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Originally Posted by E. Wood
To answer your question, yes creating VEX teams count. Our team has helped to start three local competitions including one vex and over 50 other smaller (FLL, FTC and VEX) teams. The vast majority of these teams were VEX based. When we won the RCA this year the judges did not say we helped create 19 FIRST teams and over 30 vex teams. They simply gave the total numbers.
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That is good to hear. Hopefully this is consistent from event to event.
Quote:
Originally Posted by E. Wood
As for the whole VEX versus FIRST idea, I think it’s rather silly. We all need to remember that the robot is just a tool to inspire the students. Who cares what parts it’s made of? Wishing one fails is not in the best interest of anyone let alone the students involved in that particular program.
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Honestly, I don't blame FIRST. But they should just come out and say, "Yes, at a "corporate non-profit" level we are "competing" with other robotics based competitions.
Why else would they base the minibots on FTC kits? And force FRC teams to buy FTC parts? It's an overt attempt to grow their newest brand and the one with the most growth potential. They've never been shy about growth being the primary goal of the program.
I do think they see huge growth of VEX in the same space as FTC and right now the FIRST brand is a distant second.
Logomotion, the minibots and Dean's speech ("you're a FIRST team") are all ways for them to strengthen the brand and grow the organization.
And I don't think anyone wants FTC or VEX to fail, at either organization. But they do "compete" against each other to some extent.