From April 15 – 20, 24 student members of Ferradermis and 9 adults traveled to Houston, Texas for the FIRST Championships featuring 600 top FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) Teams from around the world. The 600 teams were divided into 8 fields, each named after a famous scientist, and each field played to determine a champion. The champion alliances from each field came together in a new playoff bracket to determine the world champion. The world champion alliance included perennial powerhouses MadTown Robotics from Madera, California and Jack-in-the-Bot from Mill Creek, Washington, as well as Maverick Robotics from Lafayette, Indiana and Iron Panthers from Burlingame, California. Playoff alliances were made up of 4 teams each, instead of the traditional 3, allowing the alliance captain to present a line-up card before each match, designating which 3 robots would play in that match.
Ferradermis played on the Galileo Field with 75 high school robotics teams representing 27 states and 6 other countries. The team went 7-3 in their 10 qualification matches, ending qualifications ranked #23 out of the 75 teams. This was the highest ranking that the Whitewater High School team has ever achieved at worlds, having also qualified for the event in Detroit in 2018 and 2019 and Houston in 2024. Ferradermis members had made a major change to their robot design and match strategy going into Houston, changing their bot from one that focused mainly on the coral game piece to one that focused on scoring the algae game piece, hoping that this would allow them to complement the strategies of the elite bots they would encounter. Although the bot performed very well, Ferradermis was not selected as part of a playoff alliance.
One highlight of the trip was a new autonomous routine for the robot, developed over many trips to the practice field in Houston. This routine allowed the robot to score two game pieces in the autonomous period for the first time this season, placing a coral on the top level of the reef, removing an algae from the reef, and placing the algae in the barge. Another highlight was a newly formed scouting alliance with IronClad, a team from Bradley, Illinois that Ferradermis had worked closely with at last year’s Midwest Regional.
Students traveling to Houston were Team Captains Andrew O’Toole, Maddi LaHaie, and Emerson Dunham, Subteam Leads Chacha Binagi, Erison Dreskler, Rae Breisath, Ace Hudec, Elora Wildermuth-Breitzman, and Andrew Zimmermann, and team members Asher Downs, Emilie Bruns, Letty Trautman, Virginia Nelson, Nina Heim, Jayden Kehrer, Georgia Esch, Preston Miller, Carson Miller, Colby Long, Vivian Harris, Margaret Brown, Cooper Housel, Cyrus Hudec, and Sam Raupp. Team members assumed many of the same roles that they had at previous competitions including drive team, scout, ambassador, and media.
In addition to four full 12-hour days at the George R Brown Convention Center for the competition, the travelers were able to add in a little fun on the travel days at the beginning and end of the trip. Upon arriving in Texas, the team’s first stop was Space Center Houston where they were able to visit historic mission control and experience the moon landing as mission control experienced it in 1969. Before heading home, the team made a stop at the Downtown Houston Aquarium.
The spring and summer will continue to be busy for the team. On Saturday, May 10, the public is invited to attend the second annual STEAM Faire at Whitewater High School from 10:00 – 2:00. The WUSD Robotics Booster Club has arranged for a large variety of interactive exhibitors for young and old to enjoy. The event is great free family entertainment. There will also be a LEGO Build Competition for students sponsored by Lake Home Info. (Students must register and prepare their entries in advance.)
Ferradermis has two upcoming competitions. The team is one of 32 Wisconsin teams invited to compete in the inaugural State Championship event on June 13 – 14 in Sheboygan. Ferradermis currently ranks #6 out of the 70 teams in the state based on season points earned. They will then participate in the MROC Off-Season Competition at Mukwonago High School on July 26 – 27.
Thank you to our season and worlds sponsors for making all of this possible!