Rookie ECHS FIRST Robotics Team wins at Fairfield!

FIRST Robotics Team 7153, Aetos Dios, Eagles of Zeus, with students from East Catholic High School in Manchester, CT, took first place at the FRC's Southern CT District Event, held at Fairfield University on March 16-18. There were 30 teams that competed including 2 other Rookie Teams.

At the end of qualifying matches, Aetos Dios placed 14th. We were then selected by the #2 alliance, FRC Team 195, The CyberKnights, from Southington High School in Southington, CT, and FRC Team 5687, The Outliers, from Baxter Academy for Technology and Science in Portland, ME. The three separate teams made up one alliance who went to elimination matches with 7 other alliances. The elimination matches were best 2 out of 3 and Aetos Dios went 2-0 in the quarterfinals, the semi-finals, and again in the finals to win the event!

Aetos Dios took home two additional awards; the Rookie Highest Seed Award and the Rookie All-Star Award. At the end of the Qualification Matches, Aetos Dios had the highest rank of the Rookie Teams and was given the Rookie Highest Seed Award. The Rookie All-Star Award was presented to Aetos Dios for demonstrating the values of FIRST and clearly expressing our vision to develop a strong relationship with our local community as well as our FIRST community by providing outreach and working with other FRC teams to spread the message of FIRST.

Aetos Dios will be competing next at the NE District Hartford CT Event being held April 6-8 at Hartford Public High School. Aetos Dios has also qualified to attend the NE District Championship Event being held April 11-14 at Boston University to compete against other Rookie Teams from all of New England for the Rookie All-Star Award.

Aetos Dios was formed in December 2017, only three weeks prior to this competition season. The team consists of 9 boys and 3 girls, and 5 of the students are international exchange students from Brazil, China, and Turkey. In six weeks, the 12 students on the team conceptualized, designed, built, wired, and programmed a 120 lb. robot to compete in this year’s game.

Although our brand new (Rookie) Team has incredible drive and determination, we have limited financial resources, so we need your support. Your donations will help to cover registration fees plus travel costs for the team as well as for tools and robot parts. Our team relies 100% on donations and is self-funding. The Team has set up a Go Fund Me Page at https://www.gofundme.com/aetosdios7153.

Sponsors of Aetos Dios include Argosy Foundation, SpaceFitters LLC, Stanley Black and Decker, KCJR, Empire Industries, Inc, RLI, Northrop Grumman, Elmo’s Dockside, Triple Stitch, ReliaMark, The Sign Connection, Mister-Shot Logos, and Manchester Shop-Rite.

Please Visit, Follow, Like, and Share Aetos Dios on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at @aetosdios7153.

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) was founded in 1989 to inspire young people's interest and participation in science and technology. Based in Manchester, NH, the 501(c)(3) not-for-profit public charity designs accessible, innovative programs that motivate young people to pursue education and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math, while building self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills.

FIRST Robotics Competition pairs high school students with adult mentors (primarily engineers and teachers) to design and build ROBOTS that compete against one another in a high-energy environment.

This varsity Sport for the Mind™ combines the excitement of sport with the rigors of science and technology. Under strict rules, limited resources and time limits, teams of students are challenged to raise funds, design a team “brand,” hone teamwork skills, and build and program ROBOTS to perform prescribed tasks against a field of competitors. It’s as close to “real-world” engineering as a student can get.

To learn more about FIRST, go to www.firstinspires.com