CompetitiveĀ RoboticsĀ Stream
FIRST Robotics Competition
FIRST Robotics Competition is BGC's flagship robotics offering. Every year the team is given a new challenge, and in just 8 weeks students design, manufacture, build, program, and iterate a 120lb metal robot. Students learn to build robots through direct support from dedicated volunteer mentors, who share their extensive technical expertise. The FRC program is really a team sport. Students will spend multiple years on their team, building lasting friendships with their teammates.
While past experience helps in getting started and competition results, no experience is necessary. Anyone who wants to start building and competing with robots can join. The most important thing is a desired to learn.
At a Glance
to
3-on-3 Matches
Robots play competition matches in a 3-on-3 full-contact format
Matches have the same energy as sports with fast play and hard hits. The rotating 3-on-3 alliances also give the opportunity to play both with and against teams from across the province
Fully 3D Modelled
The FRC robots are fully 3D-modelled, right down to the screws.
These models help make sure the parts will fit right the first time, and provide the data needed for manufacturing.
Manufactured In-House
Aluminium and plastic parts are machined in-house by our students.
This provides valuable experience in running manual and computer-controlled machines
Exotic 3D Printing
3D printed parts need to be strong enough to survive heavy hits and high loads.
Engineering filaments like carbon fibre-reinforced nylon are essential to making it through a match.
Advanced Software
FRC robots have complex Java software to control their systems and automated behaviour
Students develop PID controllers, autonomous movement strategies, telemetry systems, and much much more.
Computer Vision
Computer vision is essential to navigate around the field and align with goals, especially after a hard hit.
Cameras on the robot track industry-standard AprilTag markers, which let the robot determine it's exact location on the field at all times.
Outreach
The team showcases the robot at many outreach events throughout the year
You've probably seen us at Science Rendezvous or Princess St. Promenade promoting STEM and Robotics. Outreach events are also a great opportunity for students to get volunteer hours.
Fundraising
FRC Teams are mostly self-funded, driven by sponsorship and fundraising events
Students with an interest in business skills engage with local business and large companies to form and maintain sponsor relationships. They can also plan and run fundraising events.
World-Class Facility
BGC Southeast's STEM & Robotics Centre is one of the best FRC facilities in Canada.
Our full-size 50x27 foot practice field is one of 4 in the province, allowing local teams the opprotunity to test their robot at full scale.
Season Timeline
Dates are approximated for illustration purposes. Actual dates vary year-to-year and aren't known until mid-October
The FRC Season is broken into a few key phases:
Pre Season
Pre Season is our window to introduce new students to the team and get them up to speed. The team meets once a week during this phase. We also attend a pre-season competition to give new students a chance to see what events are like.
Build Season
Build season is when we get to work. Meetings increase to 3-4 nights per week. There's very limited time to get a robot built, so it's a busy window. Even though the team meets frequently, students are only expected to make 2 meetings a week. School is the first priority, and doing other activities is good for you.
Competition Season
Competition season is what the name implies. Our schedule revolves around the competition travel, and we'll adjust meeting nights to what works best for the team.
Post Season
After competitions are done, we go back to a slower pace. The focus shifts to doing promotion and outreach events like Science Rendezvous.
Competitions
Competitions are the focal point of the FRC program. It's our chance to show what we've build, improve it as we go, and meet all the other teams building for the same challenge.
District Events
We'll attend two district events. District events are two-day events with 30 local(ish) teams.
District events are our window to earn points based on performance and rank within the province.
Event registration for 2027 hasn't released yet, but in 2026 our events were at Durham College in Oshawa, and Nipissing University in North Bay.
Provincial Championship
If we earn enough points at our district events, we can qualify for the provincial championship.
Up to 100 teams from across the province compete in two divisions at provincials, making it significantly larger than our district events.
Provincials is a longer 3-day event to accomodate the larger number of teams
Provincials are generally held in Missisauga, though last year were in Niagara Falls
Competitions are generally too far to commute, so require travel and hotel stays. We know this can be an additional burden on families, and want to make it clear that attending competitions is not required to be a part of the team. Most of what we do happens in the shop, and while competitions are an amazing experience you can get most of the program's value without ever travelling.
The travel window also often overlaps with march break, so only being able to make one event is normal. This may impact elidgibility for some competition roles, but there will always be something for you to do.
Join The Team!
FRC is just finishing a restructuring, and the final registration process is still being worked out.
For the time being, there's a free program on BGC's Avocado platform called "Competitive Robotics - FRC". Joining this program during the registration window will add you to our mailing list, and we'll reach out with next steps.
Sign up on Avocado š„
FRC is open to students in grades 9-12. However, younger students who've done other programs with us can reach out and ask to join. Permission is granted on a case-by-case basis, based on past programs experience and remaining space in the program.
Any questions? Feel free to reach out to roboticslead@bgcsoutheast.ca.