Team Unlimited Brings a Block Party To Sharon

The basement that hosts "FTC1 Team Unlimited 4-H Club", Team Unlimited, may look like a messy jumble of screws, motors, and gears, but it is the home of some exciting work. Currently, fifteen Sharon High School students are hard at work designing, programming, and building a robot that can pick up cubes, place them on pendulum scoring baskets, and hang completely unsupported from a rod as a part of this year’s First Tech Challenge, Block Party. They are part of the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics, an organization that aims to expand interest for robotics, science, and technology at an early age.

With over 29,000 registered teams, FIRST is helping over 300,000 students around the world develop a passion for math, science, technology, and engineering through teamwork and Gracious Professionalism, the philosophy that encourages students to compete fiercely while supporting other teams as well as the community. Team Unlimited has embodied this principle through their desire to further technology in the community. For several years, they have volunteered as referees and judges in other branches of the FIRST program, including the FLL (FIRST Lego League) program, during competitions as well as in the SYRA, Sharon Youth Robotics Association, prepares Sharon FLL teams for competition. They are also a part of the Science, Engineering & Technology program of 4-H, a non-profit organization for Youth Development and engagement in science and technology.  In addition, they enjoy sharing their robot with the public when invited to events such as the Massachusetts STEM Summit and Boston’s First Night celebrations. Combined, the members of Team Unlimited put in over 450 hours of robotics related community service annually!

If you are interested in getting your child involved in a FIRST robotics program in Sharon, please visit the SYRA website, http://www.syraweb.org/, for more information about the FLL program and the Team Unlimited website, http://ftc0001.org/ , for details about the team and the FTC program. The team is also looking for potential sponsors for their team, and would be happy to provide its fundraising information. If you or your business is interested in supporting Team Unlimited, please contact head coach Sumathi Raghunathan at rsumathi@yahoo.com.

This year, the team has been able to qualify for the Massachusetts State Championship, where they will compete on March 8th for a chance to advance to the Eastern Super Regional Competition in Pennsylvania, and then the World Championships in St. Louis, Missouri. Though the team has been lucky enough to qualify for the World Championship almost every year, they face tough competition ahead of them. Yet, all of the students are more than willing to put in countless

hours of dedication and long, sleepless nights to complete the different aspects of the challenge, all with a smile on their faces and a screwdriver in hand.