Teams I'm Inspired By
 

Caveats and qualifiers: I've never been to any other competitions than the Colorado Regional. I have no idea what the atmosphere and level of play are at the the finals. I have no expertise in programming, and a lot of what happens on the field is a black box to me. I don't know anything about any teams winning records.

That being said, here are the teams that inspire me to be a coach:

Montbello High School in Denver. They build their robot out of scrap plywood with a biology teacher as their coach. Every time I looked at their pit last year, it was 100% kids working and smiling; no engineers, no fancy stuff. They were awesome.

Lincoln High in Denver. They had, I think, three kids on their team last year. They decided just build a little thing that would run; nothing fancy at all. It ran so well, they were in the top ten, if I remember correctly. They too were awesome.

Winnovation. Just 'cause they were fast and cool.

Re: Teams I'm Inspired By
 

I'm inspired by team 1511 Rolling Thunder and team 340 G.R.R. who have grown to become leaders in the Rochester FIRST community.
I am inspired by our sister teams 1126,. 1450, 2340, 2228 ( I will always consider them a Xerox team and a sister of our. A class origination through and through) 1425, 1138 and our newest sister team 3003. Welcome to the party guys. Buckle up. It's about to get wild.
I am inspired by our fellow Hall of Fame teams from us (yes you can be inspired by your own team. It's tough lasting 17 years doing this and improving on what got you here)to our newest member 842. These teams are the pinnacle of FIRST and should be looked to for the answer of how to do it right. But I am particularly inspired by team 365 MOE who is the most unique team in FIRST and a model FIRST program.
And team 1902 Exploding Bacon who are the most gracious and nicest people you will ever know. If you are in a competition with them make a point to go up to them and say hi. You'll be glad you did.

Re: Teams I'm Inspired By
 

I'm inspired by so many teams in so many ways. It astounds me how many teams can accomplish the seemingly impossible, they reach out to people in their communities and all around the world, touching the hearts of so many. They produce incredible robots, sturdy and reliable through tough matches, quick and agile on the field, robots that excel under all circumstances. They have strategies that most of us could have never come up with, but are executed perfectly. Their mentors are inspiring. The team members work together like clockwork. They have amazing scouting databases. Their spirit and enthusiasm is never-ending. They're friendly and open to helping everyone.

Each team has their own strong point, but some teams stand out from the rest as leaders in specific categories, or just teams with all-around excellence. They are the teams we look up to, the standard we hold ourselves to. I think that everyone should recognize the teams that inspire them, no matter who they are.

Of course, we're all biased to local teams, since they're the ones who help us get off our feet. Established Connecticut teams like 175, 176, 177, 178, 181, 195, 227, 228, and 230 definitely inspire rookie teams as they come about, and help them to find their footing. I know they did that for my team in it's early years, before I was around, but continued to support us and help us find resources. It's great to have a helpful older sibling around when you're first getting started, and I hope teams that are entering their later years remember to help out newer teams around them.

My rookie year in FIRST, I also learned a very important lesson from Team 177. Or maybe a few lessons. It was my first official FIRST competition, the UTC New England Regional 2006, and our team was ranked 40 out of 40 with one match to go. We had had some pretty bad luck with alliance partners not showing up, and while our robot was definitely not number one, it was decent, and had some hidden talent. I naively assumed that our rank meant everything, and this was the end for us. However, during alliance selections, we were chosen by 177 to round out their alliance. That's right, it's not just team qualifying rank that counts, it's important to pick teams that fit your strategy, and can be an effective member of your alliance. That was news to me. And then... since I had coached a few matches, I got to sit in on the strategy session for the eliminations. Team 177's scouting captain came in with a wealth of documented data... he was like a god to me. I had no idea how important or how extensive scouting data could be. It was a wake-up call for the whole team. I learned a lot about strategy from that experience, and it's thanks to the wisdom of an older team. I'm sure everyone has stories like this.

As Koko Ed pointed out, the Hall of Fame teams are definitely people who should be inspirations to us all. It's worth looking into them and talking to HOF teams to get an idea of the kinds of things that they have done, and still do.

