On April 18th through April 23th, the QHHS First Robotics Challenge Team flew to Houston, Texas to compete in a five day competition with teams around the globe. FIRST, the name of the competition, stands for “For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.”

At the FRC Championship in Houston, our team, the 5869 Radical Robotics, competed in the Newton division comprised of sixty-seven teams that came from across the globe. Team Leader and Club President Amber Stricklen said, “We were not surprised to see that most every team in our division, Newton, had a climbing mechanism. With the help of team 118, the first place team, we were given a climbing mechanism. We were able to win three of our matches! Our end ranking was 54th place of 67 possible.”

Despite doing fantastic for a first year team, the QHHS team had barely qualified. Stricklen said, “When there are less than 400 teams qualified for a championship, FIRST sends invitations out to teams in order to fill the spots. They have a certain time slot to reply. If a team accepts and then drops the spot, it opens a new one. We had received an email on Monday, the 10th of April, informing us of an available spot.”

Another member of FRC Robotics, Tianchi Zhou, said, “I was surprised that we were even able to compete. But we competed really well for our first year at Worlds.”

She also said, “It was a lot of fun, and our team definitely learned a lot from the other teams. I had a lot of fun and want to go next year.”

When asked if there was any way their team could improve next year, Stricklen responded, “Our team was able to receive tips and advice from other teams competing at the championship. We now have several new ideas for next year! The team was not only able to enjoy the five day event, but was able to use it as an learning experience. In the end, we were all winners.”

Also, Stricklen said, “Next year, in order to improve, we plan on increasing our community outreach, reaching a broader range of sponsors and putting in effort to meet the criteria of awards.”

Zhou also said, “I think that our team could get more sponsors for the club. Then, we can afford to buy the necessary parts and can place higher up next time we go.”

Hopefully, FRC Robotics will get the sponsors they need and do better in the FIRST competition next year.