History
Team 542 began in 2006 when the FIRST VEX Challenge was introduced to the West Coast. FTC team 542 has performed excellently in its six year history. It has competed at the FTC World Championships three times (2007-2008, 2009-2010, 2011-2012).
Facts and Awards by Year
2005-2006: Half-Pipe Hustle (Unofficial)
This was the first year for WHS Robotics and the VEX system. Our club competed unofficially at the Cal State Northridge Regional Competition.
2005 Los Angeles Regional Championship: Connect Award
2006-2007: Hangin'-A-Round
As Team 3395, WHS Robotics competed officially for the first time in the FIRST VEX Challenge. The robot was named "Whatbot?" and performed magnificently with its scoring arm for the softballs of the competition field.
2006 Los Angeles Regional Championship: Connect Award
2006 Orange County Regional Championship: Connect Award
2006 San Diego Scrimmage: Second Place Alliance
2007-2008: Quad Quandary
With the current team number, 542, WHS Robotics had a successful season with it's VEX robot: "UBOT" (Under Budget On Time). UBOT was very efficient at scoring with its multistage arm and ring storage lance, competitive enough for WHS Robotics to win the Inspire Award at the Los Angeles Regional Championship and represent the LA region at the FTC World Championships in Atlanta, Georgia.
2007 CSUDH Regional Qualifier: Finalist Alliance
2007 LA County College Regional Qualifier: Winning Alliance
2007 LA County College Regional Qualifier: Connect Award
2007 Los Angeles Regional Championship: Inspire Award
2007 San Diego Regional Championship Tournament: Connect Award
2007 San Diego Regional Championship Tournament: Winning Alliance
2008 FTC World Championship:
Link: Video from this year's team (The Twelve Weeks of FTC)
2008-2009: Face Off
2008 Los Angeles Regional Championship: PTC Design Award
2008 San Diego Regional Championship
2009-2010: Hot Shot
This year, WHS Robotics FTC had another extremely successful season. The robot, "The Beast", had an efficient wiffle ball collector, regulator, and shooter. The team won the Inspire Award at the Los Angeles Regional Championships and represented the Los Angeles Region at the FTC World Championships in Atlanta, Georgia.
2010 Los Angeles Regional Championship: Inspire Award
2010 FTC World Championship: Philosopher's Muse (Judge's Award)
Link: Video Presentation about the Beast
2010-2011: Get Over it!
Link: Video Presentation about the Tank
2011-2012: Bowled Over!
Yet another blessed season for WHS Robotics FTC. This season, Team 542 represented the Los Angeles Region at the 2012 FTC World Championships in St.Louis, Missouri after winning the Second Place Inspire Award at the Los Angeles Regional Championship. Unfortunately, we did not win any awards at the World Championship.
2011 Los Angeles Regional Championship: 2nd place Inspire Award
2011 Los Angeles Regional Championship: Motivate Award
2011 Los Angeles Regional Championship: Connect Award Finalist
2011 Los Angeles Regional Championship: Think Award Finalist
2012 FTC World Championship: Participated
2012-2013: Ring it Up!
This was one of our team's most successful seasons! We were able to pull off a nearly undefeated season, with only one loss at the two qualifiers we competed at, no losses at the Los Angeles Regional Championship, and two losses at the World Championship. Although we were not picked for the finals matches in alliance selection at the World Championship, we ranked within the top 12 teams in qualification matches in our division and the top 25 teams in the whole FTC championship.
2012 Claremont Qualifier (LA region): Inspire Award,
Winning alliance 1st Pick
2013 Monrovia Qualifier (LA region): Winning Alliance 1st pick, PTC Design Award
2013 Los Angeles Regional Championship: Winning Alliance Captain, Promote Award
2013 FTC World Championship: 12th in Franklin Division
Link: Promote Video for LA Regional Championship
Promote Video for World Championship
2013-2014: Block Party!
The Block Party! season was fairly successful for our team, although it was a transition year for our design process. We were met with strong success at our qualifiers, although found bad luck at both of the regional championships. Our team made excellent strides in design work, transitioning to a CAD based design process, more custom manufactured parts, and other new strategies.