There are many other salient examples. 1902 is definitely an inspiration to me. They came into the game knowing what FIRST was really about, from the very beginning. I'm pretty sure this is what helped them get to Einstein their very first year.

Team 365 has a very unique way of running their team, and they have a multitude of resources for new students and new teams. They have seemingly endless spirit, and an overall good attitude towards everything. They're also sometimes surprising with their strategies, as they showed me last year on Archimedes.

I know a lot of east coast teams, being from Connecticut, but it doesn't mean the teams on the west coast escape us. I heard about team 254 at the very beginning of my FRC experience, and we've definitely learned a thing or two about designing effective robots from looking at their extensive history of victory. Actually, I could say the same for Team 233 down in Florida.

I could go on and on... my experience in FIRST has been shaped by a lot of teams, some older than others. I just think it's great to have these teams here to guide us and show us the extent of our potential.

Re: Teams I'm Inspired By
 

being involved for 9 years, there is a ton of teams that i have come in contact with along the way, but for CD sake im just going to pick one.
i personally love the Robo Wizards, 522 McKee Career & Technical High School. Mentors are awesome, they always have kids on the team that are amazing. every regional i go out of my way to go to their pit and spend time with them. they are just one of those teams i grew up with. i remember the new york regional at Columbia university and just being inspired by them. thanks : )
-Mentor Mike, Team 354 Pirates

Re: Teams I'm Inspired By
 

I'm not sure if 47 gets enough recognition just for this gigantinormous forum, but it sure is the best place to spend most of my high school career aimlessly wandering ;) Everything here is inspiring, and it's only because they created it!

Then there's Carl Hayden, 842. Wow. They basically teamed up with our principal and created this shindig at our high school, so from the beginning I've been in awe of what they CAN and DO accomplish. From what I know they live in a pretty tough spot in Phoenix, but they inspire sooo many teams and individuals despite their hardships. (PS : we hope to work a little closer with you guys this season, and I think we're planning on signing up for NURC, just a little later as usual!)

Oh, and the other awesome team at Arizona that just continues to outdo us :rolleyes: 39 just manages to build the coolest robots, I can't wait to see what they cook up this year, and I definitely can't wait to be paired up with them sometime in the distant future :cool:

Re: Teams I'm Inspired By
 

Trust me, considering 47 is a Hall of Fame team everybody is aware of how much Cheifdelphi means to FIRST.

Re: Teams I'm Inspired By
 

2046 and 1983 have always had a good relationship. We teamed up last year and took home the gold in Seattle. We've always had a friendly rivalry, and most of the time we do driver practice we end up over with them. Here's to you guys!

Re: Teams I'm Inspired By
 

314 and 397 have inspired me in the last couple years that I have gotten to know them. They do so much with so little and their entire organizations are so dedicated.

Re: Teams I'm Inspired By
 

Probably most of all 103.

Talk to their students and mentors and they know their stuff. It dispels all that "mentor built" rumors and crap that people go around spreading. They are genuinely good people.

If you can add your own team to the list then I guess team 11 too. Your own team can inspire you to work harder and do better in whatever you are trying to accomplish.

Re: Teams I'm Inspired By
 

Team 103 is the team that inspired me my first year in FIRST, watching them win awards in Philly and then the chairmans award, that is where I learned what it took to be a chairmans team and I used the examples I saw in that team on MOE to the best of my abilities, how to have such a clean and amazing presentation on everything they do.. it just blew me away and still dose to this day.

Re: Teams I'm Inspired By
 

You know, I have to add 103 to this list also. Their expertise and GP over the years, along with plain raw performance, is inspiring.

Re: Teams I'm Inspired By
 

In particular order:

71, 111, 1114, 47, 4/22, 65, 254, 60, 25, 330, 233

:D

Re: Teams I'm Inspired By
 

Teams 100, 692, 852 and 973! These are the ones I know personally and have not been mentioned here.

Re: Teams I'm Inspired By
 

254 the Cheesy Poofs. Go on google video and watch the Science Channel special on FIRST from 2003 and you'll see their story.

Not only are they one of the most decorated teams in FIRST in terms of robot performance, they are also a Championship Chairmans winner. 'Nuff said.

Re: Teams I'm Inspired By
 

That is pure FIRST poetry right there!