The TerrorBytes are excited to announce the inaugural TerrorBoost Grant program to support early skill acquisition and continuing skill enhancement within FIRST. The goal of this grant program is to fund rookie FLL teams and the spread of MiniFRC to other teams.
FLL rookie teams
The TerrorBoost Grant provides $500 grants to first-year FLL teams based in NC to aid with initial registration and material costs. Second-year teams are also eligible to apply, if they have demonstrated the potential to be sustainable beyond the grant.
The goal is to support the growth of FLL teams in our community and beyond, knowing how valuable FLL leagues are for inspiring younger students in the principles of engineering. FLL is a great and affordable way to teach middle schoolers the joy of competitive robotics.
MiniFRC hosting
The TerrorBoost Grant also awards $1000 to teams that want to host MiniFRC tournaments. MiniFRC is a quarter-scale robotics competition that teaches full-scale concepts by mimicking the compressed build season and intense competition day of a full-sized FRC game. Designed by the TerrorBytes as a framework to make FRC more accessible, participants design, build, code, and operate robots in teams of 2-4. Teams who receive the grant will be expected to host one full MiniFRC event or one MiniFRC-SE event. The TerrorBytes provide manual templates, field CAD, and documentation to support teams who want to host a tournament of their own.
The MiniFRC-SE (Special Edition) camp is a similar experience but condensed into a 3 day camp for middle school students, supervised by FRC students and mentors. This camp is appropriate for both students new to robotics and those who may already be participating in an FLL or FTC team and who are interested in FRC in high school.
The TerrorBytes have hosted 8 MiniFRCs and 1 MiniFRC-SE since creating the event in 2016. Many teams have expressed interest in hosting a MiniFRC of their own.
Applications opening soon!