In 2024 VRP spent over 1,700 hours with local teams.
Team 698, Hamilton Microbots
Team 698 has a good organizational foundation and was, in general, mostly interested in design input. The 2024 season was 698’s 23rd season as a team, and the first season the team has won a design award. We are proud of the the team’s constant desire to improve and look forward to what they will produce in the coming years.
The following quote is from their team president, Rahul:
“Not only was team 698 able to have a dedicated workspace outside of school for the first time in years, but the team also learned countless new things from VRP which allowed us to perform the best we have at competition in the last decade.”
Team 6479, AZTECH Robotics
Team 6479 was going through a major transition period, consistently utilizing all of VRP’s offered support. During the season, VRP helped set up a Digital Read Out (DRO) on the team’s manual mill as well as train students to use the team’s own in-house lathe and mill which led to the team being able to manufacture the majority of their parts in-house for the first time. 6479 had the most hours spent with VRP, over 500 during the season.
The following quote is from their team president, Ben:
“VRP has helped reshape our team and give us a crucial boost this season. They provided us with two fantastic mentors who helped teach all team members about the design and manufacturing process thus giving our team the ability to manufacture a large majority of the robot in-house.”
Team 9059, COLTech Robotics
Team 9059 was going through their second season and was able to make significant strides from their inaugural season. With the ability to send CAD files to VRP and obtain custom-designed parts, 9059 was able to design and build their first in-season mechanism. In their previous season, 9059 was limited to competing with a drivetrain until offseason competitions. For this coming season, 9059 plans to make the leap to a Swerve drive base.
The following quote is from their team president, Ethan:
“VRP’s guidance has been instrumental to our team’s performance. They’ve helped us with building and getting parts, streamlining our work, and contributing directly to our success.”
Team 9704, IgKnighted
Team 9704 was a rookie team for the 2024 season and had a rocky start. Initially, the team was unable to obtain their own workspace at the school. Until they did, 9704 met at the VRP Workspace. 9704’s only mentors are members of VRP, requiring all of the support VRP had to offer. To help kickstart 9704 to become a competitive team, VRP purchased MAX swerve modules for the team, which they used in-season. At their first competition, they were awarded the Sustainability Award which is a big deal for a rookie team.
The following quote is from their team president, Kevin:
“It’s hard to imagine 9704’s success as a rookie team without the unwavering support of VRP. The mentorship, resources, and workspace they’ve provided us have been instrumental in building our foundation. It’s clear that 9704 would never have been possible without VRP’s generosity and guidance.”
Team Scrap Metal, #10256
Although VRP was not planning to have an in-house team until the 2026 season, a student reached out to us in June regarding starting a new FRC team. The student’s energy and enthusiasm was contagious, leading to VRP being set on founding a rookie team that will compete in the 2025 season. Team Scrap Metal is a community team, meaning that the team is able to accept students from any school – TSM currently has members from eight different schools.
To start, the team members volunteered at the off-season Arizona Robotics League Qualifiers #1, #2, #3. Team Scrap Metal competed at ARL Qualifiers #4 and #5 and were selected to compete at the ARL Championship. The team also volunteered at the Sanghi State Championship.
There has been a lot of training through this off-season, and we are excited to see where Team Scrap Metal is able to take the team in the coming years.
