TechFire ended the 2015 FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC®) season as a finalist the Carson* Division at the 2015 FIRST World Championship. In their best international performance to date, TechFire emerged from the qualification rounds as #18 seed and was selected by Team 4488 Shockwave from Hillsboro, OR and Team 67 The Hot Team from Highland, MI to advance to the playoff rounds. This powerhouse alliance showed amazing skill and finesse, but lost by the closest of margins in the final match, placing TechFire in the top 1.5% of FRC® teams in the world.
With over 18,000 students from around the globe this event was truly a celebration of science and technology, showcasing the hard work of our future engineers and innovators. The four-day event came down to a heart-pounding conclusion Saturday night in front of a roaring crowd of more than 40,000 when teams from Texas and California played on the championship field, Einstein, and won the coveted FRC® Championship Winning Alliance. In this year’s recycling-themed game, RECYCLE RUSH, FRC® teams took to the field, where competing Alliances scored points by stacking totes on scoring platforms, capping those stacks with recycling containers, and properly disposing of pool noodles, representing litter. In keeping with the recycling theme of the game, all game pieces used are reusable or recyclable by teams in their home locations or by FIRST at the end of the season.
TechFire mentor, Ben Martin, recapped the experience by saying, “What a ride that was! Back in the 2nd week of build season, we set the goal of ‘Get to Einstein’. We were only 12 points away from meeting that goal. 3.5 months and four medals later, this team has come so far and been more successful than I could have imagined. All the prep days in the shop and on the practice field—that’s what did it. Not a fluke, not luck, just hard work and effort. Great job to all the students, parents, mentors, sponsors, and supporters that made it happen”.
After a few weeks of well-deserved time off, TechFire will be back in the shop preparing for upcoming off-season competitions and outreach events.
*The FIRST Championship is the preeminent celebration of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The names of the playing fields honor some of the greatest scientists and mathematicians. Their work continues to inspire young people of FIRST — our future science and technology leaders.
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