2013 San Diego Qualifier #1: Think Award
3rd Place Inspire Award
4th Seed Alliance
2013 Claremont Qualifier (LA region): Winning Alliance Captain
Inspire Award
2013 Downtown LA Qualifier (LA region): 3rd place Inspire Award
3rd seed Alliance Captain
Control Award
Link: Promote Video
2014-2015: Cascade Effect
Another successful season! Our team created a very innovative robot design which did well on the competition fields. Although our robot, Rex, did not have the same match record as Windsor, the innovative design, established design process, business plan, extensive community outreach, and detailed engineering notebook allowed us to win the Inspire Award at the West Super Regional and propelled us to the World Championship.
2014 San Diego Qualifier #2: PTC Design Award
2014 Claremont Qualifier (LA Region): Inspire Award
Winning Alliance Captain
2015 Perris Qualifier #1 (LA Region): Winning Alliance 1st Pick
Connect Award
Promote Award
2015 Las Vegas Regional Championship: Think Award
Winning Alliance 1st Pick
2015 Los Angeles Regional Championship: Inspire Award
Division Finalist, 1st Pick
2015 West Super Regional Championship: Inspire Award
Division Finalist, 1st Pick
2015 World Championship: Top 6 Innovative Design (Innovate Award nomination)
Link: Promote Video
Link: Robot Reveal Video
2015-2016: Res-Q
Although we were not as successful as last year, we still learned that we need to push through the hard times and work as hard as ever--even if we have to stay up all night working on the robot. It was successful in the fact that we had qualified for LA Regionals while we were in a transition year.
2016 DeToledo Qualifier (LA Region): 2nd place Inspire Award
PTC Design Award
Promote Award
2nd place Motivate
2016 Perris Qualifier #1 (LA Region): Connect Award
2nd place Promote
2016 Los Angeles Regional Championship: 3rd place Motivate
Link: Promote Video
Here are links to pages with more information about Team 542's history:
Outdated WHS Robotics club website - History about 2006-2007
Outdated Team 542 website - History about 2006-2008
Outdated WHS Robotics club website - History about 2011-2012
Information about Past FTC Challenges
Facts and Awards by Year
2005-2006: Half-Pipe Hustle (Unofficial)
This was the first year for WHS Robotics and the VEX system. Our club competed unofficially at the Cal State Northridge Regional Competition.
2005 Los Angeles Regional Championship: Connect Award
2006-2007: Hangin'-A-Round
As Team 3395, WHS Robotics competed officially for the first time in the FIRST VEX Challenge. The robot was named "Whatbot?" and performed magnificently with its scoring arm for the softballs of the competition field.
2006 Los Angeles Regional Championship: Connect Award
2006 Orange County Regional Championship: Connect Award
2006 San Diego Scrimmage: Second Place Alliance
2007-2008: Quad Quandary
With the current team number, 542, WHS Robotics had a successful season with it's VEX robot: "UBOT" (Under Budget On Time). UBOT was very efficient at scoring with its multistage arm and ring storage lance, competitive enough for WHS Robotics to win the Inspire Award at the Los Angeles Regional Championship and represent the LA region at the FTC World Championships in Atlanta, Georgia.
2007 CSUDH Regional Qualifier: Finalist Alliance
2007 LA County College Regional Qualifier: Winning Alliance
2007 LA County College Regional Qualifier: Connect Award
2007 Los Angeles Regional Championship: Inspire Award
2007 San Diego Regional Championship Tournament: Connect Award
2007 San Diego Regional Championship Tournament: Winning Alliance
2008 FTC World Championship:
Link: Video from this year's team (The Twelve Weeks of FTC)
2008-2009: Face Off
2008 Los Angeles Regional Championship: PTC Design Award
2008 San Diego Regional Championship
2009-2010: Hot Shot
This year, WHS Robotics FTC had another extremely successful season. The robot, "The Beast", had an efficient wiffle ball collector, regulator, and shooter. The team won the Inspire Award at the Los Angeles Regional Championships and represented the Los Angeles Region at the FTC World Championships in Atlanta, Georgia.
