Often referred to as “varsity sport for the mind,” FIRST stands for "For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology." The mission of FIRST is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders. Today, almost 3,500 teams, 87,000 students, and 21,000 mentors in over 35 different countries are involved in FIRST robotics!
In FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), teams of students are challenged to raise funds, design a team "brand," hone teamwork skills, and build and program industrial-sized robots to play difficult arena matches against other teams. Teams compete under strict rules, with limited resources, and during an intense six-week time limit. It’s as close to real-world engineering as a student can get!