Los Angeles Regional – 2023

Los Angeles Regional – 2023

by | Mar 30, 2023 | Blog, Los Angeles

This year’s FIRST Robotics Competition Los Angeles Regional, held at Da Vinci High School in El Segundo, was a great success! The event was at full capacity with 44 teams participating, and despite some occasional rain moving in and out of the area, everyone managed to stay dry, and teams reported having a great time.

Students were excited to have visits with Cathy Looman, Director of Education for season sponsor HAAS Automation, and Annabel Flores, Chief Operating Officer, Global Spectrum Dominance, for local lead sponsor Raytheon Technologies. Annabel welcomed teams Sunday morning during Opening Ceremony, sharing some of her personal experiences in the professional world and offering words of encouragement to all the students participating.

On Friday, team 4201 Vitruvian Bots held a panel on Neurodiversity in STEAM, sponsored by LA Regional sponsor Raytheon. Nearly 100 students and mentors gathered to hear from panelists discussing some of the challenges and triumphs they’ve experienced as students and professionals in STEAM. Panelists also shared suggestions for students about how to successfully pursue any needed accommodations as they navigate their educational and professional futures.

 Saturday night, the Woodie Flowers Finalist Award was presented to Rigoberto Cruz, mentor for team 5089 Robo-Nerds. It turned out to be a very exciting weekend for team 5089 Robo-Nerds, as the team also received the FIRST Impact Award for the region on Sunday night! The Volunteer of the Year was presented to Joan Horvath, who has served as Judge Advisor for a number of years, and has been a judge in Los Angeles since the region started in 2000.

The playoffs were highly competitive, with well-matched alliances turning in close-scoring matches. In the end, Team 5199 Robot Dolphins from Outer Space led the winning alliance, along with team 687 Nerd Herd, team 702 Bagel Bytes and team 6833, Phoenix Robotics.

Gracious host venue Da Vinci High School and their team, 4201 Vitruvian Bots, helped make it possible for FIRST CA to hold another successful LA Regional!

View Event Photo Gallery

Big thanks to Matt with Matt Beard Photography for capturing these amazing Los Angeles Regional memories!

Feel free to download and share any of these photos.  You can tag FIRST California on Instagram at @firstroboticscalifornia and use hashtags #FIRSTinCA, #firstininspires, #CHARGEDUP and #omgrobots.

LIST OF TEAMS ADVANCING TO CHAMPIONSHIPS IN HOUSTON!!!

The following teams and individuals earned top honors at the Orange County Regional and earned their way to compete at the FIRST Championships in Houston, April 19-22, 2023

FIRST Impact Award

The FIRST Impact Award is the most prestigious award at FIRST, it honors the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate and best embodies the purpose and goals of FIRST.   

The FIRST Impact Award is presented to the team judged to have the most significant measurable impact of its partnerships among its participants and community over a sustained period, not just a single build season. The winner is able to demonstrate progress towards FIRST’s mission of transforming our culture.  The recipient team will be invited to a FIRST Championship where it will compete for the FIRST Impact Award against winners from other qualifying events.

  • Team 5089 – Robo-Nerds from Los Angeles, CA

    Engineering Inspiration

    The Engineering Inspiration Award celebrates outstanding success in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering within a team’s school and community.  This team will advance to the Championships and receive a $5000 NASA grant toward registration.

    • 4201 – The Vitruvian Bots from El Segundo, CA

     

    Regional Winners

    • Team 687, The Nerd Herd from Carson, CA
    • Team 5199, Robot Dolphins from Outer Space from Dana Point, CA
    • Team 702, Bagel Bytes from Culver City, CA

    Dean’s List Finalist

    In an effort to recognize the leadership and dedication of FIRST’s most outstanding FRC students, the Kamen family sponsors an award for selected top students known as the FIRST Dean’s List. This award celebrates a student’s outstanding leadership and effectiveness in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering and engineers, both within their school, as well as their community. FIRST Dean’s List Finalists will compete at the championship for the FIRST Dean’s List.

    • Brianna Adewinmbi from Team 687, The Nerd Herd
    • Naomi Uehara from Team 4201, The Vitruvian Bots

    Woodie Flowers Finalist Award

    FIRST stands apart from other competitions in STEM and sports due to the FIRST Ethos of Gracious Professionalism, the concept of Coopertition, and the commitment to the FIRST Core Values. The guiding force behind these principles was Dr. Woodie Flowers. Dr. William Murphy, Jr., who was instrumental in creating the concept of FIRST with Dean Kamen, recognized the unique perspective, wisdom, and communication style that Woodie brought to the FIRST Robotics Competition.

