Judging Presentation

This page plans the team's 5-minute judging presentation for FTC tournaments. We are targeting the Control Award, Think Award, and hoping to cover enough Team Attributes to be competitive for the Inspire Award.

Presentation Outline

• Team intro and overview of season story (refer to Think Award) - Caleb
• Connect - Everyone
• Think - Lucas & Lesly
• Control - Lucas
• Outreach - Matthew
• Sustain - Josephine

Intro

• Team name (SENIOR)
• Many of our members were 9th graders who had participated in First Lego League
• First year as an FTC Team

Connect

Think

• First year team - started with starter bot
• Improved with flap and odometry / auto aim
• Wanted an intake and mecanum drive
• Went with GoBilda RI3D
• Improvements
  • When we found something that didn't work well with the Robot in 3 days, we would work on improving it
  • For example, the diverter could go past these beams and then get stuck, so we added plates to prevent that
  • We also found that the artifacts (balls) could get off track in the launcher, so we added additional structure to keep them in place

Presentation Format (from Competition Manual A203-A205)

• Total interview time: At least 10 minutes
• Team presentation: Up to 5 minutes (uninterrupted)
• Q&A session: Remaining time — judges ask questions
• Requirements:
  • At least 2 student representatives
  • Bring a printed copy of the portfolio
  • The ROBOT or a visual representation of it
  • Any awards display materials

Presentation Tips (from research)

• Practice to 4.5 minutes to leave buffer — going over 5 min cuts into Q&A time
• Every team member should speak — shows team involvement
• Start with a visual agenda — helps judges follow along
• Be authentic — highlight what makes your team unique (1st year team!)
• Wear team shirts and show team spirit
• Prepare for Q&A — review the Judge Interview Question Bank
  • 2 mandatory questions (1 MCI, 1 TA) from the bank
  • Additional questions may come from anywhere
• Show the robot — demonstrate key mechanisms if possible
• Know the award criteria — weave them naturally into your story

Presentation Script Outline

Opening (30 seconds)

• Speaker: Josephine
• "We are Marcus Bartholomew the Third Senior, FTC Team 32314, from West Coast Christian Academy. This is our first season in FTC and we're excited to share our journey with you."
• Introduce team: Lucas (programming/driving), Lesly (building), Matthew (outreach/video), Josephine (driving/outreach), Caleb (learning FTC)
• Brief agenda: "We'll cover our robot design evolution, our control systems, and our team's growth this season."

Robot Design Journey (1 minute)

• Speaker: Lesly
• Starter Bot (Nov 2025): Built GoBilda starter bot to learn fundamentals
  • Tank drive, flywheel launcher, human-loaded artifacts
  • Added adjustable launch angle servo and variable speed
  • Key lesson: Great for learning, but limited maneuverability
• RI3D Bot (Jan 2026): Major upgrade based on GoBilda Robot in 3 Days design
  • Why we switched: needed mecanum drive for maneuverability, intake for autonomous play
  • Trade-offs considered: build time vs capability, familiarity vs performance, Diverter
  • Key improvements: mecanum wheels, intake system, dual launchers

Control Systems — Our Strongest Area (1.5 minutes)

• Speaker: Lucas
• Odometry + Pedro Pathing: Pinpoint computer tracks position, Pedro Pathing follows autonomous paths
  • Went from time-based driving → encoder-based → full odometry path following
  • Challenge: Coordinate system confusion caused bugs (sign errors on angles)
  • Lesson: Clearly define coordinate systems before writing movement code
• Limelight Camera: AprilTag detection for field-relative positioning
  • Integrated for autonomous and teleop position correction
  • Challenge: MegaTag2 integration was difficult, still improving
• Sensor-Based Automation:
  • Color sensors detect artifact presence → auto-switch diverter
  • Variable launch angle + RPM based on distance testing
  • Position memory carries over from autonomous to teleop
• Autonomous Programs: 9-ball scoring sequences
  • LaunchAllCommand for efficient multi-artifact scoring

Team Growth & Attributes (1 minute)

• Speakers: Matthew, Josephine
• First-year team — started from zero knowledge of FTC
• Skills development: Programming exercises from basic tank drive through PID algorithms
• Team roles: Everyone has multiple roles (list key assignments)
• Outreach: Created videos documenting our progress (What is FTC, How our bot works, How to support us)
• Sustainability: Coach works for microsoft, gets time re-imbersed, Recruit members from church and school, Can get money by fundraising if needed(talk about invatational tournament last year)
• Website: wccarobotics.github.io — documenting our journey publicly
• Community: Part of West Coast Christian Academy robotics program (also has FLL teams)
• Fundraising: Identified and acquired key upgrades (odometry kit, Limelight, mecanum wheels)

Competition Results & What's Next (30 seconds)

• Speaker: Lucas
• Carolina Scrimmage (March 1, 2026): 2nd in qualifications, won the finals 2-1!
• Scrimmage lessons learned (from engineering log): intake reliability, auto improvements, aim fixes
• If we had more time: Motif, Autopark, Aetter Aim, far Auto, Limelight Localization and Aim

Closing (15 seconds)

• "Thank you for your time! We're proud of how far we've come in our first season, and we're excited to keep improving. We'd love to answer your questions."

Q&A Preparation

Likely MCI Questions (prepare answers)

• How did you decide on your robot's design?
• What was the most challenging engineering problem you faced?
• How does your autonomous program work?
• What sensors does your robot use and why?
• How did you test and improve your launcher?
• What would you change about your robot design?

Likely TA Questions (prepare answers)

• How do team members learn new skills?
• What outreach has your team done?
• How do you plan for the future of your team?
• How do you manage your team and assign roles?
• What does Gracious Professionalism mean to your team?
• How has being on this team impacted you personally?

Control Award Specific Questions

• Walk us through your autonomous routine
• How do your sensors improve robot performance?
• What feedback loops does your robot use?
• How reliable are your control systems during matches?
• What would you improve about your control systems?

Speaking Assignments

Fill in team member names for each section:

Section	Speaker(s)	Time
Opening	Josephine	30s
Robot Design (Starter Bot)	Lesly	30s
Robot Design (RI3D Bot)	Lesly	30s
Control Systems (Odometry/Pedro)	Lucas	30s
Control Systems (Limelight/Sensors)	Lucas	30s
Control Systems (Auto Programs)	Lucas	30s
Team Growth & Outreach	Matthew, Josephine	30s
Competition & Future	Lucas	30s
Closing	Josephine	15s

Materials to Bring

• Printed portfolio (at least 1 copy)
• The robot (if allowed in interview room)
• Team shirts
• Laptop/tablet with code to show (if asked)
• Any awards display materials from pit