Gracious Professionalism and the Core Values
The rules that are not in the rulebook — and why judges, referees, and other teams are watching for them.
By the end you can
- Define Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition in your own words
- Name the six FIRST Core Values
- Recognise what these values look like, concretely, at an event
On this page · 5 sections
Most competitions judge only what happens on the field. FIRST also judges how you behave off it. That sounds soft, but it has real consequences: it affects judged awards, alliance selection, and your team's reputation for years.
Gracious Professionalism
- Gracious Professionalism®
- Doing high-quality work while respecting and valuing other people. You compete hard and you treat everyone with respect and empathy. No trash talk, and no fake politeness either. Dr. Woodie Flowers coined the term.
A simple test: would the other team's mentor be glad their students watched you just now?
Coopertition
- Coopertition®
- Competing and cooperating at the same time: helping other teams even while you play against them. That includes learning from teammates, teaching others, working with mentors, and both leading and being led.
In FTC, this is built into the format, not just encouraged. Your qualification alliance partner changes almost every match, so the team you help today may be the one carrying you tomorrow.
The six Core Values
FIRST puts its culture into six values. Judges use this language, so your team should too.
| Value | What FIRST says | What it looks like on an FTC team |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery | We explore new skills and ideas. | Prototyping three intake designs instead of copying the first one you saw. |
| Innovation | We use creativity and persistence to solve problems. | Documenting the fix that took four attempts, not just the one that worked. |
| Impact | We apply what we learn to improve our world. | Outreach that teaches something, not just a table at a fair. |
| Inclusion | We respect each other and embrace our differences. | Rookies get real jobs, not just sweeping the pit. |
| Teamwork | We are stronger when we work together. | The drive team can explain the code, and the coders have driven the robot. |
| Fun | We enjoy and celebrate what we do! | Cheering for your alliance partner's good match, even when you lose. |
What it looks like at an event
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Lend the part. Another team's servo dies before their match and you have a spare. Lend it. Nearly every veteran team has a story of being saved this way, and the favour always comes back.
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Scout with respect. Ask teams about their robot. Most will happily talk, and judges often hear about who was friendly in the pits.
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Talk to your alliance partner before every match. Agree who does what in autonomous and in the endgame. A two-minute conversation is worth more points than most mechanisms.
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Lose well. Shake hands, thank the referees, and fix the robot. How a team reacts to a bad match is noticed.
Why this is judged
FTC's judged awards look at your robot and portfolio, but also at how your team works and treats others. The Inspire Award goes to a team that is a strong all-round example of the program. A team with a brilliant robot and a poor attitude will not win it.
Check yourself
Your next opponent's drivetrain motor fails twenty minutes before your match against them. You have a spare. What is the FIRST answer?
Next
These values run through the whole FIRST experience, including what comes after high school. Next: scholarships, alumni, and careers.
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