    In honor of Woodie, Dr. Murphy founded the Woodie Flowers Award in 1996. He recognized that the FIRST ethos would be carried forward by our FIRST mentors and sought to celebrate those mentors who demonstrate the leadership, ethical behavior, and communication skills exemplified by Woodie. Woodie believed “societies get the best of what they celebrate”.

    Being recognized by students, through nomination essays, makes this honor very meaningful to mentors. It is truly an honor for a mentor to be nominated for this award.

    “This mentor evolved from starting an FRC team with a few students to a strong contingent of support for all three FIRST programs. He not only emphasizes technical skills but embraces everyone’s natural talents to help them improve and build a better team. He has made great strides in creating opportunities for underrepresented students and combating language barriers. He is helping his students cruise to success.

    Please join us in congratulating the 2023 Los Angeles Regional Woodie Flowers FINALIST Award winner, Rigoberto Cruz, from Team 5089, The Robo-Nerds!“

    • Rigoberto Cruz, from Team 5089, The Robo-Nerds

    Additional Awards

    Congratulations to the Teams and individuals that earned the remaining awards at the Los Angeles Regional! See the list here.

    Instagram Highlights

    Don’t Miss Out on the Best Moments of Los Angeles Regional. Watch Our Instagram Highlight Tab!

    Central Valley Regional – 2023

    Central Valley Regional – 2023

    by | Mar 23, 2023 | Blog, Central Valley

    The FIRST Robotics Competition Central Valley Regional, at the Fresno Convention Center from March 9-12, 2023, was a big success!  There were 39 teams in attendance and the weekend was Charged Up! 

    Among the teams that came from all parts of California, we also had teams visiting from Arizona, Idaho, Mexico and Chinese Taipei. The teams had a special visit from Patti Poppe, the CEO of Pacific Gas & Electric Company. Patti and her husband Eric, along with matching funds from PG&E, donated $200,000 to Northern California FIRST events and teams, including 20 of the teams competing at the regional.  And they announced they were committing to another $200,000 for the 2024 season! 

    The Central Valley Regional was also hosting several local FIRST Tech Challenge and FIRST LEGO League Challenge and Explore teams, which included the a team that will be competing at the World Championship in Houston this April. There was even more excitement for teams when they visited the Air Force booth and got to talk with officers about the many opportunities that exist using the skills they learn through FIRST within the Air Force and Space Force. 

    The competition was filled with excitement and culminated with many awards to teams for their skills, talents, performance, outreach, dedication, and Gracious Professionalism at the event. In fact, 47 individuals were awarded an exclusive FIRST California Gracious Professional pin for being ‘Caught in the Act!’

    We’d like to extend an immense THANK YOU to all the sponsors, mentors and volunteers who contributed to this very successful Regional.

    We hope you too had a memorable experience at the Central Valley Regional! 

    LIST OF TEAMS ADVANCING TO CHAMPIONSHIPS IN HOUSTON!!!

    The following teams and individuals earned top honors at the Central Valley Regional and earned their way to compete at the FIRST Championships in Houston, April 19-22, 2023

    FIRST Impact Award

    The FIRST Impact Award represents the true spirit of FIRST.  It honors the team that best serves as a model for other teams to emulate and that embodies the goals of FIRST.  It remains FIRST’s most prestigious team award.  The FIRST Impact Award is presented to the team judged to have the most significant measurable impact of its partnerships among its participants, school, and community over a sustained period, not just a single build season or school year. The winner is able to demonstrate progress towards FIRST’s mission of transforming our culture.  The recipient will be invited to the FIRST Championship where it will compete for the FIRST Impact Award against the winners from all the other qualifying events.

    You can watch their Impact Award video here.

      Engineering Inspiration

      The Engineering Inspiration Award celebrates outstanding success in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering within a team’s school and community.  This team will advance to the Championships and receive a $5000 NASA grant toward registration.

      This team’s dedicated outreach team strives to bring engineering and stem fields to underrepresented communities. They empower Girl Scouts and kids of all ages, those with learning disabilities and other nations through their robust outreach. Their sustained outreach efforts prove they are anything but inert.

      • Team 840, Aragon Robotics from San Mateo, CA

      Regional Winners

       

      Dean’s List Finalist

      In an effort to recognize the leadership and dedication of FIRST’s most outstanding FRC students, the Kamen family sponsors an award for selected top students known as the FIRST Dean’s List. This award celebrates a student’s outstanding leadership and effectiveness in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering and engineers, both within their school, as well as their community. FIRST Dean’s List Finalists will compete at the championship for the FIRST Dean’s List.

