Teams

FTC

Applications for the 2023-2024 school year are now closed.

Introduced in 2011, the FTC teams are for 9th graders as well as sophomores, somewhat of a "JV League" for our organization. Our first FTC team was formed in 2011. Since then, we've grown to four teams serving 40 students. FTC is all about transition; over the course of two years, the FTC students become strong, hardworking, and skilled individuals ready for FRC and beyond!

During the 2022-2023 season, the four teams spent hours working in the lab building and coding their unique robots. Each team produced a robot engineered with skills they grew throughout the season. The four teams successfully competed in up to two competitions and were able to demonstrate their team values and strengths.

Season Timeline:

• Summer Training: First 2 weeks of August

• First team meeting: second week of high school

• Tournaments: one in December or January (on a weekend) and possibly one in February

• Last team meeting: week after the last tournament

Teams

FAQ

Q: What is FTC?

A: FTC, or FIRST Tech Challenge, is a robotics program based in the United States where teams of a maximum of 15 students in grades 7-12 each build and program a robot that will be used to complete challenges in tournaments to compete against other teams. At Cupertino Robotics, freshman and sophomores participate in FTC in teams of 10-12 students.

Q: How long would I need to commit for?

A: The FTC season starts at the beginning of the year and lasts until February. Each week, students meet after school for two hours on either Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday. However, as competition dates approach, it is likely that teams will want to meet more often, and there are optional meetings that we recommend attending. Each year, students attend 2-3 tournaments, which are held on weekends and take an entire day.

Q: Do I need previous experience?

A: No experience is necessary. As long as you have a willingness to learn, you will be able to gain all the skills needed to have a successful season!

Q: I don't go to CHS, can I still join FTC?

A: While joining the CHS FTC program is not possible if you don’t attend CHS, there are many other FTC teams across the nation that you can join. In fact, with enough resources and a trusted mentor, you could start your own official FTC team (for more information on that visit this website https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/ftc/start-a-team).

Q: Do I have to pay to be on one of the CHS FTC teams?

A: No, payment is not necessary to be on one of Cupertino High School's FTC teams, as we strongly believe that financial status should not prevent a student from experiencing the joy of robotics. The process to get on a team has absolutely no payment involved, but once you are on a team, donations to Cupertino High School Robotics would be very welcome to pay for the cost of running multiple FTC teams. Donations of $150 from each student are asked for, but smaller amounts would still be welcome if you are unable to donate $150.