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Digging into DECODE™ presented by RTX

Written by Caitlin Wildhagen | Sep 23, 2025 1:00:00 PM

On September 6th, Alabama launched our FIRST® Tech Challenge (FTC) DECODE presented by RTX season with a bang, hosting close to 15 different teams and 100+ students, mentors, and parents at our state's Kick Off in Athens, AL.

I know our teams are already excitedly digging into the season, but I wanted to offer my thanks again to everyone who joined us at Kick Off! It was great to see so many familiar faces and some new ones too. Your excitement, ideas, and commitment are what make this community thrive.

I also want to extend a special thank you to FIRST® Robotics Competition Team 538 Renaissance Robotics for hosting this awesome event! And another thank you to FTC Team 24331 Caesar Circuitry and FTC Team 7842 Browncoats for sharing their experience and knowledge in their workshop presentations.

In case you missed the event, here are a few important dates and resources to help keep us all on track:

Key Season Dates

  • September 22, 2025 - Team Q&A Opens
  • November 1, 2025 - Qualifier #1
  • November 8, 2025 - Qualifier #2
  • December 13, 2025 - Qualifier #3
  • January 17, 2026 - UAB Qualifier (#4)
  • February 27-28, 2026 - AL State Championship
  • April 29 - May 2, 2026 - FIRST® Championship (Houston, TX)

Make sure to mark your calendars!

Key Resources

Let's make this a season to remember. If you have any questions, ideas, or just want to get more involved, don’t hesitate to reach out!