I am the Executive Director of BEST Middle and High School Robotics (
www.bestinc.org), a free program for schools. We license our game to organizations, colleges/universities - any group that is willing to start and sustain a "hub" (local competition site). BEST is a fall competition and many BEST schools also do FIRST - but we've never polled our 750-plus participating schools to get a count. We welcome FIRST schools/teams to participate in BEST - they can then have a year-round robotics program!
This fall we have 33 hubs in 13 states. Our long-term goal is to grow BEST across the country, particularly in communities where schools cannot afford to compete in FIRST.
George Blanks
Director of K-12 Engineering Outreach
Ginn College of Engineering
Auburn University (AL)