FIRST aims to inspire children from a young age in science, technology, math, and engineering, in the hopes that in the future they can positively impact the world around us. It also cultivates life skills such as planning, brainstorming, collaboration, teamwork, leadership as well as research and technical skills.

To cater to all ages of various interests, FIRST is made up of multiple programs.

There are four in total, with links leading to more information on each individual competition: the Junior Fremont Lego League [Junior FLL] for grades K through 3, the Fremont Lego League [FLL] for grades 4 through 8, and the two high school ones: FIRST Tech Competition [FTC] and FIRST Robotics Competition [FRC] for grades 9 through 12. Our team was created to compete in FRC, but our members do participate in FTC as well.

These programs are all based off the concept of ‘Gracious Professionalism^TM’, a concept that makes up the core of FIRST. Gracious Professionalism is the Robotics equivalent of good sportsmanship, and it stresses teamwork, kindness, and respect. Gracious Professionals work hard and competitively, but at the same time value their peers and are open to new ideas. The idea is that fierce competition and mutual gain are two intertwined concepts, and Gracious Professionals would be able to mesh them together as they work. Another principle of FIRST is ‘Coopertition^TM’, or Cooperation and Competition. Coopertition mixes a competitive spirit with a social one, and help students learn how to interact with peers. At the end of the day, gracious professionalism and Coopertition show students how to be sensitive and hard-working and how to live a balanced and meaningful life. Through Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition, students mature into responsible adults. They are also able to enjoy robotics in a positive learning-focused environment without inter-team hostility distracting them.

FIRST has already settled into Fremont, and FLL, FTC, and FRC programs are all offered to students. FLL has been available since 2002, while FTC was introduced in 2006 and FRC was revived in 2008.

FIRST has expanded rapidly since 1989, and the 2010/2011 season promises to be even more exciting. All the programs combined should be able to reach out to more than 250,000 students, in 22,600 teams, building 20,800 robots. Not only does FIRST organize events for all these students, it also provides scholarships as well. More than 12 million dollars in 746 opportunities are offered to FIRST participants.

All this is powered by volunteers, as FIRST is a not-for-profit organization. Students can volunteer as well, and will receive community service hours for helping out at tournaments or mentoring younger children in the Junior FLL and FLL programs. For more information visit www.usfirst.org.