2010 Los Angeles Regional Championship: Inspire Award
2010 FTC World Championship: Philosopher's Muse (Judge's Award)
Link: Video Presentation about the Beast
2010-2011: Get Over it!
Link: Video Presentation about the Tank
2011-2012: Bowled Over!
Yet another blessed season for WHS Robotics FTC. This season, Team 542 represented the Los Angeles Region at the 2012 FTC World Championships in St.Louis, Missouri after winning the Second Place Inspire Award at the Los Angeles Regional Championship. Unfortunately, we did not win any awards at the World Championship.
2011 Los Angeles Regional Championship: 2nd place Inspire Award
2011 Los Angeles Regional Championship: Motivate Award
2011 Los Angeles Regional Championship: Connect Award Finalist
2011 Los Angeles Regional Championship: Think Award Finalist
2012 FTC World Championship: Participated
2012-2013: Ring it Up!
This was one of our team's most successful seasons! We were able to pull off a nearly undefeated season, with only one loss at the two qualifiers we competed at, no losses at the Los Angeles Regional Championship, and two losses at the World Championship. Although we were not picked for the finals matches in alliance selection at the World Championship, we ranked within the top 12 teams in qualification matches in our division and the top 25 teams in the whole FTC championship.
2012 Claremont Qualifier (LA region): Inspire Award,
Winning alliance 1st Pick
2013 Monrovia Qualifier (LA region): Winning Alliance 1st pick, PTC Design Award
2013 Los Angeles Regional Championship: Winning Alliance Captain, Promote Award
2013 FTC World Championship: 12th in Franklin Division
Link: Promote Video for LA Regional Championship
Promote Video for World Championship
2013-2014: Block Party!
The Block Party! season was fairly successful for our team, although it was a transition year for our design process. We were met with strong success at our qualifiers, although found bad luck at both of the regional championships. Our team made excellent strides in design work, transitioning to a CAD based design process, more custom manufactured parts, and other new strategies.
2013 San Diego Qualifier #1: Think Award
3rd Place Inspire Award
4th Seed Alliance
2013 Claremont Qualifier (LA region): Winning Alliance Captain
Inspire Award
2013 Downtown LA Qualifier (LA region): 3rd place Inspire Award
3rd seed Alliance Captain
Control Award
Link: Promote Video
2014-2015: Cascade Effect
Another successful season! Our team created a very innovative robot design which did well on the competition fields. Although our robot, Rex, did not have the same match record as Windsor, the innovative design, established design process, business plan, extensive community outreach, and detailed engineering notebook allowed us to win the Inspire Award at the West Super Regional and propelled us to the World Championship.
2014 San Diego Qualifier #2: PTC Design Award
2014 Claremont Qualifier (LA Region): Inspire Award
Winning Alliance Captain
2015 Perris Qualifier #1 (LA Region): Winning Alliance 1st Pick
Connect Award
Promote Award
2015 Las Vegas Regional Championship: Think Award
Winning Alliance 1st Pick
2015 Los Angeles Regional Championship: Inspire Award
Division Finalist, 1st Pick
2015 West Super Regional Championship: Inspire Award
Division Finalist, 1st Pick
2015 World Championship: Top 6 Innovative Design (Innovate Award nomination)
Link: Promote Video
Link: Robot Reveal Video
2015-2016: Res-Q
Although we were not as successful as last year, we still learned that we need to push through the hard times and work as hard as ever--even if we have to stay up all night working on the robot. It was successful in the fact that we had qualified for LA Regionals while we were in a transition year.
2016 DeToledo Qualifier (LA Region): 2nd place Inspire Award
PTC Design Award
Promote Award
2nd place Motivate
2016 Perris Qualifier #1 (LA Region): Connect Award
2nd place Promote
2016 Los Angeles Regional Championship: 3rd place Motivate
Link: Promote Video
Here are links to pages with more information about Team 542's history:
Outdated WHS Robotics club website - History about 2006-2007
Outdated Team 542 website - History about 2006-2008
Outdated WHS Robotics club website - History about 2011-2012
Information about Past FTC Challenges