Winter Break Camps – We started the year off with several different camps. First, we helped the local Boy Scouts of America Council by teaching the Robotics Merit Badge requirements at a 2-day camp at Bethel College. Then we hosted several camps that focused on robots for students in 1st-8th grade. We also hosted an evening program for students and parents to work together on the creation of a Great Ball Contraption. We had three groups build very unique solutions.
Cincinnati QT – FTC Team 9789, TOXIC and FTC Team 9790, Vier Left traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio to compete in a qualifying tournament. Both teams did well in their judging presentations and TOXIC earned advancement to the Ohio State Championship by being part of the Winning Alliance in the robot game. TOXIC’s robot executed perfect autonomous runs during every match. The performance was acknowledged by FTC Stats and TOXIC was listed as the top autonomous OPR in the north region.
Off-Season FLL Kick-off – During the winter and spring, we host FIRST LEGO League Off-Season teams. Eight teams signed up for the 3-month long program. The focus during the off-season is on the robot. Students push themselves to becoming better designers, builders and programmers.
Ohio State FTC Championship – FTC Team 9789, TOXIC, competed in the Ohio State Championship with some of the strongest teams in the Midwest. Their robot performed well throughout the day, but came up just short in the finals. However, their judging reviews throughout the day went extremely well. The highest judged award that can be earned in FTC is the Inspire Award. Among all of these fantastic teams, the judges declared TOXIC the most inspiring team of all. With this incredible honor, they earned advancement to the North Super Regionals.
Indiana State FTC Championship – All three of our FTC competed in the Indiana State Championship. And just to make things really interesting, they all competed in the final matches of the robot game. FTC Team 9790, Vier Left was the Winning Alliance Captain. They earned advancement to the North Super Regionals with the victory. They also selected FTC Team 9789, TOXIC, to be a part of their Winning Alliance. TOXIC’s end game performance put them as the top team in the world on FTC Stats in that category. FTC Team 12014, Fire Wires, was the captain of the Finalist Alliance. It was great to see all three teams competing for the top honors in the state.
Jimmy Fallon Contest – FLL Team 1920, FlufflePuff, produced a one-minute video about their invention and submitted it to the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The show has a segment on young inventors and encourages youth to submit concepts. They never heard back from the network, but they really enjoyed making the video and used it in outreach and informational meetings throughout the year.
Brickworld Indianapolis – Brickworld is an exposition of LEGO fans that highlights the vast creativity behind LEGO construction. For years the organizers have extended an invitation to our FLL teams to demonstrate their robots and other programmable LEGO creations. FLL Team 1920, FlufflePuff, taught visitors at the Indianapolis show about the FLL with their robot and brought several other unique contraptions.
BSA Troop Lock-in – We have been helping Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts earn STEM and robotics merits though out the years. For the first time, we hosted a Troop Lock-in. Scouts from La Porte spent the evening working on the Robotics Merit Badge followed by a movie before sleeping in the barn. The next morning, after breakfast, the Scouts finished up the requirements for the badge. It was lots of fun and we hope to help other Troops with similar programs.
FTC Scrimmages – Traveling around to compete with friends. Our FTC teams have friends all over the country, especially here in the Midwest. We traveled to two scrimmages to compete with friends and promote FTC in their communities. First, FTC Team 9789, TOXIC, traveled to Grand Rapids to compete with Spare Parts and RoboChargers. Then FTC Team 9789, TOXIC and FTC Team 9790 Vier Left, visited Milwakee, Wisconsin and their friends the Supposebale Thumbs. Both events were helpful in preparing teams for the North Super Regionals.
FTC NSR – The FIRST Tech Challenge North Super Regionals in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, collected 72 of the best teams in the northern United States. FTC Team 9789, TOXIC, returned for their second year. They did very well in the robot game and earned the 2nd Place Motivate Award which advanced them to the World Championship. FTC Team 9790, Vier Left, competed for their first season. They met lots of great teams and really enjoyed the experience.
April
Spring Break Camp – Not everyone is able to travel over Spring Break. For those students, we offered LEGO robotics camps. We hosted 1st-3rd graders in the mornings and 4th-8th graders in the afternoon. Students worked on the FLL Senior Solutions game from many years ago.
Museum of Science & Industry – We returned to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Illinois for the third consecutive year. FLL Team 1920, FlufflePuff, FTC Team 9789, TOXIC and FTC Team 9790, Vier Left, participated in the Robot Block Party. They shared their knowledge about the FIRST programs and demonstrated their robots to thousands of museum patrons. We really enjoy being a part of this event each year.
FLL Off-Season Tournament – Students who participated in the Off-Season program had the opportunity to compete with 30 additional teams in the E3 Robotics Off-Season Invitational. The day had informational forums in the morning followed by robot game action in the afternoon. FLL 1920, FlufflePuff, FTC Team 9789, TOXIC and FTC Team 9790, Vier Left all hosted different forum sessions and shared their knowledge about aspects of FIRST. After the robot game, several teams received awards. Grape/Banana MISHines earned 2nd Place Robot Performance, Crazy Eyed Cobras received the Team Spirit Award and FLL Team 18067, Holy LEGOs received the Robot Creativity Award.
