By PhyXTGears Media Team—
EAST CENTRAL INDIANA—After an impressive performance at the Indiana State Championship, FRC Team 1720, also known as the PhyXTGears, recently competed at the FIRST World Championship in Houston, Texas. FIRST stands for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, and its mission is to inspire K-12 students to pursue careers in science, technology, and engineering. FRC, or FIRST Robotics Competition, is the largest-scale program FIRST offers. This program gives high school students a chance to gain real-world, hands-on experience with engineering and technology concepts.
PhyXTGears also celebrated its 20th anniversary this year, which made the experience for students, parents, and mentors much more memorable. As student Jeffery Reum Jr. says, “This was one of the best experiences I have ever had.” A majority of the team’s students are also seniors, making this season especially meaningful for them. After years of dedication to the program, many competitions, and countless long nights spent designing, building, and preparing, qualifying for the FIRST Championship allowed these students to experience the highest level of competition during their final season with the team. Being on the team since 2020, student Emmie Jones says, “It was an amazing way to finish off my senior year, and I’m so grateful to have been able to go!”
Before qualifying for the World Championship, PhyXTGears first competed in two Indiana district events, followed by the Indiana State Championship. Across the three competitions, the team achieved a combined 24–21 record over 45 qualification matches. Throughout the season, PhyXTGears consistently improved their performance, finishing 10th, 9th, and 8th place in their respective events, while also placing 6th, 7th, and 3rd in the playoff rounds of those competitions.
In addition to their competitive success, the team earned the Creativity Award at their first district event and the Innovation in Control Award at their second district competition. FIRST’s Innovation in Control Award celebrates “an innovative control system or application of control components — electrical, mechanical, or software — to provide unique machine functions.” With their achievements, PhyXTGears was able to place 11th out of 69 teams in the state of Indiana and received an invitation to compete at the FIRST World Championship.
“Attending the World Championships was a profound privilege,” mechanical mentor and co-founder of PhyXTGears Mike Koch says, “With over 500 teams from 16 countries competing over four days, it provided an educational intensity that few experiences can match.” The World Championship brought together some of the most accomplished teams from all across the world, which was a highlight for many of the students. “Worlds was an amazing learning opportunity for all of us kids to meet and network with teams from the states or across the world,” says student Kierstyn Gillenwater. Another student, Sarah Imel, says, “One thing I loved about Worlds was seeing all the different teams from other states and countries. We all came to this competition to compete, but that didn’t stop us from making friends with people who live all over the world!”
Programming mentor Justin Charette says, “Worlds was an outstanding finish to our team’s season. We ranked in the upper third [out of 75 teams in our division], our robot performed better than it had at prior events, and accomplished its best record of the season with 7 wins, 3 losses among the best teams around the world.” PhyXTGears has competed at the World Championship four other times in previous seasons, but this year was the team’s best performance at the Championship since the team’s first year competing at that level. While the team didn’t get to compete in the playoff matches, the team still feels honored to be able to compete at the Championship.
One of the biggest things that FIRST promotes at competitions is the concept of gracious professionalism. Dr. Woodie Flowers, the late co-founder of FIRST, coined the term and defined it as “a way of thinking—a combination of an empathetic response to others and the obligation to return to society the knowledge and understanding it has provided.” Throughout the event, PhyXTGears demonstrated gracious professionalism with other teams. Bruce Howard, a mechanical mentor for the team, says, “Many times we were able to help teams looking for parts or machines. Batteries were loaned, and returned by those teams who borrowed them, showing students that good deeds were ours to do, and our reward was gratitude from other teams.” Lisa Ritchie, a student’s parent, says, “We learned that a smile, a kind word, and a willingness to help out when needed goes a long way-from helping an FTC [First Tech Challenge, a smaller version of FRC] team unload their trailer, to aiding a team by cutting out a much-needed part for their final competition.” The World Championship was not just an opportunity for PhyXTGears and other teams to compete, but also a chance to demonstrate the values the team and the organization stand for.
PhyXTGears would like to thank its mentors, who volunteered many hours of hard work to make this season a success, including treasurer Julia Schlenker and president Shawn VanNess, for their significant behind-the-scenes contributions to the season and to the trip to the World Championship. The team would also like to sincerely thank the sponsors, including Caterpillar, the Don Wood Foundation, NearSpace Launch, and the Main Street Mile Initiative, as well as the parents and community supporters whose continued generosity and dedication helped make this opportunity possible for students. Their support not only allowed the team to compete at the FIRST Championship, but also continues to provide students with valuable experiences in engineering, teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving.
Those interested in supporting The PhyXTGears and helping sustain future seasons, competitions, and outreach opportunities can learn more by visiting https://phyxtgears.org/sponsors/.
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