2017 - Steamworks
FIRST FACTS:
Number of Teams:
3357 teams with roughly:
75,000 students
19,000 mentors
from 24 countries with
(2,682 teams from the United States of America)
Events Held:
55 Regional Competitions
80 District Qualifying Competitions
10 District Championships
2 World Championship
1 Festival of Champions
Robot Size:
2 sizes allowed: 36" x 40" x 24" tall or 30" x 32" x 36" tall at a times during the match
Bumpers are mandatory
120 pounds excluding battery and bumpers
Brief Game Description:
The game has a steam punk theme and teams are required to shoot whiffle balls which represent fuel into a simulated boiler which transfers the generated steam into an airship in the middle of the field. Each alliance has one airship, which they pressurize with steam from the boiler and load with plastic gears from the field. At the end of the match, robots can climb and hang on team-supplied ropes (or standard ropes supplied by FIRST) attached to the airship for additional points.
Indiana District - Tippecanoe Event
West Lafayette, IN
March 3 - March 5, 2017
Down in Indiana, we had a great time. We met a whole new group of teams while we learned the game. The students were able to get to try many different auton codes and was able to get in the swing of scouting. The new kids on the team learned how the pits works as of work flow, the chaotic environment, and how to talk to judges.
Our final match ended up being the highest in the whole competition with 346 points.
We ranked 19 place out of 38 teams and we made to the quarter finals.
We were proud of the team winning the Innovation of Controls Award.
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Arkansas Rock City Regional
Little Rock, AR
March 8 - March 11, 2017
We had a blast at Little Rock. We felt confidence with how the game is played. Our team worked really well together. Our team made several friends with other teams. We helped 2 Rookie teams through out the competition with work on the robot and words of wisdom / confidence. We stayed after to help them with their coding so there robot could move and to make their shooter work. The team went to a pizza party with many other teams and had fun playing games / socializing. The programmers wrote more auton codes that were a big surprise to the rest of our team.
We ranked # 10 out of 51 teams.
We made it to semi finals and lost by five points in our last match.
We were glad to have won the Imagery Award.
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First in Michigan - West Michigan Event
Allendale, MI
March 23 - March 25, 2017
We had a great time at Grand Valley State University. The students saw the campus and competed with neighboring teams from the West Michigan area. A huge bonus was having our friends and family join us to cheer the team on. The team was on fire with 8 wins and 4 losses. The drive team had their heads in gear and came up with some great strategies. In qualifying match 81, we ended up with the highest score of 441 points (matches 1 - 82).
In the end, we were 9th out of 41 teams. We were asked to join the 6th alliance team which was made up of Wired Cats #5675 and East Grand Rapids Robotics #5980. With the pattern of win, lose, and then winning the tie breaker, the climb through the finals was tense - edge of your seat kind of game. In the end we were victorious and won 1st place. After going through the judges, the second place teams created a path of high fives which lead to a tunnel created by second and first place winners. Cheers and high fives were given until the last person went through. It was a great memory for everyone.
Along with winning the first place title of District Event Winner, we also won the Entrepreneurship Award sponsored by Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers.
To top off a spectacular day, Taylor became a Michigan Deans list finalist, moving to compete for the title at a state level.
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First in Michigan District - East Kentwood Event
Kentwood, MI
March 30 - April 1, 2017
We had a great time at East Kentwood. It was our first time competing at the school and was glad to have it close to home. With it being so close, we could have our friends and family join us to help cheer for our team. Like all of our three other competitions we did very well and placed 11th out of 40 teams. We were asked to join the 5th alliance and made it into the semi - finals. Sadly we lost, but we put up a good fight.
At the end of the day, we were ecstatic to have won the Engineering Inspiration Award.
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Michigan FRC State Championship
Saginaw Valley State University
University Center, MI
April 12 - April 15, 2017
States was quite the experience. The top 160 teams (out of 454) in Michigan came together at Saginaw Valley State University to compete for first place and a chance to go to Nationals. This year the organization set up 4 fields to play at once (vs last years 2 fields) all named after four top Sponsors Consumers Energy, Dow, DTE Energy Foundation, and Ford. This year we were one of the 40 teams assigned to the Ford field.
The team were able to get their heads in gear, played hard, and smart. Making friendships with new teams from all over the state and having a great time with our neighboring teams. The team ranked 13th out of 40 teams with the record of 9-6-0. We made it into the Quarter finals with teams 1189 and rookie team 6344, but lost 2 -1 winnings.
We were glad to win the Entrepreneurship Award sponsored by Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers.
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FIRST Championship
St. Louis, Mo
April 26 - April 29, 2017
Nationals.... has been and always will be incredible. It's a complete awe- inspiring experience. One that is not only fun but educational for everyone involved. With 400 teams (from world wide) playing on 6 fields that alone will keep you busy with competing, along with exploring the pits stations. The students are able to make friendships and see the different techniques the other countries use in building their robot.
One unique opportunity about Nationals is the fact that all the levels of FIRST are in one location. Students can watch and mingle with the teams. This not only creates future friendships but also inspires the younger generations to continue this amazing path with STEM.
Along with competing.... team members are given the opportunity to explore the Innovation Fair (which has several of the major sponsors of First), Scholarship Row (which has several colleges there for students to talk to), and there are many conferences for everyone to attend. The conferences range from the latest science opportunities, involving your team with your community, and the various tools that are used on teams.
Every year our students have a great time and learn a great deal of new information. We explore/ experience as much as possible while keeping our focus on the playing field and playing a great game. The students played very well and against some very tough teams which we ended up in 38th out of 68 teams. We then joined the 5th alliance team with 2960, 3620, and 2164 and made it into the Semi-finals.
The team can be proud knowing they played their best, had lots of fun, and came back with more education then they began with.
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