The Uppers School robotics team recently finished their season, rebounding after losing many of their senior members.
In the past several weeks, the team dominated its league meet and placed second in robot design at regionals in the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) competition.
“Texas has some of the best teams in the world, and often there are teams here that end up winning worlds,” the newest coach, science teacher Kevin Fine, said.
In addition to the competitive atmosphere, the team’s core members are underclassmen. Some of the main contributors include junior Leo Hughes, sophomore Hunter Dorill and freshman Franklin Aguero. In the face of more experienced competition, Fine is proud of these young talents for demonstrating leadership and is confident that their abilities will only continue to grow.
“I think on some teams, there may be more adult involvement, like the coaches or the parents may get more involved,” Fine said. “These kids earned everything themselves.”
Fine believes that the team’s independence and ingenuity will allow them to build a path to success. He acknowledges that the team approaches its craft with a level of dedication and commitment comparable to a sport.
“We’re basically entering our off-season now,” Fine said. “So just like in a sport, if you want to be top level, you probably train, maybe do lifts. You do something to keep strong and actually improve yourself for the next season. The team is already thinking about that.”
Despite its season just recently having come to a close, the team isn’t slowing down. With their eyes set firmly ahead, they are eagerly setting the gears into motion for the next season.
With a relatively younger squad and a coach new to the school, the team faced no shortage of changes, but it integrated changes and fought at regionals during a reconstructive year. Fine is hopeful for the future, and he hopes that the team will find further success as the team continues to adapt and grow its foundation.
