Welcome to the official home of SCRIW, the South Carolina Robotics Invitational and Workshops!

SCRIW is hosted by two FIRST Robotics Competition teams in Columbia, South Carolina representing Lexington/Richland Five and Richland One.  SCRIW III will see 30 teams from across the Southeast playing the 2013 FIRST Robotics Competition game, Ultimate Ascent, one more time for fun and to introduce new team members to FIRST competitions.

Is it going to be awesome?

Absolutely.  SCRIW has hosted teams from as far away as Orlando, and many regional winners from this and past seasons have competed.  Two of them have made Einstein Field in their history, where the final four alliances of teams meet at the FIRST Championship.  The action is fast-paced and intense–this is not your average science fair!

WATCH: Video from the 2012 Palmetto Regional.

When and where is it?

SCRIW III is scheduled for October 12, 2013 at Irmo High School in Columbia, South Carolina.  Our official schedule will be posted in the fall.

IMAGE: SCRIW Parking and Load-In Diagram for Irmo High School

Can I just show up and watch?

We’d love it if you did! Like all FIRSTevents, SCRIW is open to the public with no admission charge.  Concessions will be available on-site; proceeds support the host teams.  If you desire to enter the pit area, please remember that closed-toe shoes and safety glasses are mandatory. A limited supply of loaner glasses will be available in the pits for guests; teams should bring enough for themselves.

What is FIRST?

FIRST, the United States Foundation For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, was founded in 1989 by inventor Dean Kamen to encourage students in the United States and beyond to take up careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields by applying the model of sporting events.  The flagship high school program, the FIRST Robotics Competition, started in 1992 with 28 teams in a high school gymnasium in New Hampshire.  Today, in its 22nd season, FRC has over 2,000 teams on five continents competing at 69 events in the United States, Canada, and Israel and the FIRST Championship in the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.

Each year, FRC teams receive a game challenge in early January, a kit of parts containing a mixture of required and optional parts, and just six weeks to complete their 120-pound robots.  This year’s challenge, Ultimate Ascent, has teams working in alliances of three teams to shoot frisbees into targets and climbing a three-level pyramid at the end of the match.  We will be playing on a regulation FIRST field by the same rules used during the season.

WATCH: Morgan Freeman talks about the FIRST Robotics Competition