FIRST Robotics Competition Orlando Regional

March 9, 2012

An expected 64 area high schools will bring hundreds of students, teachers, mentors, sponsors and family members to participate in the FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC®) at the Orlando Regional Competition March 8-10, 2012. This high-tech sporting event will produce excitement and energy for participants and spectators alike, as teams compete for honors and recognition that reward design excellence, sportsmanship, teamwork, and more.

International teams from Australia and the Dominican Republic, as well as teams from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Army base in Frankfort, Germany, will be competing with teams from Florida and throughout the U.S.

The 2012 “Rebound Rumble” robotics game is played between two Alliances of three teams each. Each Alliance competes by trying to score as many of the basketballs in the hoops as possible during the two-minute and 15-second match. Balls scored in higher hoops score teams more points. Team Alliances are awarded bonus points if they are balanced on bridges at the end of the match.

About Orlando FIRST Robotics

Florida FIRST Robotics Competition started in 1999 with 28 teams at the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Center. After four years of dramatic growth, the decision was made to move to the University of Central Florida Arena in 2003. The 2011 Regional had 58 teams from throughout Florida. In previous years, there have been teams from other States, Canada and Great Britain. The event has become an international favorite as evidenced by the participation of teams from Australia, the Dominican Republic, Germany and Puerto Rico among the 64 teams competing at the March 8-10, 2012 Orlando Regional competition at UCF.

About FIRST

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a not-for-profit organization, founded by inventor Dean Kamen, dedicated to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. The FIRST Robotics Competition is a program that challenges high school students — working with professional Mentors — to design and build a robot to contend in competitions that measure the effectiveness of each robot, the power of collaboration and the determination of students.