Inspirational teams

[Hitchhiker 42]

For me, the team that has most significantly inspired is 195. Being in our area, they've helped our team grow, and also showed that CT pride with their Einstein appearance this year.

[Banderoonies]

Originally Posted by Hitchhiker 42

For me, the team that has most significantly inspired is 195. Being in our area, they've helped our team grow, and also showed that CT pride with their Einstein appearance this year.

On behalf of 195 thank you for your kind words. I would have to add that ALL Connecticut teams have stepped up their games and have inspired us as well. There is nothing better than when all the teams are working together to ensure FRC is the best it can be in CT.

I'm glad to see the culture of working and learning together is finally coming to fruition through the Connecticut Coalition efforts.

Together we are Connecticut Strong!

Hope to see you all at our practice field in 2017!

[Billfred]

1902. I have yet to see anyone who hates Exploding Bacon. From the days of Wendy Austin's living room and Dan Richardson's garage a couple doors down, they've developed a hell of a program that's held up over time and through leadership changes. If someone told me a program I started could only ever be as good as Bacon's, I wouldn't take it as an insult.

[Sperkowsky]

Originally Posted by Billfred

1902. I have yet to see anyone who hates Exploding Bacon. From the days of Wendy Austin's living room and Dan Richardson's garage a couple doors down, they've developed a hell of a program that's held up over time and through leadership changes. If someone told me a program I started could only ever be as good as Bacon's, I wouldn't take it as an insult.

Any team that started with a random word generator can't be bad.

[Liam Fay]

For me, the most inspirational team has to go to 987. I challenge anyone to find one aspect of their program that isn't a model for others to follow.

[HelloRobot]

3824 is a great team in Knoxville. In addition to always performing well with an intuitively-designed robot, they're always willing to lend a helping hand to local teams. I don't know what my team, 5571, would do without them. They've given us so much guidance (and spare parts) since we became a team, and it's always great to work with them. In addition, they're always doing some kind of outreach, from home to Germany (seriously!).

I also have to send a shoutout to 3966, the L&N STEMpunks, for their awesome business division. They won the Media and Technology award from Comcast for their excellent online branding, and their robust organization system makes them more productive on the business side than most other teams I've seen.

[Richard Wallace]

So many FRC teams have inspired me that I will not try to list them all. But two are firmly stuck in my mind: 16 and 71.

I saw both for the first time in Orlando in 1996, my rookie year. (Teams did not have numbers then, and my Arch Rivals from St. Louis are long forgotten; however, 1996 was also the rookie season for both the Baxter Bomb Squad and the Beatty BEAST.)

The Bomb Squad has continued to inspire me in several ways: world class community outreach, growing FIRST in their state, founding a regional, traveling far from home to conduct seminars for developing teams, and a group of mentors and alumni that are sustaining pillars of FIRST. And, oh yeah, they play hard.

71 has inspired me with their work ethic and competitiveness, their RAS in 1996, their first RCA in 2006 (and those 4 world championships in between), and their resurgence in more recent seasons. I posted at the time about watching them work in 2006, and that lesson inspired the way that I have tried to develop the Average Joes since moving to Michigan.

It was really cool seeing both of these teams at IRI this year.

[Fanny Z]

I think for me, the teams that really inspire me to this day are 1114, 254, 3683, 987, and 971.
1114 just never stops helping out other teams in need and has always shown me that you can always keep improving and building on what you already have.
When I first got to see 254 in 2014, I was ecstatic. It wasn't just the robot that really got me going but also the team especially when I began learning more and more about them. Although I had already been on a FIRST team for two years at the time, I felt like this team was what personally motivated me and inspired me to change.
3683, although not as old as the other teams I have listed is another that has inspired me and taught me to not only think but to always be doing something.
987 really inspires me and motivates me to really push for outreach and STEM in the community and with people I meet who ask me everyday why I'm always wearing a FIRST shirt.
971 is another team that inspires me with the robots they bring out every year.

[ns3517]

For me personally in no specific order some teams would be

118, 1678, 254, 1114, 2056, 2826, and 978

[ThaddeusMaximus]

Teams whose process and engineering I love in general:
- 1114 (Simplicity wins)
- 2056 (Again, simple bots, consistent powerhouse victories...)
- 254 (Pure powerhouse capabilities)


Teams that make/made really great and creative things:
- 118 (All the little details and neat ways of doing things. Also chainzilla drivetrain.)
- 16 (dat tanky swerve)
- 2451 (swerves, hubless DT)
- 971 (motion profiling)
- 1717 (again, dat swerve. also shot accuracy in 2012)

[SeeleySWS]

My first ever event I got to see 67 (The HOT Team). I didn't know they were a world champion at the time but I knew they were something special. To this day I have rooted for them.

Another great team that I love would 217 (ThunderChickens). They have always been helpful and an all around great team.

[Jonny_Jee]

There are many teams that have inspired me over the years.

Team 701 has been a HUGE inspiration of mine since my freshman year. They consistently produce top notch robots with elegant design features; have a wonderful team camaraderie that extends to people outside their team; and have inspired countless students from their communities, to China, to pursue higher educations in STEM.

Team 1678 has a similar story. They always provide a helping hand to local teams, putting on many dozens of workshops and events (VEX, FRC & FLL). Citrus Circuits have helped local teams attain success not thought possible, and my team was certainly no exception. I've spent a lot of time with their students and mentors, and their teams success is a reflection of their students and mentors work ethic and attitude. A truly world class team.

Team 1671 is another phenomenal team that immediately comes to mind. Those students work HARD and make amazing bots. I've visited their shop at all times of year and they are always busting butt! The Bird Brains always maintain a high standard of achievement and gracious professionalism.

There are many other exceptional teams that have inspired me over the years worth mentioning:
2073, 3250, 100, 3189, 692, 971 and 254 to name a few.

Thank you all for all you do for the FIRST community here in Cali!

[Ginger Power]

As others have mentioned team 2052 KnightKrawler is one of the top teams on my list of inspirational teams. At the beginning of build season I always ask myself how can my team compete with KnightKrawler. I hope that my team can eventually get to Champs with enough consistency that I can start asking myself how I'm going to beat the 1114's, 1678's, and 254's of the world, but at least for now they'll have to inspire me from afar.

On the Chairman's side of things I'm most inspired by 1816 and by the program they've established. I consider them to be the team to beat at any competition they attend. I'm pulling for them every year to get into the Hall of Fame.

Another team that inspires me to a great degree is GOFIRST at the University of Minnesota. Obviously not an FRC team, but they are a team of college students comprised primarily of FRC alumni. They've inspired me in many ways, and definitely changed my path at college.

[Akash Rastogi]

1323 for me. I've been able to see RC transform that team from 2007 onwards and they continue to impress me with how "unique" they are. Still one of my favorite teams in FRC.

[Anthony Galea]

For myself, I would say teams 67 and 469, specifically in 2010. I attended the 2010 Detroit district, and 67 was the first team I ever saw in action, and I was just amazed by their robot. Then, I attended the Michigan State Championship with team 3175 because they qualified, and they told me to watch out for 469 cause they had a crazy robot. They were right, and I made sure to watch every match possible that 469 was in because I thought they were so cool. 3175 didn't qualify for Atlanta that year, but I was cheering from home to see the two teams make it to the Einstein finals, and having seen them in person, it really got me excited to join the team in 2013.