The Organization

FIRST® inspires young people to be science and technology leaders and innovators by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering, and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership. As a FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) team, we compete with and against other teams each season using our engineering and business skills. Here's how it goes down.

The Season

Kickoff - Early January

Kickoff is when we receive the season's event, and it's when we kick into high gear for the on-season. We'll have a special meeting during kickoff and spend the day forming preliminary strategies and potential robot archetypes.

Build Season - January-March

During this time, we'll design, prototype, test, and refine our robot to get it ready for the competition. Our meetings transition from every Tuesday to five times a week.

Scrimmage - Late February

At scrimmage we compete in an unofficial event with other Colorado FRC teams. It's the first real test of our robot and it's a great chance to see what's working and what isn't.

Out-of-State Regional - Varies

For the past few years we've been picking one out-of-state regional to attend as well. This gives us another shot at making Worlds and another chance to further refine our designs.

Colorado Regional - Late March

This is our main event, and it's when all members of our team show up to support our team. From scouting matches to working in the pit to driving the robot, it's all-hands-on-deck to help our team succeed.

Worlds - Mid April

Someday we hope to go to the FIRST Championship. We haven't made it yet, but we're getting closer every year.

The Competition

Matches

Each match is broken down into three parts - autonomous (auto), teleoperated (teleop), and the endgame.
For the first 15 seconds of a match the robot must operate autonomously using only pre-programmed instructions. There are often bonus points that can be scored during this period and goals are worth more. 
After the auto is teleop, where the robot is controlled by our drive team. This makes up the bulk of the match (two minutes and 15 seconds) and is where most of the excitement happens.
The final section of the match is often referred to as the endgame as there are special bonuses awarded for ending the match while fulfilling certain criteria, such as hanging from a chain or being parked in a specific zone.

Structure

Each competition is broken down into two sections: qualifications and playoffs. The qualification matches are played with a random alliance of our team and two others against another random alliance. Ranking points are earned during those matches based on alliance performance. At the end of the qualifications the eight top-ranking teams become alliance captains and get to choose two other teams to compete with in the playoffs. After that, the playoffs begin. Lose twice and your alliance is eliminated. Win it all and you're going to Worlds.

Awards

 In addition to the main event, there are other awards to be had. These include the:
  • Autonomous Award
  • Creativity Award
  • Excellence in Engineering Award
  • FIRST Dean’s List Award 
  • Impact Award
  • Team Spirit Award
  • Woodie Flowers Finalist Award
As a team we're proud to have two Woodie Flowers Finalists in a row! The Woodie Flowers Award recognizes outstanding mentors who have really gone above and beyond to help their team succeed. Only one Woodie Flowers Finalist is named at each regional, so it is a great honor to have had both Jack Graber and Dakota Mann as our mentors.

The Community

FIRST reaches across the world and is present in over 100 countries, with over 3.2 million participants since 1989. Members of the FIRST community are passionately active on platforms such as Open Alliance and Chief Delphi, sharing their team's experiences, problems, troubleshooting processes, and fixes. There's also a fair share of fun, including a plethora of hilarious quotable quotes, predictions for next season, and more. Being a part of FRC truly makes you a part of a larger community.

About Us

Our Mission Statement

Higher. Further. Faster.
Our mission is to provide students with the means to pursue their STEM passion and gain more hands-on experience and knowledge. For us, robotics is a way to develop not only engineering skills but also real workplace skills such as teamwork, problem-solving, and leadership.
About Us:
Team Impulse is proud to be a part of STEM School Highlands Ranch's engineering pathway. We are supported by our school's administration and faculty, who understand that the experiences that our team provides are important to further the STEM education of our members, some of whom don't have access to these STEM opportunities at their schools. Building upon what is taught in the classroom, Team 4418 allows our members to put what they've learned into practice and solve real problems, seeing the engineering design process at work.
​The engineering labs at our school provide all of the tools we need to construct and perfect our robot. Not only do we have standard hand and power tools but also more advanced machinery such as a laser engraver and CNC machine. Hands-on learning with these tools gives students not only technical knowledge but also confidence required to succeed in their futures. Along with the other activities in our school's engineering pathways we form the heartbeat of both STEM education and culture at our school.
​Team Goals:​​
  • To empower students to pursue careers in STEM
  • To provide students with opportunities to connect with and learn from industry professionals
  • To teach students industry-applicable technical skills
  • To help students develop as leaders, team members, and young adults
  • To create an environment that fosters continuous learning and growth
​
Students debating strategy at the 2024 Kickoff.

Beyond Robots - Team Culture

Our next challenge: 2024-2025 Reefscape

During the 2024-2025 FIRST season, FIRST® DIVE℠ presented by Qualcomm, teams will use their STEM and collaboration skills to explore life beneath the surface of the ocean. Along the way, we’ll uncover the potential in each of us to strengthen our community and innovate for a better world with healthy oceans.