Summer Robotics
The last thing on the minds of most students is going back to school, but that is exactly what Texas Torque will do on Tuesday, June 4, from 3 to Continue Reading →
2017 Texas Robotics Invitational
From June 30 to July 1, Texas Torque had an awesome time competing at TRI. The robot did not have many changes since the Texas UIL State Championships, but it was a great chance for the team to test out new drive teams and positions. During qualification matches, we had some comm problems, resulting the team a low RP for the event.
The team was invited by 6377 Howdy bots, 3847 Spectrum, then we invited team 5986 Iron Fangs to complete the 5th alliance. We were glad to join back with spectrum, making it a Sporque alliance. (Thanks to 3847! They were giving our sporks at the event too).
Many Thanks to team 3847 Spectrum for hosting this amazing event, and congratulations to team 118, 3735, 4587, and 441 for winning at this event!
New Lab Open House
When FRC team 1477 was first established, we worked out of a U-Haul storage unit. We then moved into an unused science classroom at College Park High School, but it didn’t take us long to outgrow that space either. A few years ago, we presented our proposal for a district robotics center to our school district’s superintendent. Our superintendent approved, and in 2015 our new robotics lab was added to the district bond referendum. Students then went to polling locations to advocate for the bond, talking to voters and distributing flyers designed by the team. A few months later, construction began.
Mr. Rip, our lead mentor, welcomes visitors to the new lab.
Our new lab is a two-story extension of College Park’s gym wing. We drew up plans and sent them to the construction company, along with requests for equipment. Construction finished around the end of the school year, and we’re beyond excited to settle in and get to work!
Sonic, our 2013 robot, cut the ribbon to open the new facility. During the event, attendees were invited to try their hand at driving our robots. We also welcomed several members of the CISD staff who made this possible, including Dr. Stockton, our superintendent; Dr. Caffery, headmaster of the Academy of Science and Technology; and Dr. Murrell, principal of College Park High School.
Team president Eric R. and former VP London D. thank Dr. Murrell for his support.
We can’t wait to see where the new facility takes us! Our team is working to establish it not only as a new lab for us, but also as a center for robotics within our district. Come visit us during the Remix!
2017 Texas UIL State Championship
Competition season may have ended, but there was no shortage of robotics action last weekend at the 2017 Texas UIL State Championship. Teams from all across the Lone Star State came to the Austin Convention Center for two exciting days of off-season competition. The event is in its second year and also includes an FTC division.
During an exciting Day 1 and some tough qualification matches against many excellent teams, the team successfully showcased Corliss, our 2017 robot, and its unique abilities. During alliance selections, Texas Torque was invited to join team 148, the Robowranglers, on the 2nd-seed alliance. We then invited team 5417 Eagle Robotics to join our alliance. Throughout the elimination rounds, our alliance performed well, efficiently scoring points and working together. In the finals, however, we were defeated by the 1st-seed alliance. (The captains of the 1st-seed alliance, team 118 the Robonauts, won last year’s inaugural UIL championship; we congratulate them on successfully defending their title!)
We would like to congratulate teams 118, 3310 and 6547 for winning the second Texas UIL State Championship. We had a great time playing against y’all, and we look forward to seeing you at future off-season events!
2017 FIRST Houston World Championship
As the last event of our official 2017 season, Texas Torque attended the inaugural Houston World Championship (our 7th consecutive World Championship) after qualifying at Hub City (Finalist Alliance Captain) and Lone Star Central Regional (Regional Winners, Chairman’s Award). Located in the George R. Brown Convention Center and Minute Maid Park, the championship brought more than 400 teams to Houston.
Texas Torque played on the Roebling field, competing against 66 other teams for a spot on Einstein. Through qualification matches, Texas Torque played well, ending with a 7-5-0 win-loss record. We selected team 1414 IHOT, team 5803 Apex Robotics, and team 6508 Hastings to join us in the eighth-seeded alliance. During playoffs, our alliance was eliminated in the quarterfinals against the alliance that would go on to win Roebling and Einstein.
Congratulations to Roebling winners 973, 1011, 2928, and 5499 for their stunning performance and World Championship victory! We would also like to congratulate our friends the Robonauts for reappearing on Einstein as the Newton division champions, as well as team 3132 the Thunder Down Under for their induction into the Hall of Fame.
We’re thankful to have enjoyed a successful and action-packed 2017 season, but the action hasn’t ended yet — we’ll be taking flight this May at the Texas UIL State Championships!
FRC Top 25 (Week 5)
Earlier this week, First Updates Now (FUN) asked fans to vote on which teams they thought deserved to be the top 25 robots out of all the Week 1 competitors. After voting closed, FUN announced their results on their First Updates Now livestream on April 4th. As Texas Torque members eagerly watched the livestream, we were very excited to find out that out of the over 800 teams that competed in Week 5, Texas Torque was voted the #19 spot! To see the full list, you can watch the episode here. We’re looking forward to attending Houston Champs in 2 weeks and keeping Texas Torque in the top 25!
Lone Star North Regional
Texas Torque was honored to host the Week 5 Lone Star North Regional at College Park High School this past weekend. We had 33 teams from Florida to Mexico to Turkey compete to become the winning alliance. Texas Torque spent the practice day making mechanical changes to our robot, adding on a new floor gear intake. During the qualification matches, Texas Torque played very well, ending with a 9-2 win/loss record and a 1.90 ranking score, placing us 2nd.
During alliance selections, we allied with 2992 S.S. Prometheus, 4295 Hudson Robotics, and later, 6363 Ricebird Robotics. We had a great run, but lost in Semifinals to a great 3rd seeded alliance (who went on to win the regional!). We would like to congratulate 3284 Camdenton 4H LASER, 5842 Royal Robotics, and 6547 Flaming Metal Robotics on their regional win! Serious props to our mentee team Flaming Metal Robotics – they won their first and only regional of their rookie year!
During the awards ceremony, Texas Torque took home the Quality Award, and our own Ithza Lopez was chosen as a Dean’s List Finalist! Also, a HUGE congratulations to our friends 2881 Lady Cans for winning their first Chairman’s Award!!!
We would also like to give a huge thanks to the student, parent and mentor volunteers that helped our first ever regional run so smoothly! We’re looking forward to hosting more in our new lab these coming years.