PRESS ROOM & NEWS

FIRST Celebrates Next Generation of World-Class Problem Solvers at FIRST Class Festival of Champions

Inventor Dean Kamen Welcomes FIRST Class of Champions 2017 to Manchester, New Hampshire, for Celebration, Robotics Action

MANCHESTER, N.H., August 1, 2017 – FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) celebrated middle and high school students from around the world who have received the highest honors during the most recent FIRST season at the 2017 FIRST Class Festival of Champions in Manchester, New Hampshire, on Saturday.

The Festival included a robotics event at SNHU Arena in Manchester, the same city where FIRST, an international K-12 not-for-profit organization that inspires young people’s participation and interest in science and technology, held its first-ever official Sport for the Mind™ event in a high school gymnasium 25 years ago. Winning alliances of robotics teams from the FIRST® Robotics Competition and FIRST® Tech Challenge Championship events in Houston and St. Louis competed in the last official games of the 2016-2017 season. The matches were streamed live on Twitch.tv and are available to replay on the FIRST Twitch channel.

Scoring a world-record-high 588 points in the fifth and final match, the Blue Alliance – Team 2767, Stryke Force, Kalamazoo, Mich.; Team 254, The Cheesy Poofs, San Jose, Calif.; Team 862, Lightning Robotics, Canton, Mich.; Team 1676, The Pascack PI-oneers, Montvale, N.J. – won the Festival trophy for FIRST Robotics Competition.

On the FIRST Tech Challenge playing field, the Red Alliance – Team 724, RedNek Robotics Wun, Sun River, Mont.; Team 4216, Rise of Hephaestus, San Diego, Calif.; and Team 8651, Wait For It..., Pearl, Miss. – took home the Festival prize after four exciting matches.

The FIRST Festival of Champions event at SNHU Arena was part of three days of celebrations of the 2017 FIRST Class of Champions. “What we’re doing is way more important than a competition,” FIRST Founder Dean Kamen said at the event. “Most of the robots don’t win, but all of the students do.” Kamen also encouraged the students to return home and get the rest of their communities involved in FIRST: “The world needs a generation of world-class problem solvers and leaders.”

U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Garrett Harencak and New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu also spoke at the Festival. Maj. Gen. Harencak presented Dean Kamen with the American Spirit Award, the highest honor the U.S. Air Force gives to a civilian. Gov. Sununu announced that New Hampshire is committed to helping every school in the state that wants to start a FIRST team.

“STEM learning is more important than ever as we look ahead to the future economy, but kids also need exposure to teamwork, problem solving, and diversity to really thrive,” said Don Bossi, president of FIRST. “Robotics competitions like FIRST are a great way to give them these experiences at any age, and in a way that's just a lot of fun.”

2017 FIRST Class of Champions

The 2017 FIRST Class of Champions includes middle and high school students who received the highest honors at 2017 FIRST Championship events in Houston and St. Louis in April, and the group includes students from Australia, Canada, and 24 U.S. states. They are:

FIRST Robotics Competition Chairman’s Award Recipients (recognizing the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate and best embodies the purpose and goals of FIRST)

  • From FIRST Championship Houston:
    • Team 3132, Thunder Down Under, Sydney, Australia
  • From FIRST Championship St. Louis:
    • Team 2614, Mountaineer Area RoboticS (MARS), Morgantown, W. Va.

FIRST Tech Challenge Inspire Award Recipients (recognizing excellence in robot design and teamwork)

  • From FIRST Championship Houston:
    • Team 3491, FIX IT, Victoria, Canada
  • From FIRST Championship St. Louis:
    • Team 5466, Davenport West - Combustible Lemons, Davenport, Iowa

FIRST Robotics Competition Championship Winning Alliances

  • From Houston:
    • Team 973, Greybots, Atascadero, Calif.
    • Team 1011, CRUSH, Tucson, Ariz.
    • Team 2928, Viking Robotics, Seattle, Wash.
    • Team 5499, Bay Orangutans, Berkeley, Calif.
    • Team 4188, Columbus Space Program, Columbus, Ga. (Festival Alliance substitute for Team 2928)
  • From St. Louis:
    • Team 2767, Stryke Force, Kalamazoo, Mich.
    • Team 254, The Cheesy Poofs, San Jose, Calif.
    • Team 862, Lightning Robotics, Canton, Mich.
    • Team 1676, The Pascack PI-oneers, Montvale, N.J.

FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship Winning Alliances

  • From Houston:
    • Team 724, RedNek Robotics Wun, Sun River, Mont.
    • Team 4216, Rise of Hephaestus, San Diego, Calif.
    • Team 8651, Wait For It..., Pearl, Miss.
  • From St. Louis:
    • Team 8686, Height Differential, Saint Paul, Minn.
    • Team 6929, Data Force, Littleton, Colo.
    • Team 5916, BoBots, Earleville, Md.

Dean’s List Award Recipients (recognizing their leadership skills, long-term commitment to FIRST ideals, and effectiveness in increasing awareness of FIRST within their schools and communities)

  • From FIRST Robotics Competition:
    • Tanreet Dhaliwal, Team 1325, Inverse Paradox, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
    • Dikshant Sharma, Team 226, Hammerheads, Troy, Mich.    
    • Benjamin Spector, Team 5806, Horace Mann School, Pelham, N.Y.
    • Jared Dunn, Team 5811, BONDS, Dayton, Ohio
    • Xavier Balladarez, Team 5627, πrtz (Pi-rates), San Diego, Calif.
    • Sreekar Mantena, Team 5511, Cortechs Robotics, Cary, N.C.
    • Simran Pujji, Team 8, Paly Robotics, Palo Alto, Calif.
    • Zachary Rolfness, Team 1165, Team Paradise, Cave Creek, Ariz.
    • Rebekah Travis, Team 4087, Falcon Robotics, New Orleans, La.
    • Madeline Smith, Team 2723, Team Rocket, Oklahoma City, Okla.
  • From FIRST Tech Challenge:
    • Kieran Beaumont, Team 6700, X BOTS, Fairfax, Va.
    • Kelly Rudder, Team 8120, Electric Hornets, Kirtland, Ohio
    • Timothy Keup, Team 4106, Supposable Thumbs, Brookfield, Wis.
    • Gloria Campos, Team 5029, PowerStackers, Englewood, Ohio
    • Roshaan Siddiqui, Team 7006, RoboTitans, Chicago, Ill.
    • Marissa Hibbert, Team 8095, Bulldogs, Norfolk, Va.
    • Elizabeth Bray, Team 7022, Robostangs, Birmingham, Ala.
    • Gokul Kolady, Team 7013, Hot Wired, Portland, Ore.
    • Rhett Pimentel, Team 3188, Squiggle Splat Bang, Powell, Wyo.
    • Aila Simpson, Team 3491, FIX IT, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
       

About FIRST®
Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering. With support from over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies and more than $50 million in college scholarships, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST® Robotics Competition for students in Grades 9-12; FIRST® Tech Challenge for Grades 7-12; FIRST® LEGO® League for Grades 4-8; and FIRST® LEGO® League Jr. for Grades K-4. Gracious Professionalism® is a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. To learn more about FIRST, go to www.firstinspires.org