FIRST Robotics Competition World Champion Team Roboteers Show Appreciation to Caterpillar

May 16, 2016

On May 10, the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) World Champion Roboteers 2481 from Tremont, Illinois, visited Caterpillar’s global headquarters in Peoria, Illinois. The team presented Group President Denise Johnson and Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Gwenne Henricks with a plaque of appreciation. 

Caterpillar is a proud sponsor of 197 For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) teams in seven countries around the world. The Roboteers are the first Caterpillar-sponsored team to win a world championship title since Caterpillar began its relationship with FIRST in 2005.

The FIRST World Championship, held on April 27-30 in St. Louis, Missouri, is the culmination of the season's four FIRST programs: FRC, FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC), FIRST LEGO League and FIRST LEGO League Jr. This year, 900 teams consisting of 20,000 students from 39 countries around the world competed. The Roboteers were one of 600 FRC teams who fought for the title of world champions. 

Charlie Woodard, a pit captain for the Roboteers and a junior at Tremont High School shared this about their final match: "We spent a lot of time talking to our alliance partners about match strategy and what their robot could do, but in the end we were like ‘we've got to win this match.’”

Ironically, the Roboteers started the year thinking it was a rebuilding year. Nine of their teammates had just graduated and the team took on 14 new members, including nine freshman, to bring the team total to 27 students. Even with the team’s high turnover they decided to set the bar high with a goal to win the FRC World Championship. What seemed like a lofty goal ended up being more attainable than they had thought. Through hard work and the guidance of the team’s 19 mentors, the Roboteers persevered and their “rebuilding year” became a year they would never forget. 

At the appreciation ceremony, Group President Denise Johnson congratulated the Roboteers, saying, “Taking the top prize in such a competitive, global event was a truly amazing feat – and something Caterpillar is incredibly proud to be a part of. Congratulations!” 

Of course, none of this would have been possible without the guidance of dedicated coaches, mentors and volunteers. Caterpillar Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Gwenne Henricks acknowledged the team’s 19 mentors, six of whom are Caterpillar employees, saying, “Thank you to all of the coaches and mentors on the Roboteers and on all of the other FIRST teams. Your dedication to guiding the next generation of scientists and engineers is remarkable, and we thank you for all that you do.”

In addition to the Roboteers walking away with the top honor, four of the nine other Caterpillar-sponsored FRC and FTC teams who competed at the world championship earned several awards of their own. 

As a major employer of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professionals, Caterpillar recognizes the need to encourage students to pursue careers in STEM as a critical piece to building its talent pipeline.

To learn more about how Caterpillar’s STEM initiatives are inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers click here.