On March 10-12, sixty robotics teams from high schools all across the nation came to the Valley View Casino Center (formerly the San Diego Sports Arena) to compete in the San Diego Regional FIRST Robotics Competitions. One of those teams was Chaos Vortex, team 3477, from High Tech High Chula Vista. The 2011 season was Chaos Vortex’s first year in the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), making them one of the thirteen rookie teams at the competition. After 100 qualification matches with their robot, General Disarray, the team ranked sixth place, earning them the Highest Rookie Seed award. This ranking also allowed them to not only move onto the finals, but be team captain and choose other teams to ally with during the final rounds.

    In addition to their robot playing well, Chaos Vortex impressed the event’s judges with their community outreach, financing plan, marketing, sportsmanship, and overall professionalism. Their booth, covered with banners about the team and their robot, stood out amongst the sea of pits and continuously attracted students, community members and judges alike to stop by and learn more. People were especially impressed to hear about the team’s commitment to spreading the FIRST message and the STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and math) throughout their community, mentoring younger students in robotics and planning to start up robotics teams at their upcoming sister middle and elementary schools. Furthermore, the team’s passion for technology was clearly shown with their soon-to-be-released scouting app for the iPhone and Android, which lets other teams record and share data easily on their mobile devices. This exceptional performance led the team to winning the coveted Rookie All Star award, the highest honor available for rookie teams.

    The Rookie All Star award qualified Chaos Vortex to compete in the FRC World Championships, held in St. Louis, MO from April 27th-30th. The team is currently preparing for this competition, making improvements to the robot and finalizing the app. Alongside these preparations, the team is fundraising for cover the registration and travel costs of the trip by holding community events and contacting sponsors.

    The Chaos Vortex robotics team was established in 2008 with the intention of participating in the VEX Robotics Competition (www.vexrobotics.com). For the past two years they have competed with VEX Robotics, winning regionals and qualifying for the VEX World Championships both seasons. They took on the challenge of the FIRST Robotics Competition in their third year, and now participates in both FRC and VEX. High Tech High Chula Vista was founded in the fall of 2007, as a southern branch of the San Diego High Tech High schools. The school utilizes a project-based curriculum and emphasizes adult-world connections.

    The team is currently raising funds so they can compete at the Championship. Tax deductible donations can be sent to: High Tech High Chula Vista, c/o Sherilyn Bumatay, 1945 Discovery Falls Drive, Chula Vista, CA  91915. Checks can be made payable to: High Tech High Foundation. Sherilyn can be reached by phone at (619) 591-2500 or by email at: sbumatay@hightechhigh.org.