Why is there a selection process for Westlake FTC. Hasn’t Westlake Robotics always allowed anyone who wanted to be on a team to join?
Until 2015, Westlake FTC was able to offer team positions to any high school students interested in robotics. In 2015, however, we reached our limit on the number of teams and students we can support given workshop size constraints combined with a shortage of volunteer technical mentors. Given that interest in Westlake FTC is still increasing, we have had to add a selection process to ensure that we are supporting those students who are the most engaged and best fit for our program.
What are you looking for in team selection? Do you have to have robotics experience to be on a team?
You do not have to have robotics experience to be on a team. The primary criteria for team selection will be passion and desire to learn, availability to commit the time for required meetings and activities, and gracious professionalism. If demand outstrips availability, then experience or aptitude would be a secondary selection criteria..
Is taking a Westlake High School robotics competition class a prerequisite or an advantage for FTC team selection?
Taking or not taking a Westlake robotics class will not affect your chance of placement as a rising 9th grader. However, if you sign up for a robotics competition class, then you will be guaranteed placement on FRC JV if you do not make a FTC team. If you do not register for a class and you do not make a FTC team, then you will not get to compete on a Westlake High School robotics team.
If I am enrolled in robotics class, do I need to go through the FTC tryout process?
Yes, you must tryout to pursue Westlake FTC. Being in a class is not required but also does not guarantee you placement on a FTC team. While being enrolled in a competition focused WHS robotics course does not guarantee you a place on a FTC team, it does guarantee a spot on the FRC JV team, provided you are not already on a FTC team or on FRC Varsity. . For more information on courses or the FRC JV team, you can contact Coach Norman Morgan at nmorngan@eanesisd.net.
How much time does Westlake FTC Robotics take?
Teams meet a minimum of 3 times per week totaling around 7 hours each week. Students can expect an additional 3-5 hours of work at home to complete assigned tasks, especially during weeks leading up to a tournament,
What if I want to do other activities and also be on a FTC Team?
Some FTC students have other activities they are involved in. It can work. Successful teamwork (in any environment – sports, robotics, etc.) requires team members who are consistently present to participate in the team activities. FTC teams meet 7 hours per week in regularly scheduled team meetings. The timing of these meetings will be conveyed before tryouts. This year it was Monday and Wednesdays 6:30-8:30 and Saturday morning or afternoon for 3 hours. The FTC regular season starts at the beginning of each school year and goes through the end of February. If the team does well, the post regular season tournaments can go through the end of April . If a student finds that FTC team meetings will conflict with other extracurricular activities in the Fall, they may want to consider FRC JV as an alternative option or consider taking a non competition focused robotics class. For more information, contact Coach Norman Morgan nmorgan@eanesisd.net or info@westaaustin.org
Does each team member have a different role on the team?
It is up to each team to decide how to divide up the work, but here is a list of possible team roles.
Builder
Programmer
Solidworks Expert
Project Management
Outreach
Marketing
How many students will be accepted into the Westlake FTC program?
That answer varies each year and this year will be driven in part by how many Technical Mentor volunteers we have in advance of FTC Tryouts. We need a commitment for three full time Tech Mentors to field a team. Each fielded FTC team will have approximately 10 students (rising 9th through 12th graders are eligible). There is a current cap of 4 teams due to current space constraints in our workshop to prevent overcrowding and safety issues.
Am I qualified to be a FTC Technical Mentor and what is involved?
If you have technical expertise, are willing and able to invest the time, and are motivated by inspiring young students, then this is the role for you! We understand this is a big undertaking, so we would encourage you to reach out to us now so that we can share more information with you, including inviting you to some working sessions and tournaments, so you are better informed to make this decision about whether this is the right fit for you. Our ideal scenario would be to pair up new Tech Mentors with seasoned mentors, but we are not able to predict or guarantee this as a possibility until we know our volunteer pool and returning mentors. With three Tech Mentors per team though, there should be plenty of peer mentor support and you will find that WHS FTC is a tight knit, collaborative, helpful community where mentors from all teams assist each other when needed. To learn more, please contact us at info@westaaustin.org . To see a list of different mentor roles and associated expertise requirements, click here.
