Grades 7-12
About the Program
We are currently recruiting for this team!
*Plans for the 2023 season are still up in the air. With the growth of the program in Ontario the season’s timeline has shifted to conflict more with our FRC team. If you are interested in exploring various options for the team with us please reach out to info@wafflesrobotics.com.
Our FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) team started 2019-2020, replacing our VEX team. Students in grades 7 through 12 are welcome to join! No prior experience is required!
In FIRST Tech Challenge, a new game is released at the start of the school year every year. Teams of up to 15 students work together to design, build, and program a robot that fits within an 18″ volume with a reusable kit of parts to compete in fall events. Teams compete in alliances of two on a 12′ by 12′ field, as they race to score as many points as possible in 2.5 minute long matches.
Program Benefits
- An accessible program for students in grades 7-12
- Is a good transition to the FIRST Robotics Competition program for those who aren’t sure about joining the more intensive program
- Hands-on introduction to…
- Engineering and design skills
- Programming in Java-based code
- Smaller scale robots from a base kit allow for easier construction and design modifications throughout the season
- Work with mentors (professionals and FIRST alumni)
- Get an introduction to engineering and gain business experience
- Make lasting friends with team members and those on other teams
- Strengthen soft skills such as time-management, communication, teamwork, self-confidence, and so much more
- Have access to $80 million in scholarships available exclusively to alumni of the program
Season Timeline
September-January
Build Season
A new challenge is released in September each year, which is the start of the build season. The build season is when teams begin to design, build, and program their robot for the challenge.
October-January
Qualifying Events
Teams work together and go head to head at qualifying events.
January
Provincial Championship
Teams who qualify compete at the Ontario Provincial Championship, which takes place in Oshawa at the Ontario Tech University.
Late April
World Championship
Teams who qualify compete at the World Championship at the end of April, which was most recently held in Houston, Texas.
Joining Our Team
Cost
Details on the cost of registration will be posted here when available. Please send us an email for more details!
Meetings
Our team will be meeting 2-3 times a week during the season at times set by the members. Meetings are scheduled in our public Google calendar, which is visible at the bottom of the webpage and can be added here.
Team Communications
All of our programs communicate using a platform called Slack, which is commonly used in workplaces. Students, parents, and mentors will receive an invitation to join Slack upon registration so that we can effectively send announcements and communicate about team meetings and events.