By Caleb Peckham
On March 23, a major upset occurred. No, I’m not talking about the Wichita State victory over No.1 Gonzaga. March 23 was the final day of the FIRST Robotics Competition Phoenix Regional, and it was on this day that Team 3944, a second year team from Tempe Prep, surprisingly reached the elimination rounds and eventually was crowned champion. That afternoon, all the team’s hard work came to fruition and the Knights earned a spot in St. Louis for the 2013 FIRST Championship. Few would have believed this possible only two short years ago.
The Knights’ story begins on a muggy night in College Park, Maryland in June 2011. It was here that a small group of high-achieving sophomores began a quest that eventually resulted in the Phoenix Regional victory over many experienced and excellent teams. Tempe Prep’s group of seven students was at the University of Maryland for the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals, and they placed sixth in the large, international field. Everyone was naturally excited, but the team’s mentors had much more in mind. The last night of the trip they revealed that they would like the group to compete in the FIRST Robotics Competition, a much larger and more intense endeavor.
The Knights were incredibly nervous. How in the world could this team compete with the large, resource-rich schools surrounding us? TPA has no machine shop, so they knew all along that they would be working in a parent mentor’s garage. The participants clearly had a large task in front of them as they started in the summer of 2011.
This garage is quite small, with barely enough room to accommodate the team’s dozen members. The equipment is limited too, with few of the specialized tools available to the competition. Fortunately, no one was lacking spirit and work ethic, and the team knew that with enough work they could be successful. The team of mentors was determined to help the students grow as engineers and competitors, so a solid base was established for the next couple seasons.
Of course, even the best intentions can’t help a poorly functioning robot. This was the case with last year’s robot, which was supposed to shoot basketballs but couldn’t move effectively. No one was surprised when “Arishotle” was eliminated early and last year’s FIRST Robotics season came to a close. The students knew they had to commit next season to building a better bot, but things took a turn for the worse when a few members quit the team. If anything, the team thought this season might go worse than the last. Maybe the small charter school wasn’t meant to be competitive in FIRST.
The team members worked hard throughout the offseason, honing their Computer Aided Design and Java coding skills, along with adding new members to bolster their numbers. The six-week build season started in January, and the squad came up with a good design quickly. The robot at least looked good, and everyone hoped for the best once the competition rolled around in March. Unfortunately, things didn’t go very well in the qualification rounds. Although the robot, fondly nicknamed Tron for its flying disc shooting mechanism, was scoring points each match, it was not winning games and Team 3944 dropped down the rankings. By the last few qualification rounds the situation looked dire, and the team even began to pack up, expecting a humbling end to the second year of FIRST Robotics at Tempe Prep.
But then the story took a turn for the better, and Team 3944 had the good fortune to be selected by a powerhouse alliance of Sierra Vista Buena and Phoenix Carl Hayden. These two high school teams recognized Tron’s consistency and accuracy, and the robot quickly asserted its place in the tournament. These three teams bonded together to win the quarterfinals and semifinals of the playoffs, until at last the alliance dominated the finals to earn three spot in St. Louis. Guided by the steady hands of lead driver Luke Sandoval, Tron contributed its fair share, sinking many flying disc shots, climbing nimbly onto a metal pyramid, and playing crucial defense in the semifinals.
Buena High mentor Jim Forbes affirmed Tempe Prep’s key contributions: “We sure are glad we picked your team. You really stepped up when it counted, and we couldn’t have made it without you.”
All the teammates were ecstatic about their team’s quick rise to the top. Senior Albern Tan said, “The victory was amazing and completely unexpected. I don’t think anyone there or even on our team could have anticipated it. That just made it all the better.”
Similarly, recent graduate and current team mentor Gennaro de Luca said, “Our victory was unexpected and unbelievable. Winning against all those odds was an amazing feeling.”
Teammate Christian Seto added, “This experience has shown me that given the opportunity, we can succeed with hard work and a positive attitude.”
Lisa Dischinger, a member of the original OM team, said, “Generally I am surprised by our success but after seeing how well we actually played it makes sense. We were a consistent and reliable source for points and thus we were picked.”
In addition, the seniors and mentors are confident that the school will continue to grow stronger in math and science and recognize the benefits of FIRST Robotics. Albern Tan said, “The process has allowed me to realize the practical applications of all the math and science that we learn in school.” According to Christian Seto, “This win will definitely motivate other TPA students to join the robotics team and show interest in STEM.”
Head mentor Dave Dischinger was particularly excited to see the fruits of his efforts to “Merge the Socratic with the Robotic,” as he has succeeded in bringing Tempe Prep’s trademark discussion-based teaching method into the engineering world of competitive robotics. The future is bright for Team 3944, and they can take pride in overcoming difficult odds to reach the pinnacle of Arizona FIRST Robotics. They travel to St. Louis later this month for the 2013 FIRST Championship.