Welcome to the 2012-2013 Michigan Middle School FTC® Site Page
Please excuse our appearance! The FTC portion of the FIRST in Michigan® website is currently under construction. It is scheduled to launch this summer! Until then, this page will contain the most recent information regarding this exciting addition to our family of programs.
Welcome to the 2012-2013 Michigan Middle School FTC® Site Page
Start a Middle School Team with a GM Grant
FRC State Championship Broadcast
Announcements:
Please make sure you check the Calendar and Announcements, linked to the FIRST in MI home page, for the latest updates!
FTC Workshop - Sept. 29th, Lake Fenton High School
Date: Saturday, September 29
Time: 9am-1pm
Location: Lake Fenton High School, 4070 Lahring Road, Linden 48451
* Use this address if GPSing
Topics: Robot Build & Programming, Field Comm, Game Strategy, Engineering Book, Judging, Competition, Resources, Q&As
Register: Link to the Registration Form
A full field with this year’s game elements will be on hand - bring your measuring tape! Light snacks and water will be available. Thank you to FTC Team 6265 for hosting!
PTC Hands-On Workshop - October 6th, Andover High School
The Bionic Barons (FRC team 2834) is co-hosting with PTC a free hands-on workshop to show how you can build a better robot in less time using PTC software products Creo/Elements, MathCAD and Windchill. All Michigan FRC and FTC teams are welcome to attend. Here is the flyer.
Date: Saturday, 10/6/12
Time: 9am - 4pm
Location: Andover High School, 4200 Andover Road, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302
To Register: Use this link.
PTC is a very generous sponsor to FTC and this workshop is great way to get up and running with their amazing products! To learn more about the PTC Design Award - a judged award at FTC events, click here.
Program Plan
FIRST in Michigan has big plans for middle school FTC. The goal is to start 100 new teams this season to add to our 46 current teams.
- Veteran FTC teams: Help spread the word through demonstrations and exhibitions in your area. Reach out to other middle schools or community groups and share your knowledge and experience.
- FRC teams: FTC is a fabulous JV robotics program. Talk to your local middle school about starting a team - great mentorship opportunity!
- FLL teams: Interested in the next step? There are graduation grants available to help!
- New to FIRST and like to start a FTC team? Welcome aboard! Many resources, including grants to help you get started, are listed below. Contact michiganftc@gmail.com and we’ll help you get rolling!
2012-2013 Season
Registration Opens | May 9th |
Challenge Announced | September 8th |
Tournament Registration | October |
Tournament Season | Late November - December |
FIRST Championship | April 24-27, 2013 |
Tournaments
A qualifying tournament system will be used this season. All officially registered MI Middle School FTC teams will have the opportunity to participate in one qualifying tournament. There will be a $100 registration fee for qualifying events and $150 registration fee for the state event.
Practice tournaments are proposed as a way for teams to get tournament and game experience before qualifying events begin.
- 2 to 3 Practice Tournaments - October, early November
- 6 Qualifying Tournaments - late November, early December
- 1 Championship Tournament - mid December
Tournament hosts and venues are needed! If your middle school/organization would like to host a FTC event, email michiganftc@gmail.com with your contact information and school location. Hosting is a great way to promote FIRST in your area!
Registration is Open
Registration for the 2012-2013 FTC season opened on May 9th. Teams register directly with FIRST via their Team Information Management System (TIMS). Please register your team using the words “Middle School” in your organization’s name. **Remember - returning FTC teams retain their team number. How to Register your Team(pdf) tutorial.
Start a Middle School Team with a GM Grant
Thanks to General Motors, a long time and very generous sponsor to all of the FIRST family of programs in MI, a grant has been made available to new FTC teams forming out of Middle Schools in our state.
To learn more about FTC in MI including program costs and starting a team with the GM grant: Start a Team Guide(pdf)
To apply for the GM grant, fill out this form to start the process: GM Grants for FLL/FTC Form
Graduation Grants
For the 2012-2013 FTC season, recent FLL graduates are eligible for two grants from FIRST and the LEGO Foundation. These grants are available on a first come-first served basis. If your team meets the grant criteria but has already registered/paid, just follow the instructions via the link and your team can be reimbursed. Details are available by visiting this link: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/ftc/grow
Useful Links
FIRST: www.usfirst.org
FIRST FTC: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/ftc
FIRST in Michigan: www.firstinmichigan.org
Past Season
2011-2012 MI Middle School FTC Tournaments