GCAMP was thrilled to offer a grant to our friends from High School District 214, the Wildstang Robotics Program. The Wildstang Robotics Program is made of up two FRC (First Robotics Competition) teams: Team 111 Wildstang and Team 112 Plus One. Comprising these teams for the 2022-2023 school year were 72 high-school students dedicated to bringing STEM to life.
The robotics competition season starts in the winter. Once the specific FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) competition for the year is revealed in January, teams get to work on designing and building their robots.
It was a busy competition season. The Wildstang Program battled at numerous competitions, including the 7 Rivers Competition in La Crosse, Wisconsin; the Midwest Competition in Chicago, Illinois; and the World Championships in Houston, Texas.
To say the Wildstang Robotics Program had a successful year would be an understatement. Both teams bulldozed through competitions, amassing an incredible record and wonderful memories along the way.
The 2023 7 Rivers Competition saw 54 teams compete against one another in matches. After a successful run, Team 111 not only won the entire competition, but also won the Autonomous Award. Team 112 followed close behind, making it to the semifinals of the competition and ultimately ranking 21st in the contest. Following the competition, Team 112 was also recognized with the Excellence in Engineering Award.
The teams’ winning streak continued at the Midwest Competition. The Midwest Regional FIRST Competition was hosted in Chicago from March 8th through 11th. Team 112 competed fiercely, ending the tournament ranked in 19th place. Team 111 boasted another impressive performance, placing first and winning the tournament. Complimenting their win, they were recognized with the Industrial Design Award.
Following the various successes of their competition seasons, the Wildstang program earned a spot in the top STEM competition in the world: the FIRST World Championships. Competing against the best teams from around the globe, the Wildstangs brought their absolute best. Team 111’s genius was evident when they were selected Captain of the 4th Alliance in the Archimedes Division. With their Alliance partners, Team 111 put on a spectacular show, demonstrating the depth of their knowledge and skill. Team 111 is now ranked 6th out of over 3,200 teams worldwide.
GCAMP was honored to share in the teams’ successes through the awarding of grant funds. The funds GCAMP donated to the Wildstang program went towards covering costs for equipment, competition travel, outreach programs, and additional support.
It was incredibly impressive to watch the teams win not only so many awards, but so many diverse awards, proving their well-roundedness through excellence in multiple skill areas. To win any award or competition is impressive, but to secure victory after victory is monumental. Team 111 and Team 112’s dedication to forging their paths to success was evident after the work the teams put in as well as the results they achieved.
The Wildstang program focused on more than just competition. Further solidifying their well-roundedness, they teams also spent their year focused on bringing about awareness to manufacturing through community outreach.
The Wildstang’s student-led outreach program: “Miss Maker” encourages girls to explore and pursue STEM. This year the Wildstang program also participated in a FIRST Lego League tournament (FLL); hosting middle-school students in their space so that young students would have a venue to compete. In the FLL competition, students from 4th through 8th grade have the chance to design, build, and run robots using SPIKE Prime technology. The Wildstang students helped encourage the younger students in their STEM exploration and foster their love of learning.
GCAMP was pleased to witness the Wildstang program secure so many victories, evidencing all of the time spent dedicated to learning, practicing, and exploring the realm of STEM. GCAMP was also impressed with the example the Wildstang team members set for the next generation of builders and makers. By taking the time to encourage STEM-curiosity, GCAMP and the Wildstang program are both playing a part in developing tomorrow’s future workforce, today.
Click here to watch Team Wildstang’s competition footage from Midwest, 7 Rivers, and the World Championships! https://youtu.be/xwr0omj9Wt0
