FIRST is an acronym For Inspiration and Recognition in Science and Technology and “We are FIRST!” FIRST's mission is “to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well rounded capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.”

FIRST robotics teams are separated by grade groups. The Junior FIRST LEGO League is for students age 6 to 9. Student's age 9 to 14 compete in the FIRST LEGO League. High School students can compete in either of two teams set up for students age 14 to 18. FIRST Tech Challenge compete with teams no bigger than 10 students while FRC teams can have larger numbers. Our team is in the FRC or FIRST Robotics Competition League. FIRST robotics partners with NASA who designs a new competition challenge every year.

2012 competition was called rebound Rumble, where the robot has to be able to cross a barrior, a bridge and shoot hoops at three different heights, 2011 competition was called LOGO MOTION and is especially complicated because the game uses not only your robot, but also a mini robot that was a previous challenge with the FTC teams who could lend you their “mini-robot” to compete with. In 1992 FIRST started with only 28 teams in a high school gym. Last year 1,808 high school teams competed with roughly 45,000 students from Brazil, Canada, The Netherlands, Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Mexico. Last year FIRST is celebrating it's 20th year, and there were 2075 teams competing that year of which, 92% are returning teams.

In Minnesota the number of FIRST teams has grown exponentially in the past five years. We are the only state with a double regional which happens on the same weekend just a stones throw from each other. In 2012, Minnesota State High School League made First Robotics an state saction sport In 2011, they addded a Duluth Regional to help accommodate the popularity of FIRST robotics. It is highly diverse, there are people of every age and speciality. Each student and mentors of our team brings new and exciting knowledge to our team as a whole. Everyone has a space in FIRST robotics, and can learn and teach others. Our mentors are the catalyst to our learning about science and technology, they help understand core concepts, while teaching us to think critically and independently. They demonstrate respect for the students and help to guide us without doing it for us.

“Gracious Professionalism” is the core concept of FIRST robotics, and is the heart of everything we do as a team. Fierce competition and mutual gain are not mutually exclusive and FIRST has taught us that well. We compete our hearts our and every time we go out on the arena we give it our all. But we have learned that you can still try your hardest and be your best while treating other teams with respect and kindness in the process. You are only your best when you are competing against others who are their best. So we try as a FIRST robotics team to help and support other teams in the same way we would hope they would support us.

We are the Granite City Gearheads FIRST Robotics teams 3244 and “We are FIRST!”