STARTING A FIRST Robotics Team

"The secret of building a successful team is not to assemble the largest team possible, but rather to assemble a team that can work well together." – Dean Kamen, Founder of FIRST.

WHAT IS FIRST?
FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is a unique varsity sport of the mind designed to help high-school-aged young people discover how interesting and rewarding the life of engineers and researchers can be .Starting a team with FIRST initiates a lifelong experience and development of teamwork, trail and error, and social networking skills.  The initial step is to register your information online within the Team Information Management System (TIMS) at the US FIRST website.  You will receive a temporary team number, but your team will not be considered a “registered team” until your team has selected an event.  Next, contact the Regional Director in your area.  He or she will be able to assist you in forming a plan for funding, organization, and mentoring opportunities.  (Example TALON 540 is team540).


FIRST believes it is important that you learn all about the FIRST Robotics Competition before committing to forming a team. The single best way to do this is to find a local team or two, and follow their progress through a competition season.

Attending a regional competition will allow you to gauge the impact of the competition for yourself. You can meet with the team leaders and students, speak with their sponsors, and see the robots first-hand.

GET INVOLVED IN FRC
If you are interested in FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) and want to get involved, but aren't sure where to start or what to do? This information from FIRST will help you get started. The links and information below are direct links to FIRST with options on how to be involved. We hope this information will help you with starting a FIRST Robotics Team.
Teams may be composed of group of students at one school, a community organization, or a large group of either type. 

START A TEAM

Starting an FRC Team - Tips on recruiting, organization, and basic equipment you will need.

Team in a Box - FRC Team 341 has created a how-to DVD for new FRC teams.

FRC Handbook - How to guide your team through the season.  Includes sample team budgets and schedules in the appendices.

Chief Delphi - FRC Team 47 website, an informal gathering site for FRC team members.

Rural Team Resources - FRC Team 103 has established an online network to assist rural teams 


MENTOR A TEAM

If you are interested in becoming a FIRST Mentor you may go to the link above for teams in the the area or introduce yourself to mentors in the area and ask how to get in touch with the FIRST Regional Director closest to you. These people are likely to know about new teams forming in the area, and rookie teams especially benefit from strong professional mentoring.

To find mentors in your area, FIRST has provided a  FIRST Mentoring Guide  


SPONSOR A TEAM

Companies that support FIRST reap many benefits, including stocking the talent pool, building community relations and corporate awareness, and providing team building and training opportunities for employees.


TO SPONSOR TALON 540 view our Sponsor page for more information or ContactUs and we will be happy to assist you. 

MAKE A DONATION

To make a Donation to TALON 540, Contact Mr. Hurlburt at ehhurlburt@henrico.k12.va.us.
Mills Godwin High School.

To make a Donation to FIRST, contact FIRST.

VOLUNTEERS

FIRST is truly a volunteer driven organization. 

Through your continued support and dedication to  TALON 540 and FIRST programs as Committee Members, Partners, Team Mentors, Coaches, Team Parents and Event Volunteers, you make our team possible.  

We are grateful to the volunteers who give their time, talent and expertise to make TALON 540 possible. To view a list of our volunteers and mentor visit our Mentors page.

This information is provided directly from the US FIRST website: http://usfirst.org/what/frc/content.aspx?id=372


Visit http://www.usfirst.org/ for more information from FIRST