Nashoba Regional High School’s FIRST Robotics Competition Team 1768 capped off an outstanding season with a remarkable showing at the FRC World Championships in Houston, Texas, during April Vacation.
The team, made up of Anderson Brodeur (Driver), Caterina Romano (Operator), Victor Patrizi (Human Player), George Taylor (Technician), Kelly Rickard (Pit Crew), Jill Valentino (Pit Crew), Abby Fantana (Scouting Leads) and Sara Albanese (Scouting Lead), made it through two days of intense qualification matches, and emerged as the #1 seed out of 75 teams in the Hopper Division - competing in front of an audience of nearly 30,000. As the top seed, Nashoba led an alliance with Team 2767 Stryke Force from Michigan and Team 2877 LigerBots from Newton, MA. Together, they won the Hopper Division playoffs and advanced to the final round of the competition, the Einstein Tournament. There, Nashoba won one match before being eliminated, earning an impressive 5th-place finish in the world.
Nashoba Robotics' Team Director, Mr. Fordiani, commented, "To be there on Einstein in front of all those thousands of people was the thrill of a lifetime. To be there as a #1 seed and Alliance Captain, to be playing at a world-class level -- well, that is just incredibly satisfying. It's the culmination of a tremendous amount of work and attention to detail by 20 years worth of smart, dedicated students and mentors."
Teams earn their way to the World Championships by accumulating points through strong performances at district and regional events. Out of approximately 3,800 teams worldwide, only 600 qualify for the FRC World Championships. Nashoba secured their spot by winning both the URI and WPI New England District Events, and by finishing 3rd in the Sosik Division at the New England Championships.
At the World Championships, the 600 qualifying teams are split into eight divisions of 75 teams each. Nashoba competed in the Hopper Division. The champions from each division then move on to the final stage of the competition—the Einstein Tournament, which is considered the ultimate goal for every FRC team.
Each year, FRC teams design and build robots to compete in a brand-new 3-on-3 game. This year’s challenge, Reefscape, tasked robots with collecting PVC pipe pieces (coral) and placing them on a structure (the reef). Robots also had to maneuver to pick up large rubber balls (algae) and launch them into a net (barge). In the final moments of the match, teams raced to grab onto a swinging steel cage and climb off of the ground.
Congratulations to Nashoba Robotics for another fantastic season. To watch part of the action, check out the video!