World Championship – Two teams earned the opportunity to compete in the World Championship and they both did very well. FLL Team 1920, FlufflePuff, earned the Champion’s Award Finalist. Only the top 102 of 32,000 FLL teams are invited to compete at Worlds and FlufflePuff was declared one of the top 3 overall! FTC Team 9789, TOXIC, returned to Worlds for their second time. They also did very well and earned several nominations for judge’s awards. Those included: Compass Award Finalist, Control Award Finalist and the Rockwell Collins Innovate Award Finalist. This took their total award from World Championships to 5 in just two seasons. They are the most decorated Indiana FTC team ever.
Razorback Invitational – For the previous two years, FLL Team 1920, FlufflePuff, competed at the Razorback International Invitational in Arkansas. Since they competed at the World Festival, they were not able to go this year. Instead, GEARS offered to help judge the event. We volunteered to be Robot Design Judges and helped teams through the process. It was a great learning experience and an honor to work with such caring judges and such talented students from around the world.
TOXIC Graduation – For the first time, we had students graduate from High School and retire from GEARS. In total, five students graduated and all five enter college. Three are studying Mechanical Engineering, one is in Finance and one is in Broadcast Communications. One student participated on FTC Team 12014, Fire Wires. The other four comprised FTC Team 9789, TOXIC. With their graduation, we choose to retire the team name and number. In the two years that TOXIC participated in the FTC program, they won 3 State Championships, including 2 Inspire Awards. They advanced to the North Super Regionals twice, competed at the World Championship twice and traveled to Australia. They received more awards, recognitions and nominations than anyone ever has in the Indiana FTC program. They also ranked 27th in the FTC Stats Hall of Fame even though they only competed in 2 of the 3 seasons used in the data. We look forward to seeing how the succeed in college and hope they will come back and mentor in the future.
June
1920 Uganda Project – FLL Team 1920, FlufflePuff, has been promoting STEM and FIRST through community outreach and sharing events for nearly 10 years. This summer they created a new program to help students in an orphanage in Gaba, Uganda, Africa. The team spent nearly 300 hours developing LEGO based STEM education kits and curicculm. The students in Gaba also requested a video from the team about how the kits worked. The project was a huge success and was received very well by the villagers in Gaba.
Code R.E.D. Professional Development – Working with E3 Robotics through a grant from the Indiana Department of Education, we hosted a Professional Development program called, Code R.E.D. The course provided teachers with 80 hours of hands-on learning about incorporating FIRST robotics in their classrooms. Nearly 40 teachers attended from schools as far away as Indianapolis for this vital information.
Summer Camps – Summer is a great time to learn new skills and experience new challenges. We hosted a verity of camps throughout the summer to encourage students to engage in STEM activities. Everyone had a great time in programs like LEGO Racing and Roller Coaster Physics.
IRI – The Indianapolis Robotics Invitational extended opportunities for FTC Team 9790, Vier Left and FTC Team 12014, Fire Wires to attend their competition this year. Both teams had a great time competing again with the robots from the Velocity Vortex season. Vier Left was the winning alliance captain, repeating their performance from the State Championship.
GBA Golf Outing – We enjoy our relationship with several businesses and organizations in the community and especially with the Granger Business Association. This year we sponsored a hole at the annual Golf Outing. We had members for FLL Team 1920, FlufflePuff, FTC Team 9789 TOXIC and FTC Team 9790 Vier Left attend with their robots and information about FIRST. A couple of the teams even built robots that could putt golf balls on the green.
Urban Swirl Outreach – Robotics can be expensive and especially in our FTC program. It is important that teams search out partnerships in the community. Many local dining locations offer give-back nights for groups like ours. FTC Team 9790, Vier Left, has enjoyed showing their robot at several locations like Urban Swirl.
BOOST Launch @ B&N – We have a great relationship with Barnes & Noble and were very honored to be invited to help them launch the newest LEGO robotics product, the BOOST. Students from FLL Team, FlufflePuff, built and programmed two of these new robots and then took them to the store for the community launch event. It was great having one of our teams showcasing the new LEGO product.
Coaches Clinics – To help coaches prepare for the upcoming FIRST LEGO League season, we hosted four sessions called Coaches Clinics. These covered the basics of FLL, how to build and program LEGO robots as well as pointers for the judging process. Coaches from as far away as Chesterton took advantage of the learning opportunity.
FLL Hydrodynamics Kick-off – The new season for FIRST LEGO League, Hydrodynamics, kicked-off with great excitement. We hosted 8 teams that met at GEARS full-time, 2 teams part-time and assisted four other teams at their own practice facilities. We were able help 116 students prepare for another exciting season.
