Quote:
Originally Posted by Foster
And don't disrespect Pewee or Little League. The Pro guys got started there. You never know what motivates. I see stuff and go "cool, out of my skillset", but I see an easier / lower level and go "Hey, I can do that" and I do and oddly I get better. And soon I have that skillset to.
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As a member of an FRC team for 4 years, a returning mentor for this past year and mentor for FTC since it started as a middle school program here in Michigan this quote is really exactly what I believe FTC was meant to be.
Looking at our team these last three years, with 3 years of FTC gradeschoolers going through our program, the students who come out of FTC and onto our FRC team are far better prepared and skilled in all aspects of the build season. I think you put it best saying all Pro's got started there, in reference to the peewee's or little leagues or in your reference to using FTC to gain that skillset required for aspects of the FRC build season. Seeing how it is ran in Michigan it seems that it makes the most logical, to me atleast, that FTC leads to FRC. It seems as though the natural progression through FIRST programs should be jr. FLL to FLL to FTC to FRC. The robots get bigger as you go, it becomes more and more a spectator sport and the whole thing becomes more exciting.
That being said, FTC definitely has a place in even the highschool environment because it is much lower cost, the longer build season makes it less demanding during a specific six week season that FRC has(that so happens to overlap with midterm exams, not that that is exactly relevant). However funds are not the determining factor because if you work hard enough at it you can always find funds. For the most part, money doesn't just fall into the laps of teams as I'm sure FTC teams know, so it is up to the team to go out and find money.
I do not mean to offend anyone by this post, because I am a strong advocate and believer in FTC as well as FRC. This is simply what my experience, albeit limited compared to many of the other mentors on this site, has shown me. And it most definitely could vary depending on geographical area and many many other factors.