About WCCA Robotics
WCCA Robotics is the robotics program of West Coast Christian Academy, located in Florida. We currently have three teams competing in FIRST robotics programs — one FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) team and two FIRST LEGO League (FLL) teams.
Our program teaches students real-world skills in engineering, programming, teamwork, and problem-solving through the excitement of robotics competition.
About FIRST
FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a global robotics organization that runs several competition programs for students of all ages.
FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC)
FTC is for students in 7th–12th grade. Teams design, build, and program robots using real engineering tools and materials. Robots compete in head-to-head alliance matches on a 12×12 foot field. There’s a new game challenge every year — this year’s game is called Decode.
Learn more about our FTC team →
FIRST LEGO League (FLL)
FLL is for students in 4th through 8th grade. Teams build autonomous robots using LEGO SPIKE Prime, develop an innovation project that solves a real-world problem, and are judged on core values like teamwork, discovery, and inclusion. Each season has a different theme — this year’s theme is Unearthed (archaeology).
Learn more about our FLL teams →
The Story of Marcus Bartholomew
You might be wondering — who is Marcus Bartholomew, and why are all our teams named after him?
It all started during the 2024–25 FLL Submerged season. One of the missions on the game field involved a LEGO shark figure. Our FLL team adopted him as their mascot and named him Marcus Bartholomew the Third Junior — and eventually decided to name the entire team after him.
When WCCA started its first FTC team, the students continued the tradition. The FTC team became Marcus Bartholomew the Third Senior — and Marcus got an upgrade with a cowboy hat, mustache, and cane.
And when a new homeschool FLL team was formed, they chose their own identity — Robo Gators of the Lost Park!
Marcus has become more than just a mascot — he represents our teams’ creativity, humor, and spirit. The students even have a pledge to Marcus and have written poems in his honor! 🦈
Our History
- 2023–24 — WCCA’s FLL team begins competing in the Masterpiece season, earning 2nd place in Robot Game and 3rd place in Innovation Project at their first Florida qualifier
- 2024–25 — The team earns its name “Marcus Bartholomew the Third Junior” during the Submerged season. They win the Champion’s Award at the Florida qualifier and go on to win 1st place at the Adventist Robotics Championship Tournament 🏆, plus the Rising All-Star Award at the Florida Sunshine Invitational
- 2025–26 — WCCA Robotics expands! We add our first FTC team (Marcus Bartholomew the Third Senior) and a second FLL team for homeschool students (Robo Gators of the Lost Park), all competing in the current season
Connect With Us
Want to get involved? Learn how you can support our teams!