionals. Regional competitions are 3.5 days long, a practice day followed by two days of matches. Setup begins Wednesday evening and the competition concludes after the play-offs on Saturday afternoon. The regionals are live-streamed but parents are welcome and it is free to the public.
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For the 2025 season, we are competing at the Central Missouri and Iowa Regionals. The first will take place during Week 2 in Sedalia, Missouri from March 5th-8th. Followed by the Iowa Regional Week 5 (Mar 27 - Mar 29th) in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
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These competitions are such a great experience where all our hard work is put into motion. Although competitions are not required, it is encouraged. Once you've been to one, you always want to go back. Estimated costs for these competitions are typically $200-$300 per student. This will cover transportation, lodging, and meals. If we continue to fundraise, some of these costs can be covered.​
What is Needed from Parents
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Complete STIMS registration through FIRST Portal
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Complete the parent/guardian liability waiver and health forms.
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We have a team apparel online store where you can purchase our team competition polo shirt if your student doesn't have one already and a team competition t-shirt that is new every year. We also have sweatshirts and a quarter zip available for purchase.
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Any help connecting with potential sponsors or company matched donations. The more funding the team is able to raise, the lower student costs will be for competitions.
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Donating snacks for weekend practices or lunch making materials
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We are currently searching for a mentor to assist with embedded systems or robot-related software.
QUICK LINKS
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Blue Alliance: Stats about the team, competition replays, and more - www.thebluealliance.com/team/167
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Team 167 FRC Page: Brief team history and multi-season statistics - www.frc-events.firstinspires.org/team/167
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FIRST Twitch: Livestream for competitions and FIRST related events - www.frc-events.firstinspires.org/watch
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Iowa Regional Information: Schedule, event information- www.iafirst.org/iowa-frc/current-regional/
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Central Missouri Regional Information: Schedule, event information - www.frc-events.firstinspires.org/2025/MOSE