Team Max 1071 Participates in the Connecticut FIRST® Robotics Competition Regional in
Hartford March 29th – 30th

A team of 30 Wolcott Students is about to show their engineering know-how as they compete with their Frisbee shooting robot this weekend. The team, called Team Max 1071, will be competing at the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science andTechnology) Robotics Competition Connecticut Regional, Sponsored by UTC. The regional will take place
March 29 – 30 at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford, CT. Team Max students and mentors will be demonstrating their skills and passion for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The students will compete against 57 other teams for honors and recognition that reward design excellence, competitive play, sportsmanship and high impact play.

Founded by inventor Dean Kamen, FIRST was created to inspire young people’s interest and
participation in science and technology. The FIRST Robotics Competition is an annual competition that helps students discover the rewards and excitement of science, engineering, and technology. The 2013 season is expected to include 2,548 teams from 16 countries competing in 58 Regional events; 17 District Competitions; and the FIRST Championship in St. Louis, April 24-27.

Wolcott began with FRC in 2003 with the creation of Team Max 1071. Now in its 11 season, Team Max currently has 35 students participating working alongside 10 professional mentors coming from companies such as Sikorsky Aircraft, Hamilton Sundstrand, and United Technology Corporation.

The 2013 game, ULTIMATE ASCENT, is played between two Alliances of three teams each. Each Alliance competes by trying to score as many flying discs into their goals as possible during the two-minute and 15-second match. Discs scored in higher goals score Alliances more points. Matches end with robots attempting to climb up pyramids located near the middle of the field.

Over a six-week timeframe, Team Max students worked with professional engineering Mentors to design a robot that solves a problem using a Kit of Parts and a standard set of rules. Once these young inventors create their robot, Max XI , the team moved on to test their robot and skills in regional competitions.

“The experience you get at completion is amazing” says Rich Bellemare, a senior on the team. “The entire process of being a member of the team really comes together at competition. You get to see all your hard work pay off, you get to meet new people from other teams, and get to celebrate all the wonderful things the team and the program do”

In addition to competing at the Connecticut Regional, Team Max 1071 will be competing at the Pine Tree Regional, April 4 -6 in Lewiston, ME. At both events the team will be vying for a spot at the FIRST World Championship, April 25 – 27 , at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, MO.

ABOUT TEAM MAX 1071

As a team participating in the FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC), Team MAX 1071 (Founded in 2003) inspires high school aged students of the Wolcott, CT area to become science and technology leaders through its mentor based robotics program that builds science, engineering and technology skills, inspires innovation, and fosters self-
confidence, communication, and leadership. In addition to participating in FRC, Team MAX helps run and assist several robotics programs in the Wolcott area, including programs at the other levels of FIRST. The team is also the presenting host of the Where is Wolcott Invitational (WIWI). WIWI is a spring off-season community event in FRC that
allows teams to get more use out of their robots, and to continue practicing the skills and values of FIRST beyond the time-frame of the regular season. For more information on Team MAX 1071, visit www.max1071.com

ABOUT FIRST®

Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology and engineering. With support from three out of every five Fortune 500 companies and more than $14 million in college scholarships, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC ) and FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC ) for high-school students, FIRST LEGO League (FLL ) for 9 to 14-year-olds, (9 to 16-year-olds outside the U.S. and Canada), and Junior FIRST LEGO League (Jr.FLL™) for 6 to 9-year-olds. Gracious Professionalism™ is a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and
respects individuals and the community. To learn more about FIRST, go to www.usfirst.org.