      • Anisha Shukla from Team 2135, Presentation Invasion
      • Emilia Plancarte from Team 4400, Cerbotics

      Woodie Flowers Finalist Award

      FIRST stands apart from other competitions in STEM and sports due to the FIRST Ethos of Gracious Professionalism, the concept of Coopertition, and the commitment to the FIRST Core Values. The guiding force behind these principles was Dr. Woodie Flowers. Dr. William Murphy, Jr., who was instrumental in creating the concept of FIRST with Dean Kamen, recognized the unique perspective, wisdom, and communication style that Woodie brought to the FIRST Robotics Competition.

      In honor of Woodie, Dr. Murphy founded the Woodie Flowers Award in 1996. He recognized that the FIRST ethos would be carried forward by our FIRST mentors and sought to celebrate those mentors who demonstrate the leadership, ethical behavior, and communication skills exemplified by Woodie. Woodie believed “societies get the best of what they celebrate”.

      Being recognized by students, through nomination essays, makes this honor very meaningful to mentors. It is truly an honor for a mentor to be nominated for this award.

      You shared high praise for the accomplishments and dedication of your mentors and your teams. Based on your input, we now recognize the outstanding contributions of ONE mentor to the FIRST experience.

      This nominee has dedicated over half their life to the FIRST mission. Their passion and commitment to their team and FIRST is unmatched. They work to make their team and their community more efficient and effective. This mentor works with nearly every part of their team from design, software, business, and graphic design inspiring their students to be well-rounded. He is an exceptional role model to students on their teams and to every team he works with.

      Please join us in congratulating the 2023 Central Valley Regional Woodie Flowers FINALIST Award winner, Andrew Nabors, from Team 1671! 

      • Andrew Nabors from Team 1671, Buchanan Bird Brains

      Additional Awards

      Congratulations to the Teams and individuals that earned the remaining awards at the Central Valley Regional! See the list here.

      Instagram Highlights

      Don’t Miss Out on the Best Moments of Central Valley. Watch Our Instagram Highlight Tab!

      Ventura County Regional – 2023

      Ventura County Regional – 2023

      by | Mar 21, 2023 | Blog, Ventura

      Congratulations to the 46 Teams PLUS all the Mentors, Volunteers, Sponsors, Friends and Family members from all over California, Hawai, Idaho, Nevada, the Netherlands, Mexico and Chinese Taipei who participated in the FIRST Robotics Competition Ventura County Regional from March 9-12, 2023.

      Week 2 at the Ventura County Regional was full of excitement! Weather was upon us so we had leaks in the roof and a flooded pit (no damage to the robot or equipment), but nothing can keep FIRST students from competition.

      The bar was high from Week 1, but this week did not disappoint.  High Tide, Team 4414, raced to the front with Hawaiian Kids, Team 359 on their heels.  They formed two alliances and ended head to head in the finals with Alliance #1 coming out ahead.  But, several wildcards were now available, so both the first and second alliance are headed to Worlds in Houston.  Team 1836, The Miliken Knights, Team 5274, Wolverines, and rookie team 9084, Octobots are on their way to Houston.

      The Rembrandts, Team 4481 from The Netherlands won the Impact Award and students from Team 599, Robodocs and Team 4481, Team Rembrandts won the FIRST Dean’s List Finalist Awards.

      The Volunteer of the Year was awarded to Angel Zamarron, the STEM Outreach Director from the Navy command, NAVAIR from Pt Mugu, and the Regional Inspiration Award was awarded to Team 1138, Eagle Engineering.

      Kathy Looman from the Gene Haas Foundation was our guest speaker along with several speakers from the Naval commands.

      We’d like to extend an immense THANK YOU to all the sponsors, mentors and volunteers who contributed to this very successful Regional.

      We hope you too had a memorable experience at the Ventura County Regional!

      View Photo Gallery

      We’ve capture some of those great moments from the Regional for you. Feel free to find your team and download pics in the gallery below and tag @firstroboticscalifornia on Instagram is you share them.

      LIST OF TEAMS ADVANCING TO CHAMPIONSHIPS IN HOUSTON!!!

