Some words mean something specific here. This is what they mean on this site.
Register
Registering happens with FIRST HQ, at firstinspires.org: you create the team, pay the national season fee, and get a team number. You do not register on this site. Here, a team selects an event, or is placed at one.
HQ Secured
FIRST HQ marks a team Secured once its season fee is paid. Secured does not mean HQ registration is finished: both lead coaches, their screening and the consent and release forms can still be outstanding, and those show as HQ: not event ready (below). We get this from the HQ roster, which refreshes every few days. A team that is not Secured shows HQ: not secured. When FIRST Texas turns on the Secured requirement, only Secured teams can select an event.
HQ: not event ready is a separate HQ check — for example, coach screening or team details HQ still needs. The card lists what is missing. Fix these in your FIRST Dashboard.
Event selected
Your team holds a place at that event.
Local event fee pending / Event ready
Texas events carry a local event fee, separate from the HQ fee. You pay it to FIRST in the FIRST Storefront, from your team's FIRST Dashboard — not on this site.
- Local event fee pending — not paid yet, or the payment has not reached us yet.
- Event ready — paid. We mark it once the payment report from FIRST reaches us, so it can take a few days to change.
An Explore team at more than one festival sees Fee pending or Fee paid for each festival, and a count such as 0 of 2 fees paid.
Waitlist
When an event is full, or other teams are already waiting, you can join its waitlist. Waitlisted means your team does not hold a place yet. Places are given out by your RPA — not by the order teams joined — and they will be in touch.
RPA
Regional Program Administrator. The person who runs a region for FIRST Texas: they answer coaches, place teams at events and post regional news. Your dashboard shows yours.
Region
The part of Texas your team belongs to, worked out from your team's HQ details and location. FIRST LEGO® League and FIRST Tech Challenge divide Texas differently. You see the events in your own region.
Qualifier and festival
- Qualifier — a FIRST LEGO® League Challenge (and Future Edition) competition. A Challenge team holds one qualifier a season.
- Festival — a FIRST LEGO® League Explore event. An Explore team can attend more than one festival, and each has its own local fee.
Coaches select qualifiers and festivals themselves. Most other events, such as championships, are placed by your RPA.
Switch
Switch event moves your team from one event to another in one step, so you do not lose your place first. You can switch until the Changes allowed until date on your team card. If the new event is full, you only go on its waitlist if you tick the box to say so — and you give up your current place.
Selection opens
The moment coaches can start choosing events in a region. Before then the event shows Selection opens soon and a countdown, and you cannot select it yet. Places are first come, first served once it opens.
Still unsure about a word? Ask through Help in the account menu — see Getting help.