The Coronado robotics team kicked off their 2017 season with the reveal of this year’s game, FIRST Steamworks. The game is a Steampunk themed challenge played by three teams per alliance. The goal is to get the airship to take off by filling the boilers with fuel and placing gears to start the rotors, as well as climbing a rope to board the airship. To achieve this goal, the robot will have to be able shoot large whiffle balls into a raised opening and place plastic gears on pegs for installation by human players, and then finally the robot will climb up a rope to board the airship. This is the first year that people will be on the field during gameplay, interacting with the robot players. 2017 promises to be a challenging year and the team is excited to begin the process.

For the next six weeks, the team will meet for three hours every week day and for eight hours every Saturday. This time will be used to build the robot as well as work on strategy and plan for upcoming competitions. The process begins with many brainstorming sessions, in which the team decides on the best strategy and design for the robot. The team then moves on to prototyping in which design ideas are put to the test and the final design is decided. While part of the team is working on the robot, another part is working hard to complete the playing field. The Coronado team plays host for the regional scrimmage, an event where teams from all over Colorado come to practice for regional competitions. This part of the season is a real challenge, meaning that the special projects team has their work cut out for them.

The Coronado robotics team offers opportunities for students to become engaged in the fields of STEM and offers opportunities to gain leadership as well as technical experience. The team is run much like a corporate business, with the CEO being the leader of the team, and Vice Presidents taking on many of the team’s responsibilities. This provides experience in business leadership as well as team building skills. This organization allows for the delegation of jobs and for the team to run more efficiently during build season.

Madison Rutherford, 11, is the CEO for this year and she says this about the FIRST program and the opportunities that come with it, “Participating in FIRST gives high school student’s hands on experience with the different types of engineering…It takes those who tend to be quieter and forces them out of their shells.” The FIRST program also offers millions of dollars in scholarships and is highly valued when applying for colleges.
The 2017 build season is just getting started and the team is excited for what the next 6 weeks have in store. More information on FIRST as well as the 2017 game can be found at FIRSTinpires.org