GEARED UP Mentor Conference: Full Schedule

Welcome to GEARED UP 2026: Mentor Conference! Join us at James Madison University’s Festival Conference & Student Center in Harrisonburg, VA, for two days of learning, connection, and community.

You power 10,000+ students across DC, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. This day is built for YOU. Whether you’re a rookie coach launching your first team or a 20-year veteran looking for fresh ideas, you’ll find sessions, workshops, and conversations designed to sharpen your skills and recharge your passion.

Proudly presented by Aramco Americas. See you in Harrisonburg.

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10:15am EDT

FTC Registration, Without the Headache - A live walkthrough of the new FTC registration app: what's changed, how to use it, and the mistakes to skip. See it before your next event cycle.

Saturday August 8, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am EDT

Grand Ballroom C (220) FTC @ 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

A practical walkthrough of the FTC registration application: what is new, how to use it, and common pitfalls coaches run into. Includes a live demo so attendees can see the system in action before their next event cycle.

Speakers

Bonnie Crites

Senior Program Manager, FIRST Chesapeake

Exhibitors

FIRST Chesapeake

Saturday August 8, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am EDT
Grand Ballroom C (220) FTC 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

FTC, Presentation

11:30am EDT

The Road to the Inspire Award - How FTC judges really evaluate teams and how to prepare students authentically for the interview

Saturday August 8, 2026 11:30am - 12:15pm EDT

Grand Ballroom C (220) FTC @ 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

Part of a three-session series demystifying the judging process, this installment focuses on FRC. A look behind the curtain at how judges evaluate teams, what is consistent across regions, and what mentors can do to authentically prepare students for interviews, documentation, and awards.

Speakers

Shyanne Chan

Senior Judge Advisor, Chesapeake FIRST Tech Challenge

Saturday August 8, 2026 11:30am - 12:15pm EDT
Grand Ballroom C (220) FTC 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

FTC, Presentation

1:30pm EDT

From Kitbot to Machine Shop - When custom parts beat off-the-shelf, what they make possible, and how FTC 20194 JackBots built machining into their design process.

Saturday August 8, 2026 1:30pm - 2:15pm EDT

Grand Ballroom C (220) FTC @ 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

The Kitbot is a great way to start for any team, but it does not have to be the end! Join mentors from FTC 20194 JackBots see how one team developed their build and design process from out-of-the-box to a custom ride!

Speakers

Alicen Adkins

Saturday August 8, 2026 1:30pm - 2:15pm EDT
Grand Ballroom C (220) FTC 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

FTC, Panel

2:45pm EDT

Building the FLL to FTC Pipeline - Students never outgrow FIRST - stay involved from program to program.

Saturday August 8, 2026 2:45pm - 3:30pm EDT

Highlands Room (300) FLL @ 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

Strategies and lessons learned for moving students from FLL into FTC. Covers the timing, the skills gap to plan for, communication with parents and feeder schools, and the structural decisions that make the pipeline work consistently.

Speakers

Ryan Rich

Events & Volunteer Manager, FIRST Chesapeake

Saturday August 8, 2026 2:45pm - 3:30pm EDT
Highlands Room (300) FLL 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

FLL, Presentation | FTC, Presentation

2:45pm EDT

Great Seasons Don't Start in September - How to run an FTC summer program that gets rookies ready: recruiting, structuring the weeks, what to teach, and setting up a strong fall. For coaches starting fresh or improving what they've got.

Saturday August 8, 2026 2:45pm - 3:30pm EDT

Grand Ballroom C (220) FTC @ 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

Practical guidance on running an FTC summer program for students new to the program — recruiting, structuring the weeks, what to teach, and how to set up rookies for a strong fall season. Aimed at coaches considering a summer offering or looking to improve an existing one.

Speakers

Seelig Sinton

Deployment Strategist, Palantir Technologies

How to run a FTC summer program. How to find students, reserve a space, set a curriculum, and find mentors.

Saturday August 8, 2026 2:45pm - 3:30pm EDT
Grand Ballroom C (220) FTC 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

FTC, Presentation

2:45pm EDT

Vision and Autonomous That Actually Work - Vision systems, autonomous routines, and AprilTags for both FTC and FRC, grounded in real hardware with Qualcomm.

Saturday August 8, 2026 2:45pm - 3:30pm EDT

Grand Ballroom B (275) FRC @ 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

A presentation and demo on vision systems, autonomous routines, and AprilTag use cases, deliberately framed for both FRC and FTC audiences. Covers what actually works on the field — not just what is theoretically possible — with industry sponsor participation to ground the content in real hardware.

Speakers

Joey Kerns

Educational Specialist, Robotics & Engineering | Coach, Fairfax County Public Schools | FRC 614

Alicen Adkins

Sponsors

Qualcomm

Engineering human progress.

Qualcomm relentlessly innovates transforming businesses, enriching lives and fortifying societies. Our solutions are pivotal in crafting a smarter, interconnected world. Building on our nearly 40-year history of era-defining technology breakthroughs, we deliver leading-edge AI, high... Read More →

Saturday August 8, 2026 2:45pm - 3:30pm EDT
Grand Ballroom B (275) FRC 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

FTC, Panel | FRC, Panel

4:00pm EDT

FTC Unconference

Saturday August 8, 2026 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT

Grand Ballroom C (220) FTC @ 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

An unconference for FTC mentors: participant-driven, with the agenda set in the room. Designed to give the FTC community room to discuss what is most pressing right now, with facilitation capturing themes for the closing plenary.

Moderators

Bonnie Crites

Senior Program Manager, FIRST Chesapeake

Saturday August 8, 2026 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT
Grand Ballroom C (220) FTC 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

FTC, Unconference

4:00pm EDT

GEARED UP FTC / STEM HUBS in Your Neck of the Woods - Connecting with FCH parternships and STEM Hubs in your area.

Saturday August 8, 2026 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT

Conf Room 2 (35) Curriculum @ 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

Information on FCH partnership with regional FTC and STEM Hub initiatives, including what resources are available in different parts of the district and how teams can plug in.

Speakers