Battlefield High School Robotics Team Advances to Finals at Hampton Roads District Competition

Battlefield Robotics ILITE FRC Team 1885 traveled to Portsmouth, Virginia competing at Churchland High School in the Hampton Roads District Competition of FIRST STRONGHOLD.  FIRST STRONGHOLD, is the medieval themed robotics game played by FIRST Robotics Competition teams for 2016.  In rounds of two-and-a-half minutes of fast-paced action, two alliances of three robots each collaborate to breach their opponents' strategically selected fortifications, weaken their opponent's castle tower with boulders, and in the last seconds surround, scale and capture the opposing tower. 

At the end of qualifying rounds, ILITE 1885 was undefeated and joined the alliance with FRC Team Triple Helix 2363 from Menchville High School in Newport News, Virginia and FRC Team Portable Chargers 5954 from Central High School in Victoria, Virginia.  Winning in quarterfinals and semi-finals, ILITE 1885 and their alliance partners advanced to the finals of the competition finishing second overall. 

ILITE 1885 claimed two additional awards for the competition winning the Entrepreneurship Award and the Industrial Design Award.  The Entrepreneurship Award sponsored by Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers recognizes the team that has developed a comprehensive business plan to manage and achieve team objectives.  The Industrial Design Award sponsored by General Motors is awarded to the team with the most efficiently designed robot effectively addressing the game challenge. 

Established in 2005 with thirty-two students, ILITE FRC Team 1885 is today one of the largest robotics programs in the mid-Atlantic region.  ILITE FRC Team 1885 based at Battlefield High School in Prince William County, Virginia is coached by Professor Gail Drake.  ILITE stands for Inspiring Leaders in Technology and Engineering.  Since winning Rookie All Star in 2006 at the FIRST Championship, ILITE FRC Team 1885 has won numerous awards including regional Chairman's Awards and regional Engineering Inspiration Awards.  ILITE Team 1885 engages in extensive outreach to share their love of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by holding STEM summer camps, hosting an annual STEM Expo, advocating for STEM education with national politicians and supporting robotics education at local elementary schools in Haiti and Malaysia.  To learn more about ILITE FRC eam 1885, go to http://www.ilite.us.  Donations to support ILITE FRC Team 1885 may be sent to the attention of US STEM foundation, 7371 Atlas Walk Way, #242, Gainesville, VA  20155.