What is FIRST Robotics Competition?

Module Goals

By the end, students should be able to:

Explain what FIRST Robotics Competition is and how it is different from other robotics programs.
Describe the basic FRC season cycle from kickoff through competitions.
Identify how FRC values such as Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition shape team behavior.
Recognize what happens at a regional event, especially the Iowa Regional at UNI.
Choose realistic ways to contribute to the team before, during, and after competition.

FRC is a varsity-style engineering challenge

Build

Teams design, manufacture, wire, program, and iterate an industrial-sized robot for a new game each year.

Compete

Robots play on a themed field with two alliances of three teams. Matches combine autonomous, driver control, strategy, and teamwork.

Grow

Students also fundraise, create media, present to judges, mentor younger teams, and build community support.

Key idea: FRC is more than building a robot. It is a complete team project that connects engineering, business, outreach, communication, and leadership.

Who Can Join?

FRC needs many types of students

Mechanical

Build structure, mechanisms, drivetrains, intakes, climbers, and repairs.

Electrical

Wire power, CAN, sensors, pneumatics, labels, battery systems, and troubleshooting.

Programming

Code robot controls, autonomous paths, vision, sensors, data, and driver tools.

Business

Fundraise, create media, plan outreach, write awards, and communicate impact.

5041’s standard fits FRC well: Everyone has a place here. Students can enter with no prior experience and grow into roles over time.

Interactive Check

Click to reveal ways students can contribute

0 of 8 roles revealed.

Season Structure

The FRC season moves fast

Preseason training and team organization

January kickoff and game reveal

Build, program, test, and iterate

Regional competitions and judging

Off-season learning, outreach, and recruiting

FRC rewards teams that learn quickly, divide work clearly, document decisions, and keep improving even when the robot is not perfect.

Interactive Check

Sort each task into the season stage

Scout qualification matches

Talk with judges in the pit

Read the new game manual

Prototype an intake

Review what to improve next year

Tune autonomous paths

Train new students on tools and safety

Run a community robot demo

Preseason

Kickoff

Build Season

Regional Event

Off-Season

FIRST Values

The robot matters, but culture matters too

Gracious Professionalism

Compete intensely while treating teammates, opponents, volunteers, judges, and mentors with respect.

Coopertition

Teams compete on the field but still help each other learn, repair, and improve.

More Than Robots

FRC includes leadership, inclusion, fundraising, technical learning, outreach, and long-term community impact.

Interactive Scenario

Choose the strongest FRC response

A team in the next pit asks to borrow a tool right before playoffs. Your robot also needs work. What is the best response?

Choose one answer.

Iowa Regional

The Iowa Regional is 5041’s major FRC event in Iowa

Where it happens

The Iowa Regional is hosted at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. Matches take place in the McLeod Center, while pits, practice field, pit administration, and support spaces are in the adjacent UNI-Dome.

What it feels like

Expect a mix of sports event, engineering fair, team showcase, repair shop, strategy room, and celebration of student learning.

For recent Iowa events, more than 50 teams from Iowa and nearby states have competed, with qualification matches, awards, playoffs, and team pits open to visitors.

Regional Experience

A regional competition has many moving parts

Pits

Team workspaces for repairs, inspection, batteries, tools, and robot preparation.

Field

The match area where alliances compete in autonomous and driver-controlled periods.

Scouting

Students collect match data to understand team strengths and support strategy.

Judging

Judges visit pits and interview teams about design, outreach, safety, culture, and awards.

Interactive Match

Match each regional area to what happens there

Line up before matches and stay match-ready

Drive robot in alliance matches

Repair robot, charge batteries, and talk with visitors

Scout teams and cheer respectfully

Explain design choices, outreach, and team impact

Confirm the robot follows the rules

Pit

Field

Stands

Inspection

Judging

Queue

Competition Day Habits

Strong teams manage energy, time, and information

Before Matches

Check battery, bumpers, mechanisms, driver station, radio, pneumatics, tools, and match schedule.

During Matches

Stay focused, communicate clearly, respect field staff, and adjust strategy based on real robot performance.

After Matches

Return to the pit, inspect damage, review data, make fixes, and prepare for the next match.

Interactive Check

Click the behaviors that build a strong regional experience

Select the strongest regional behaviors.

Required Quiz

Pass to complete the module

Each question is on its own slide.

Answer all 15 questions, then grade the quiz. Score at least 13 out of 15 to unlock the completion certificate.

Before the Quiz

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