For the first time in nine years, Coronado’s robotics team is competing in the FRC World Championship. The team competed in two regionals this season, the Pikes Peak Regional and, more recently, the Denver Regional, competing against teams from the states and Mexico. The Denver Regional didn’t go to plan; the team placed well, breaking a world record in the qualification rounds and making it to eliminations. But during the elimination rounds, the robot had a malfunction due to a bent wheel and was eliminated early. Championships are the team’s chance for a do-over.
The FRC World Championships, held at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas, is the final event of the robotics season. The top 600 teams in the world make it to Worlds, where they compete from Wednesday, April 29, to Saturday, May 6, ending with a winning alliance of three teams. Teams from the USA, Canada, Mexico, China, Australia, and any countries across North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The competition is an opportunity for the teams to come together and share ideas, showcase their hard work, and compete to see whose robot is the best.
Even though the team put in the work to qualify for the Championships by gaining enough points at their first regional, they are still working hard to prepare. The team’s chief business officer, Kelsey Modaff, explains that the team’s new, more efficient process means that the time before championships can be used as “valuable testing time, driver practice, and time to iterate on our design.” Even though the robot performed well at regionals, it needs to be even better to be competitive in the World Championship.
It’s not all too serious, though. Team members are also getting ready for the fun of getting to meet robotics members from teams around the world. Some members are arranging shirt trades, an FRC tradition of exchanging team shirts to collect memorabilia of other teams. Others are painting clothes and making bracelets, preparing to show off their team spirit at the event with bold red and gold capes, overalls, pom poms, glitter, and more. Some members are securing tickets to Roboprom, a yearly event held near the championship, and welcoming all robotics members who miss their school’s own prom because of the competition. Hundreds of students from teams around the world attend every year, showing off their prom dresses or their team spirit.
Anyone can keep up with the team and the events of the World Championship online through the Cougars Gone Wired Instagram account and the live coverage of matches.
