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 →
Fourth of July Parade
Texas Torque members took to the road this Independence Day to take part in the 17th annual South County Fourth of July Parade, held in The Woodlands, TX.
Torque students and mentors completed the 1.3 mile parade while talking to spectators about FIRST’s mission and the team’s accomplishments. There were quite a few questions about both the robot and FIRST as a whole, including a few inquiries about FIRST Lego League FIRST Tech Challenge. This year’s robot, Sonic, was also on display, shooting frisbees and maneuvering around while sporting patriotic colors, much to the thrill of the crowd.
The event as a whole was highly enjoyable for all who were present, and we hope that we will be able to participate again next year.
Texas Torque members Henning Skau (left) and Brian Wang (right) travel in the parade with Sonic in tow.
Lead Mentor Retires From Academy of Science and Technology
On Tuesday, May 28th, The Academy of Science and Technology honored Scott Rippetoe by holding a reception for his retirement. He has been teaching for thirty years, with twenty two years at the Academy. While he will be missed greatly in the classroom, he will continue to affect students through Texas Torque as the official robotics coach in Conroe Indepenedent School District. Events of the night included speeches, presentation of roses, and at the end Mr. Rippetoe took control of the robot for the first time this season, in which he entertained and impressed the crowd. Our team is eternally grateful for all his time spent working for the team, for leading us to the World Championships this year and for continuing his mentorship and friendship with each and every member of the team.
Texas Torque Featured on Local Fox Morning News
Texas Torque made an appearance this week on Local Fox 26 News as part of a post-Champs celebration. The team was present for a 6 minute news spot in which the members were interviewed and the robot was demonstrated on video. As an added surprise, Lead Mentor Scott Rippetoe received a stylish red Mohawk (Pictures Below) as part of an agreement: the team made him promise to get a Mohawk if they made it to the Einstein field at Championships. So far, he has gotten a lot of compliments.
The full video is linked below:
Interview with Fox
Texas Torque Wins World Championships
After an incredible season, filled with many highs and lows in competition, Texas Torque has returned from the FRC World Championships in St. Louis with not one, but two unbelievable victories, winning both the Galileo Division and the famed Einstein Field.
Following two intense days of qualification rounds, Texas Torque was chosen by FRC 1241, Theory6, who proceeded to choose FRC 610, the Coyotes, to complete the fifth seeded alliance. The competition in eliminations was intense; both the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds went on to three matches. However, our alliance pulled through past all challenges and unbelievable obstacles. Similar odds were faced in the final rounds on Einstein Field, and yet, with the combined efforts of the three robots, our alliance went on to win the championship.
This amazing achievement is certainly one that could not have been accomplished alone, and Texas Torque would like to to graciously thank FRC Teams 1241 and 610 for their incredible efforts as alliance partners. We are extremely excited to hold the position as World Champions, especially as Texas Torque is now the second team from Texas to win Einstein Field, the only team from the United States to win the Championship this year, and the youngest team ever to win the Championship.
Texas Torque Wins Razorback Regional
We would like to thank Mr. Alan Coats and Halliburton for graciously donating the entry fee that allowed us to compete at the Razorback Regional in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Because of their generous contribution of our entry fee, we were able to take 7 students and qualify for FRC World Championships. Again, we finished qualifying rounds as the undefeated first seed. We chose 1421-Chaos Robotics and 3612- Gear Hogs as our alliance partners and managed to win a regional completely undefeated with their help. We would also like to thank these two teams for creating a strong alliance that propelled us into the final matches. After becoming the winner of the Razorback Regional, we were also honored with the Excellence in Engineering Award sponsored by Delphi. We look forward to competing in St. Louis in two weeks!
Competing at the 2013 Alamo Regional
Texas Torque competed at the Alamo Regional in San Antonio this past weekend. We were seeded first and chose teams 624- CRyptonite- and 457- Grease Monkeys- as our alliance partners. The team had an undefeated streak in qualifying matches, but was unfortunately defeated in the third round of semifinals. In a competition filled with 61 incredibly competitive teams, the stands were filled with energy consistently, whether teams won or lost. We again took home the prestigious Industrial Design award sponsored by General Motors.