Who are we and what do we do?
We are Wilsonville Robotics Team 1425 – Error Code Xero. Wilsonville High School provides space for our meetings and storage and we consist of students from both the Wilsonville and West Linn school districts and many mentors from around the area and compete in the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC). Known as “the varsity sport for the mind,” FRC combines the excitement of sport with the rigors of science and technology. Under strict rules, limited resources, and time limits, our team is challenged to raise funds to design, build, and program robots capable of excelling at challenges against a field of competitors – in just six weeks! With the guidance and support of engineering-professionals who volunteer their time, our members will learn and build the skills to design, fabricate, program, and wire a robot and market our team to sponsors as well as organize outreach events. It’s a great opportunity for students to experience what real-world engineering projects are like as well as a great opportunity for gaining both technical and teamwork know-how.
When we’re not building or competing, we’re involved in learning or inspiring others to learn the skills need to build robots and maintain the team. We participates in Fun in the Park, a community fair, volunteer at the Wilsonville WERK day to clean up our city, and demonstrate our robot and share FIRST values at various venues.
Here is what some members had to say about FIRST
“As a freshman coming to the team I was a little nervous about how I was going to fit in. I am a part of the software team and I didn’t really know anything at all, but right away, from the first meeting that I was a part of, the mentors and the students were all so welcoming and inviting.” Suhaani – Class of 2025
“The skills you learn from being a part of team 1425 can truly help you for the rest of your life. As students, we are offered real world experiences that can shape our career paths and desires for our future.” Grace – Class of 2023
“Robotics is an opportunity for me to express my creativity and explore my interests, with people who understand me, and still like me.” Kelsey – Alumni Class of 2013
“One thing I’d like to share about our team is that we have a place for everybody. We have so many different kinds of sub-teams, that everybody with any kind of interest or personality can find some place that they’ll love on the team.” Anish – Class of 2023
“It was an amazing experience. It has helped me discover what I want to do and who I want to be.” Tori – Alumni Class of 2015
“It means not only coming together as a team to design and construct a robot, but learning valuable skills, such as communication, leadership, and gracious professionalism. By working as a team, you use cooperation and teamwork to accomplish a challenging, but rewarding task.” Austin – Alumni Class of 2016
How do I join the team?
There are no tryouts for the team, but you do need to contact us to sign up. There is a $200 activity fee per student, but scholarships are available; this fee pays for a team shirt and meals on the Saturday meetings during the build season and sometimes at competitions. Come train with us — no experience required! If you are interested or have questions, please contact us!
Also, feel free to drop by at our team meetings! We meet at Wilsonville High School at 6:30pm to 9:00pm every Tuesday. We host a demonstration and recruiting event at the end of each school year, and will update this page with that date when we schedule it.
Don’t live near Wilsonville or West Linn?
If you want to join a FIRST Robotics team in your local area, visit FIRST’s website to find a local team.
What is FIRST?
FIRST (For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is an organization that seeks to train middle school and high school students to be the next generation of leaders in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics through their Junior FIRST Lego League (Jr.FLL), FIRST Lego League (FLL), FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC), and FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) programs. These are mentor-based programs that develop technical and leadership skills and inspire innovation.
“To transform our culture by creating a world where science and technology are celebrated and where young people dream of becoming science and technology leaders.”
— Dean Kamen, Founder
Learn more at http://www.firstinspires.org/
Why should you participate in FIRST robotics?
FIRST’s mission is to inspire young people to be science and technology innovators by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build engineering and technology skills to encourage advancement and that foster valuable life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.
You will be a part of a larger community, gain friends, and have fun!
FIRST kids are significantly more likely to attend college, major in science or engineering, and be outstanding future employees and citizens. FIRST is about changing our culture… for the better!
If you have ever wondered why you are learning math or science, FIRST gives you an opportunity to answer that question actually use those skills on a real-life problem.
Because of the lack of technical education classes, this is one of the only opportunities many students will have to learn how to operate industrial machines.
You will gain experiences that many college students do not even get a chance to have. “The robotics challenge is a bigger project than I had during the 4 years of my mechanical engineering degree.” – Physics Teacher Mr. Troha
You have access to $12 million in scholarships and will be more eligible for interviews at top companies like Xerox and Boeing.
This is a chance to set yourself apart from everyone else on your college application. Colleges are impressed by the leadership and technical skills that FIRST Robotics students can bring with them.
What are the sub-teams and what do they do?
Team 1425 is organized into smaller, technical, and non-technical teams to work on specific projects to prepare for the competitions and other events. Students will choose to join one or more of the following sub-teams:
Mechanical – The mechanical team prototypes parts of the robot, and builds the drive base and other subsystems specific to each year’s game and season.
Electrical – The electrical team connects all electrical components on the robot, mounts sensors, builds independent electrical projects, and learns physics concepts and electrical theory.
Software – The software team programs autonomous and teleop modes, and writes the code in Java so the robots can perform various tasks either autonomously or while being driven by the human drive team.
Strategy – The strategy team writes the year’s playbook and works with the design team to create advantageous plays we can use at competitions to earn points optimally.
Scouting – The scouting team collects and interprets data taken during competitions by our team’s scouters and they use the data to help us understand how teams compare to us, especially for alliance selection.
Business – The business team markets the team to our community, creates organized documents and write-ups, take pictures of the team, edits videos, applies to fundraisers and grants, and updates our team’s website.
Design – The design team uses Computer-Aided Design programs such as OnShape to strategically design the robot before the mechanical team starts to build it.
For more information on the subteams, please visit our recruiting page.
When are the meetings, competitions, events, etc?
The Build Season starts with “kickoff” on the first Saturday in January and extends for 2-3 months until competitions begin in March and April.
Other events that we participate in include: community service events – including Wilsonville WERK Day, Wilsonville Fun In the Park, Old West Linn Days; sponsor events (showing off the robot); other competitions held locally such as Bunny Bots, Girls Generation, Rookie Rumble; and informational events or training such as FIRST FARE or AutoCad training.
What is the time commitment?
During the build season the team meets four weeknights from 6:30 to 9:00 each night and on Saturdays from 9:30 to 3:30. It is not expected that you will be present at every build season session and you will need to decide how to best balance your school work, family, and other commitments with robotics. However, you will learn more and be better prepared if you attend more meetings.
During the offseason we have team meetings every Tuesday and some sub-teams meet on other nights independently for the purpose of training and working on special projects. Again, you need to determine how to balance your school work while participating in robotics.
Remember: school comes first!
What can/should a parent or guardian do to help?
There are many ways to help with the team and support your student. Please refer to our Team Handbook for an explanation of areas in which you can provide support or assistance or contact us.
FIRST’s Website link: http://www.firstinspires.org/team-event-search