[FTC]: VRC (VEX) AND FTC (Tetrix)

[jbbjjbt]

For those of you who do BOTH VRC and FTC, I have a few questions.

Team:
Are the team members the same, totally different or do they overlap?

Field:
Do you have one field and change the components back and forth or two separate fields?

Meetings:
Do you meet at the same time and place or separately?

Coaches/Mentors
Are the coaches/mentors the same, totally different or do they overlap?

Finances:
Do you keep separate records?

Schedule:
Looking at the schedule in the MD/VA area every date seems to have a conflict. How do you deal with conflicts between the two?

Anything else I ought to know?

Thanks

[Rick TYler]

Originally Posted by jbbjjbt

For those of you who do BOTH VRC and FTC, I have a few questions.

Team:
Are the team members the same, totally different or do they overlap?

After last year, we no longer allow the same student to do both programs at the same time. Our FTC season ends in early January, so those students then have the option of building and competing with a VRC 'bot at remaining VRC events. The teams that tried to do both at once last year failed spectacularly.

Field:
Do you have one field and change the components back and forth or two separate fields?

One field, two sets of components. It's a giant hassle.

Meetings:
Do you meet at the same time and place or separately?

Same time and place. If we weren't meeting together we would split into separate VRC and FTC clubs.

Coaches/Mentors
Are the coaches/mentors the same, totally different or do they overlap?

We have one LEGO programmer who only works on one FTC robot, our other mentors tend to pitch in wherever help is needed.

Finances:
Do you keep separate records?

Nope. One club, one set of books. Our FTC teams spend a lot more money, but they also tend to do more fundraising, so it kind of evens out.

Schedule:
Looking at the schedule in the MD/VA area every date seems to have a conflict. How do you deal with conflicts between the two?

Around here, the VRC and FTC organizers share schedules and we haven't had direct conflicts. I know the Virginia/Maryland area has a LOT more events so conflict is inevitable. I do not know how to deal with it.

Anything else I ought to know?

Probably!