I created this thread to see which teams people think will be powerhouses/already are, and are relatively new. The criteria is that their first competition must be in 2013 or later. Here is my list (In no particular order).
4488, They made incredible 2014 and 2016 robots, and the other two years have been great as well.
4613, Their rookie year they went to champs and were rank 9 in their division, and they went to semifinals. They also did great in 2016.
5172, in 2016 they were one of the best robots, if not the best, at champs, and in 2015 and 2014, they were amazing.
5254, Their 2014 robot was creative and effective, in 2015 they were ranked 1 at FLR, and did well at IRI and Champs. In 2016 they were ranked 2 and 1 at Tech Valley and FLR (Respectively), and went to the finals of their division.
I can’t wait to see all of the new teams grow up to be better!
4967 has been a powerhouse from day 1 in my opinion, so I can’t put them as up and coming, but they fit the thread.
5050 had a rough first two years but this year they were finalists 2x, MSC 11th alliance captain, and subdivision winners. I can definitely see them having good success in the future. Also some really nice people having met them myself.
5114: MSC SF in 2016, I’m pretty sure they have qualified for MSC all 3 years of their existence (2014 they declined IIRC)
5460 was MSC finalists this year, and you wouldn’t be able to tell they are a sophomore team from looking at their robot. They look like a seasoned veteran on the field.
5279 (Bionic Eagles from Lynchburg): #1 seed at SWVA and CVA with one event win (CVA), and top-25 finishes at CHS CMP and Curie, all after missing the playoffs in their previous two seasons
5546 (A.R.T. from Petersburg): After a RAS in 2015, they had two top-8 finishes (HR and CVA) and a event win (HR) during the regular season, and top 25 finishes at both of their postseason events (CHS CMP & Hopper)
5804 (TORCH from Richmond): Had 2 event wins (HR and CHS CMP) in their rookie season.
For up and coming teams in Colorado, I’d definitely say 4499. They’re only four years old, yet they already have 2 RAS Awards, 2 EI Awards, 2 RCAs, and 1 WFFA. (Quite the resume for a relatively new team!) They also have built some great robots, ones that I’ve enjoyed watching. Their robot this year is by far their best, even better than last year’s. They’ve been finalists at the Colorado Regional twice in a row now, and I’ve enjoyed watching them get better. They are certainly a rising star in Colorado, and have gotten pretty good over the last few years. (Earlier this year, in Arizona North, they actually seeded above us and invited us to their alliance.) Not to mention, they seeded 15th on Galileo this year and won GP. They have definitely entered the top tier of Colorado teams, and I look forward to seeing what they build next year!
I would say 4818, The Herd. They build effective and aesthetically pleasing robots. They are a fourth year team and they won their first regional last year (along with an Imagery and Industrial Design Award)with a robot that had swerve drive and then went on to rank 19th and be quarter finalist on Carson. This year they built a rocker-bogie drive train, became alliance captains for the first time, and went to be semifinalists at the Iowa Regional. Every year they seem to get better and better and can’t wait to see their robot next year!
**5406 Celt-X **for sure. Finalists as Rookies against 1114/2056 at Waterloo 2015 and RAS, following that up in 2016 with a Regional win as the #1 overall selection at Pittsburgh, #5 seed captains and semifinalists on Curie.
Ontario is already a stacked region, and Celt-X is showing they can play with the best of them.
Definitely agree. Fantastic robot this year, it was an honor to be in Curie with you guys.
Also, my second up-and-coming pick would be 5803 Apex Robotics. Absolutely incredible performance as a rookie team. District event winner, highest rookie seed at every event they attended except 1, #4 alliance captain on Curie and Curie RAS. That doesn’t happen by accident, especially for a rookie team. I truly expect to see great things come out of Apex in the future.
Edit: of course, how could I forget 5924 The Cat Machine! A fantastic team, both on the field and off. Fielded a excellent robot this year and was extremely helpful and kind to everyone around them.
Thanks! I was just coming here to plug 5803 Apex. You guys built a really professional looking robot this year, and racked up a ton of hardware, including a blue banner in your first year. More importantly, you had some of the most engaged, ambitious students I’ve ever seen on a rookie team. I expect big things from you!
For 2013-on rookies in South Carolina (and even big parts of the South at large), the discussion ends here.
TBA missed the story where I emailed them the Monday before SCRIW 2014 asking if they had a chassis they could slap bumpers on so we’d have 24 teams in the bracket. I saw a picture of the finished robot 24 hours later. It seeded #1.
Agreed. As one of the strongest teams in Upstate New York for two years now, they’re up, but it’s not coming at this point.
There are few teams that not only dominate their region but also their division. 5895 did so in their first year. 5895 had a fast, deadly accurate batter shot that led them to being an alliance captain three times and a first round selection once. Look out for them, they’ll be making serious waves in the next few years.
Agreed. It was awesome to see a rookie team captain an alliance to the division finals, even if they beat my team to get there. It’s hard to think of a more dominant rookie team other than 2753.
5803 (the other rookie success)
5172
5137 (even though they didn’t make champs, but made two regional finals too early in the year to get a wildcard)
4967