      The following teams and individuals earned top honors at the Ventura County Regional and earned their way to compete at the FIRST Championships in Houston, April 19-22, 2023

      FIRST Impact Award

      The FIRST Impact Award represents the true spirit of FIRST.  It honors the team that best serves as a model for other teams to emulate and that embodies the goals of FIRST.  It remains FIRST’s most prestigious team award.  The FIRST Impact Award is presented to the team judged to have the most significant measurable impact of its partnerships among its participants, school, and community over a sustained period, not just a single build season or school year. The winner is able to demonstrate progress towards FIRST’s mission of transforming our culture.  The recipient will be invited to the FIRST Championship where it will compete for the FIRST Impact Award against the winners from all the other qualifying events.

      • Team 4481, Team Rembrandts from Eindhoven, Netherlands

        Engineering Inspiration

        The Engineering Inspiration Award celebrates outstanding success in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering within a team’s school and community.  This team will advance to the Championships and receive a $5000 NASA grant toward registration.

        • Team 1138, Eagle Engineering from West Hills, CA

        Regional Winners

        • Team 4414, High Tide from Ventura, CA
        • Team 4481, Team Rembrandts from Eindhoven, Netherlands
        • Team 4, Team 4 Element from Van Nuys, CA

        Regional Finalists

        • Team 9084, Octobots from Goleta, CA (wildcard)
        • Team 5274, Wolverines from Sacramento, CA (wildcard)
        • Team 1836, MilkenKnights from Los Angeles, CA (wildcard)

        Dean’s List Finalist

        In an effort to recognize the leadership and dedication of FIRST’s most outstanding FRC students, the Kamen family sponsors an award for selected top students known as the FIRST Dean’s List. This award celebrates a student’s outstanding leadership and effectiveness in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering and engineers, both within their school, as well as their community. FIRST Dean’s List Finalists will compete at the championship for the FIRST Dean’s List.

        • Merle Leurs from Team 4481, Team Rembrandts
        • Angel Eunisse Yanga from Team 599, The Robodox

        Woodie Flowers Finalist Award

        • Stephen des Jardins from Team 2102, Team Paradox

        Additional Awards

        Congratulations to the Teams and individuals that earned the remaining awards at the Ventura County Regional! See the list here.

        Instagram Highlights

        Don’t Miss Out on the Best Moments of Ventura County Regional. Watch Our Instagram Highlight Tab!

        Orange County Regional – 2023

        Orange County Regional – 2023

        by | Mar 17, 2023 | Blog, Orange County

        Congratulations to all Teams PLUS all the Mentors, Volunteers, Sponsors, Friends and Family members from all over California, plus Hawaii, Nevada, Arizona, Idaho and England who participated in the FIRST Robotics Competition Orange County Regional from March 9-12, 2023.

        This year’s Regional, held at the OC Fair & Event Center, was a great success! With 47 teams participating, the weekend went smoothly, despite a rainy, soggy practice day. Students were excited to have a visit on Friday from Cathy Looman, Director of Education for season sponsor HAAS Automation.

        Cynthia Mescher, of Regional Sponsor Parker Aerospace, kicked off the first day of competition with an inspiring welcome during Opening Ceremonies.

        Saturday night, the Woodie Flowers Finalist Award was presented to Sean Stone, mentor for team 3501, and the Volunteer of the Year was presented to Jared Hasen-Klein, the region’s Volunteer Coordinator.

        The playoffs were highly competitive, with well-matched alliances turning in close-scoring matches, and a very spirited Team 2637 received the FIRST Impact Award, making for an exciting end to a great Orange County Regional!

        We’d like to extend an immense THANK YOU to all the sponsors, mentors and volunteers who contributed to this very successful Regional.

        We hope you too had a memorable experience at the Orange County Regional! 

        View Event Photo Gallery

        Big thanks to Brian King and Joe Duncan for capturing these amazing Orange County Regional memories!

        Feel free to download and share any of these photos.  You can tag FIRST California on Instagram at @firstroboticscalifornia and use hashtags #FIRSTinCA, #firstininspires, #CHARGEDUP and #omgrobots.

        LIST OF TEAMS ADVANCING TO CHAMPIONSHIPS IN HOUSTON!!!

        The following teams and individuals earned top honors at the Orange County Regional and earned their way to compete at the FIRST Championships in Houston, April 19-22, 2023

        FIRST Impact Award

        The FIRST Impact Award is the most prestigious award at FIRST, it honors the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate and best embodies the purpose and goals of FIRST.   

        The FIRST Impact Award is presented to the team judged to have the most significant measurable impact of its partnerships among its participants and community over a sustained period, not just a single build season. The winner is able to demonstrate progress towards FIRST’s mission of transforming our culture.  The recipient team will be invited to a FIRST Championship where it will compete for the FIRST Impact Award against winners from other qualifying events.

