The team made great strides in 2009, attracting two additional sponsors enabling the team to compete in two regional competitions in 2009 -- the New Jersey Regional and the NASA/VCU Regional. The team finished the New Jersey Regional with a record of 4 wins and 3 losses in 37th place out of 61 teams. At the 2009 NASA/VCU Regional, the team came into its own, scoring well and finishing with a 5 wins and 2 losses record in 15th place out of 60 teams, following the qualification matches. Unfortunately, no team selected us to partner with them for the elimination matches, and we were poised to go home disappointed. Hard work once again paid off, however, as the team won the Underwriters' Laboratory Industiral Safety Award.
In July 2009, the team offered the first of its RoboCamp summer programs to encourage middle school students to engage in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) educational disciplines. Twelve campers attended the week-long event, learning the fundamentals of robotics from Triple Helix students and mentors in a FIRST-LEGO-League-like competitive camp. In October 2009, the team competed once again in the off-season Robot Rumble competition, this time advancing to the finals and winning the championship to solidify team confidence heading into the 2010 FIRST Robotics Competition season.
In 2010, the team competed at the Washington DC Regional and the Virginia Regional held in Richmond, Virginia. The team finished the Washington DC Regional with a record of 7 wins and 2 losses, but was not selected to compete in the elimination matches. The team, however, continued its winning streak by receiving the Underwriters’ Laboratory Industrial Safety Award for the second year in a row. At the Virginia Regional, the team once again performed well and was finally selected as a competitor for the elimination matches, being selected by the number 8 alliance. The alliance was eliminated in the quarter-final matches, but the team had broken through and finally made it into the elimination rounds! The competition was capped off by receiving the Motorola Quality Award as the judges recognized the quality build of the Triple Helix robot, Genome Beta.
In the spring of 2010, the team began developing a community outreach robot named Flamethrower that was specifically intended to “do laps” at our local Relay for Life event. The team raised funds for the American Cancer Society by gathering pledges for Flamethrower on a per-lap basis. On June 3 – 4, 2010, Triple Helix and Flamethrower participated in the Relay for Life event at Todd Stadium in Newport News, Virginia. By the end of the night, Flamethrower had completed 100 laps of the track – 25 miles!! The team had raised over $2000 for the American Cancer Society and was extremely pleased with the durability of Flamethrower, which only stopped for battery changes throughout the night. The team and Flamethrower were rewarded with an appearance on Channel 13 News to discuss FIRST and the Relay for Life activity.
In June 2010, the team offered its second RoboCamp, this time attended by 17 middle school students. In the fall, Triple Helix once again competed in the Robot Rumble as the defending champions, making it to the finals before being defeated.
In preparation for the 2011 FIRST Robotics Competition season, the team has been working on Genome Gamma, a robot designed specifically to play the game Logomotion. The team will be competing in the Palmetto Regional at the North Charleston Coliseum in North Charleston, South Carolina, and the Virginia Regional in Richmond, Virginia. The Palmetto Regional will be held March 24 – 26, 2011, and the Virginia Regional on April 7 – 9, 2011. Triple Helix is intent upon improving our performance and making an appearance at the FIRST Championship at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis to be held April 28 – 30, 2011.
