About the 4311 Swampscott Currents

FIRST Robotics Competition

FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is an involved, demanding program which over 4,000 high schools participate in. Each year, FRC teams are given approximately two months to build a large robot (often referred to as build season). FRC robots are then taken to competition, where they play an annually changing three-versus-three game. More information about FRC can be found on FIRST's official website. The Swampscott Currents have taken part in FRC since 2012.

Though it may seem complicated at first, the intricate task of building a robot provides countless opportunities for educational growth and enjoyment. 4311 seeks to be a competitive FRC team without compromising fun.

Yearly structure

4311 meets year-round to complete activities like training and fundraising in addition to build season. In the fall, the Swampscott Currents meet once a week - new members learn about their chosen specialties while the rest of the team works on other projects. On the first Saturday of January, or "kickoff," FIRST announces the game which the Current's robot must play. During the following two months, the team meets daily in order to design, build, and test their robot. In March, the team takes their robot to two weekend-long FRC events. The robot competes with other teams, and if it does well, the team is able to attend additional competitions like the New England District Championship or World Championship. After competition season is over, the team reverts to having meetings once a week to do things like clean the shop and fundraise.