A Request

[rishroy]

Being from a high school FTC team that's been in existence for the past 4 years and just finished their rookie FRC season, this is a topic we've greatly discussed between our team (and yes, I say the singular team because everybody on the FTC team considers themselves just as much a part of the FRC team).

I think we pretty much agreed the core "divide" between the programs that causes the whole looking-down-on-FTC is that FTC isn't just about the materialistic component of the robot and heat of the competition that FRC is so widely known for. FTC delves into, and praises, multiple other factors that FIRST is striving to showcase from its progression of programs, like holding an accountable engineering notebooks and Chairman's like interviews for normal judging just to name a few. FRC is a lot more mentor based, which I'm not saying is a bad thing, but in comparison to FTC, it just has a lot more involvement from multiple other people whereas FTC seems more student based and coerced.
It's just that FTC has been so downplayed by FRC teams, it's just one more thing an FRC team can do for community outreach, but it's not. It's not just a subset of FRC, a less hyped "petty competition" that only middle schoolers seemingly participate in.
When we got the overwhelming experience of being able to compete in the FIRST World Championship this year (as an FRC team), we were so excited because we'd get to see FTC compete and other FTC teams we've seen before at regional and qualifying tournaments. And honestly, when we sat down to see FTC finals play out on the Edison (or was it Franklin? I don't remember ) field, we were so disappointed because it seemed so small and pathetic compared to the loud spirit coming from FRC division qualifying matches. It was basically the Einstein's of FTC, and all that happened was a little bit of clapping before it was just shoved off to the side again from louder MC's elsewhere.
It makes all of us pretty sad when we realize how much smaller and less FTC is in comparison to FRC, because to us, FTC is still pretty freaking great. And it must seem that way to every single other FTC member too.
Like I don't know about anybody else, but winning the Inspire award? That memory itself may overshadow the fact that we were a part of the winning alliance of the FRC LA regional our rookie season.
I don't know. I'm sorry. I got ranty. I'm just really passionate about this subject, and in all honesty, I don't know what to do about it either. I'm torn between the feeling like I have to choose between FTC and FRC, and what sucks is that I love both of them so, so much. It sucks.

#my2cents