        This team aims to make STEM accessible for everyone — with outreach to Girl Scouts/Boy Scouts, special education students, and bringing hope and advocacy to teams that would not otherwise have this support.

        While bringing everyone along for the ride, this pack parades their excitement in STEM in everything they do. That includes sharing with sponsors, fellow teams, and their local community.

        They are hauntingly impressive — their alliance with FLL teams is established and growing through STEM development courses and Arizona Native American communities. The cat is out of the bag!

        • Team 2637, Phantom Catz from Rolling Hills Estates, CA

          Engineering Inspiration

          The Engineering Inspiration Award celebrates outstanding success in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering within a team’s school and community.  This team will advance to the Championships and receive a $5000 NASA grant toward registration.

          “This year’s engineering inspiration award goes to a team that is a shining light for science and technology in their community.  Their lion-like commitment resulted in over 1000 hours impacting students from grades K through 12 to better their community. The judges look forward to seeing this team soaring high in the future.”

           

          Regional Winners

          • Team 987, Highrollers from Las Vegas, NV
          • Team 4415, EPIC Robotz from Cerritos, CA
          • Team 4276, Surf City Vikings from Huntington Beach, CA

            Regional Finalists

            • Team 3476, Code Orange from Irvine, CA (wildcard)

            Dean’s List Finalist

            In an effort to recognize the leadership and dedication of FIRST’s most outstanding FRC students, the Kamen family sponsors an award for selected top students known as the FIRST Dean’s List. This award celebrates a student’s outstanding leadership and effectiveness in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering and engineers, both within their school, as well as their community. FIRST Dean’s List Finalists will compete at the championship for the FIRST Dean’s List.

            • Matteo Salloum from Team 1884, Griffins
            • Nicholas Ortiz from Team 4141, Monarch Robotics

            Woodie Flowers Finalist Award

            FIRST stands apart from other competitions in STEM and sports due to the FIRST Ethos of Gracious Professionalism, the concept of Coopertition, and the commitment to the FIRST Core Values. The guiding force behind these principles was Dr. Woodie Flowers. Dr. William Murphy, Jr., who was instrumental in creating the concept of FIRST with Dean Kamen, recognized the unique perspective, wisdom, and communication style that Woodie brought to the FIRST Robotics Competition.

            In honor of Woodie, Dr. Murphy founded the Woodie Flowers Award in 1996. He recognized that the FIRST ethos would be carried forward by our FIRST mentors and sought to celebrate those mentors who demonstrate the leadership, ethical behavior, and communication skills exemplified by Woodie. Woodie believed “societies get the best of what they celebrate”.

            Being recognized by students, through nomination essays, makes this honor very meaningful to mentors. It is truly an honor for a mentor to be nominated for this award.

            “You shared high praise for the accomplishments and dedication of your mentors and your teams. Based on your input, we now recognize the outstanding contributions of ONE mentor to the FIRST experience.

            This mentor leveraged his professional expertise as a Mechanical Design Engineer and introduced industry standards to include computer-aided design, design review processes, and supply chain management to the team. To invest in knowledge transfer between members, this mentor designed and set up an annual training program that simulates build season. The program teaches students engineering design principles and manufacturing skills.

             Reaching beyond the FRC team, this mentor also mentors FLL teams, volunteers at FIRST competitions and events, and publicly speaks to many about FIRST.

             Please join us in congratulating the 2023 Orange County Regional Woodie Flowers FINALIST Award winner, Sean Stone, from Team 3501!”

            • Sean Stone from Team 3501, Firebots

            Additional Awards

            Congratulations to the Teams and individuals that earned the remaining awards at the Orange County Regional! See the list here.

            Instagram Highlights

            Don’t Miss Out on the Best Moments of Orange County Regional. Watch Our Instagram Highlight Tab!

            Alumni Mixer at San Diego Regional

            Alumni Mixer at San Diego Regional

            by | Mar 13, 2023 | Blog, San Diego, Special Event

            FIRST Alumni and FIRST Seniors

            Come on down for sweet treats, a FIRST California alumni sticker and a chance to hang out with fellow FIRST alumni and soon-to-be alumni!

            DATE: Saturday, March 25th
            TIME: 12:15pm – 1:00pm
            LOCATION: Next to the field

            * Please do not use your school email address

            Sign up to receive your FREE pass to the Alumni Mixer

            * indicates required

            By joining the San Diego Regional Alumni Mixer, you will also be signed up for the FIRST California Alumni network and will occasionally receive info about events and opportunities.

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