When and how are team rosters determined?
Team rosters will be decided after FTC Tryouts by the FTC Selection Committee. Timing of tryouts will be communicated in advance through this website, school newsletters, and emails for those who have signed up to receive these emails. Contact info@westaaustin.org if you would like to be added to an email distribution list for this type of information.
Can I request to be placed on the same team with my friend?
No, it is not an option to specify team placement with friends. Team rosters will be decided by the FTC Selection Committee and the primary goal will be to have well balanced teams to maximized the potential success for all teams. For example, we wouldn’t want to have one team with 5 programmers and another with zero programmers.
How much does it cost to be in Westlake FTC Robotics?
The goal is to keep the participation fee as economical as possible and the fee is re-evaluated each year. The fee should never be a deterrent to participation, and WESTA encourages families to apply for a confidential, hardship waiver from WESTA to help with costs if needed.
How does FTC competition differ from FRC ?
Click here to learn more about FIRST and its program offerings including FTC and FRC.
Other than the competition aspects, what are the primary differences between Westlake FTC and FRC JV teams? fix table
| FTC Team | FRC JV Team | |
| Time Commitment | Minimum of 7 hours of per calendar week scheduled team meetings plus individual work at home. | 4-6 Hours per week in the Fall semester. Spring Semester will require an 8-10 per calendar week work schedule. |
| Season | Regular Season (Sept-Feb., 4 local Austin tournaments); Advanced tournaments through April. No limit on build timing as with FRC. | Off-season (Sept – Dec) Regular Season (Jan -April). Build season 7 weeks followed by an 8 week tournament season including Champs in late April. |
| Selection Process | Try Out Required (Boot Camp Day) | Automatic team membership if enrolled in either Invention & Innovation or Robotics Engineering, provided not on a FTC or the FRC Varsity team. |
| # of Teams and Size | 3-5 Teams based on Tech Mentor Volunteers and current target of 10 kids/team. | One team with a size to be determined based on enrollment. |
How does a team advance in a FTC competition?
Awards are an important part of the competition. As you can see from the advancement list below, award winners take half of the advancement slots.
1. Inspire Award Winner
2. Winning Alliance Captain
3. Inspire Award 2nd place
4. Winning Alliance, 1st Team selected
5. Inspire Award 3rd place
6. Winning Alliance, 2nd Team selected
7. Think Award Winner
8. Finalist Alliance Captain
9. Connect Award Winner
10. Finalist Alliance, 1st Team selected
11. Rockwell Collins Innovate Award Winner
12. Finalist Alliance, 2nd Team selected etc.
What will I learn in Robotics?
Robotics is a team experience. You will learn important life skills that will serve you as you progress through high school, college and beyond. You will learn how to work with fellow team members, approximately 9-11 students and adult mentors. There will be opportunities to design/build/program/test and/or drive a robot designed to meet specific challenges. Communication skills are developed through working with team members and mentors, written engineering notebooks and oral presentations. Another important aspect of FTC is Community Outreach. This is where students participate in community events that encourage STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Marketing is another component students can delve into as they promote their team at tournaments in both their display pit area and one to one as they work to solidify team alliances for some of the tournaments.
I am a parent and wish to help. What can I do to help? Do I need to have technical expertise to volunteer?
Only two Westlake Robotics coaches are Eanes ISD employees. Everyone else is a volunteer including mentors (most are parents but some are from industry), so parent involvement is crucial and mandatory to this program. A minimum of 10 hours is required by the parents or guardians of each FTC member. Tech mentor volunteers do require technical expertise but there are many other roles which do not. Please click here for more information about Mentor Roles and click here for information about non mentor volunteer roles. We also encourage you to contact us at info@westaaustin.org if you are interested to learn more about volunteering..