Pixelated Formed – Offering three of the FIRST programs in one facility allows us to guide students through the progression of programs at the rate that fits them best. We created a new FTC Team for four 8th graders that were ready for a new challenge. They call themselves Pixelated from their fondness of video games.
BSA Eagle Project – Boy Scouts from Troop 572 helped GEARS member Zach Simon work on his BSA Eagle Scout Project at the center. Zach designed an outdoor meeting area that includes paving stones, a picnic table and a bike rack.
FTC Relic Recovery kick-off – Our third season of FIRST Tech Challenge, Relic Recovery, kicked-off with three teams. FTC Team 9790, Vier Left, returned for their third year. Most members are juniors in high school. FTC Team 12014, Fire Wires, returned for their second season. They added lots of new members from the Michiana area. We also created a rookie team with four 8th graders. They are FTC Team 12835, Pixelated. They have 14 years of FLL experience between them and are ready for a new challenge.
FLL Jr kick-off – We started our second season of FIRST LEGO League Jr. for students in 1st-3rd grade. 46 excited members filled our 8 teams. The Aqua Adventure program challenged teams to learn more about how water is used in their homes and around the community. They also created large LEGO models that included a working motorized feature.
Brickworld Ft. Wayne – For the second time this year, teams demonstrated at Brickworld, this time in Fort Wayne. FLL Team 1920, Amazzi, took their robot from last season as well as a Rubik’s Cube solving robot and one that can putt a golf ball. They were joined by members of FTC Team 9790, Vier Left and FTC Team 12835, Pixelated, who brought their FTC demonstration robots and told visitors about the transition from FLL to FTC.
Rise ‘n Roll Donuts – We hosted our first ever center wide fundraiser with Rise ‘n Roll Bakery. Students from the FLL and FTC teams went throughout the community to sell 569 dozen donuts. Each team applied their earnings to robot building materials.
Purdue FIRST Forums – Indiana FIRST Tech Challenge hosts an information forum day each year on the campus of Purdue University. This year, FTC Team 9790, Vier Left, presented about chassis design and mecanum wheel programming. FTC Team 12835, Pixelated, also attended the sessions and learned about intakes used during past seasons. This information has proved to be very helpful this season.
Afterschool Adventures – Working with Northpoint Elementary, we enjoyed bringing our robot kits to their Afterschool Adventures program. We used each of the four visits to introduce the participants to different types of LEGO robotics and programming. We have been invited back in the spring to run another session.
GEARS FLL QT – FIRST LEGO League continue to grow throughout the state and especially in the north central area. We hosted our first qualifying tournament to help accommodate the need. Sixteen teams attended the inaugural event. Four teams earned advancement to the State Championship, two of them are GEARS teams. FLL Team 18067, Holy LEGOs earned the Champion’s Award and 1st Place Robot Performance. FLL Team 23744, Washing MISHines earned 1st Place Project and 2nd Place Robot Performance. Saint Joseph Health System sponsored the competition and supplied a da Vinci Surgical System robot for the students to work with. Members from FTC Team 9790, Vier Left, FTC Team 12835, Pixelated and FLL Team 1920, Amazzi, all volunteered to help make the event a success.
E3 FLL QT – FLL Team 1920, Amazzi, competed at the E3 Robotics Qualifying Tournament. This was their 10th season competing in FLL and at the E3 QT. They earned Champion’s Award, Global Innovation Award Nomination and 2nd Place Robot Performance.
FLL Jr. Expo – All 8 FLL Jr teams with their 46 members attending the FLL Jr Expo at the new ETHOS Science Center. Over 40 teams from around northern Indiana attended the celebration of the Aqua Adventure season, the interactive LEGO challenges and the robot demonstrations.
FTC West Virginia State Championship – FTC Team 9790 Vier Left traveled to West Virginia to participate in the State Championship. They were one of 24 teams accepted to the tournament from 7 different states.
FLL State Championship – Five GEARS teams earned the opportunity to compete in the FLL State Championship. FLL Team 23744, Washing MISHines earned Champion’s Award 2nd Place, 6th Place Robot Performance, Global Innovation Award Finalists and an invitation to attend the Razorback International Invitational this May. FLL team 1920, Amazzi earned 1st Place Robot Strategy and Innovation and 2nd Place Robot Performance. They also received an invitation to attend the Razorback Invitational in Arkansas this May. This will be their 5th consecutive season participating in International competitions. Other teams include FLL Team 18048, Mighty Aquabots, FLL Team 18067, Holy LEGOs and FLL Team 18051, Tardigrade Doctors.
FTC Indy South – All three FTC teams attending the first competition of the Relic Recovery season. FTC Team 9790, Vier Left earned the Inspire Award and the Finalist Alliance. FTC Team 12014, Fire Wires earned Motivate Award Finalist and were part of the Winning Alliance. FTC Team 12835, Pixelated made their debut with amazing effort. They received the Think Award which is unheard of for a rookie team. Vier Left and Fire Wires qualified for the Indiana State Championship and Pixelated earned the first Alternate spot.
