Overview:
Team 612 tested their robot Sonic at the Battle of Baltimore, gaining valuable experience for the 2025 season
OCTOBER 21ST, BALTIMORE, MD. As kickoff to the official FIRST season approaches, Chantilly Robotics Team 612 attended the Battle of Baltimore regional competition to test their robot, Sonic, and practice competition procedure.
Victor Moldoveanu, chief operator of Sonic at the event, experienced the challenges faced by many robotics teams firsthand. “We faced a bunch of electrical problems in the first 3 rounds,” Moldoveanu said, referring to repeated brownouts that rocked the robot’s electrical systems that left team members scrambling to fix. “Programming had a pretty flawless run,” said Tyler Thatch, Chief Technical Officer, “I think we’re ready for the next comp,” he stated. In the second half of the event, the team gathered in the Pit - where robots are stored and maintained when not on the field - to fix Sonic, allowing Team 612 to qualify for the semi-finals of the competition.
However, after facing further technical difficulties with the robot following the preliminary rounds, Noah Lee (CEO) and other officiating members decided it was best for Team 612 to depart from the competition. “It would be disrespectful to the alliance to continue participating in this event,” said Lee when asked about the team’s reason for leaving. Even with these complications, Lee said that “this was still a great experience for the team,” highlighting the resilience of Chantilly Robotics in such a stressful environment, continuing to cheer even as victory looked less like a possibility.
After the Battle, the team stopped at a local ice cream shop, resting after a hard day of cheering and began reflecting on the experience; from the technical improvements that succeeded to the engineering challenges that will need to be considered for the upcoming 2025 FIRST season, leaving FRC Team 612 ready to tackle the next trials of STEM.
Without the support of our sponsors, Team 612 would not be able to finance the process of creating our robot and the education of our members. In addition, Team 612 wouldn’t be able to offer such diverse outreach opportunities to promote STEM in our community. For Team 612 to continue providing opportunities to the next generation of STEM innovators, they need continued support from sponsors. For more details, please email chantilly.612@gmail.com or visit https://www.frc612.org/current-sponsors.
About Chantilly Robotics
Chantilly Robotics (FRC team 612) brightens the future for leaders and student technologists within our team, school, and community through fun and engaging methods of learning and teaching while shining a light on the importance of STEM (science, technology, engineering, math).
Founded in 2001 with eight student members as an engineering class project, Chantilly Robotics is one of the largest extracurricular organizations at Chantilly High School with over 100 registered members each year. Team 612 competes at FIRST Robotics Competitions in the Chesapeake District. Outside of competition Team 612 supports multiple FIRST Lego League Teams and elementary school STEM activities in the Chantilly High School Pyramid, spreading love for STEM as well as FIRST values through community outreach.
For more information, visit https://www.frc612.org or email chantilly.612@gmail.com. The Chantilly Governor’s STEM Academy, located at Chantilly High School, sponsors Team 612. Chantilly Academy inspires and empowers a diverse body of learners to explore career pathways employing current industry trends taught by dedicated professionals.
Elvin Duong and Leor Feil
Comentarios