Team History

2010 - Breakaway Score Chart and Videos      Last year was another successful year under our belt. We're proud to say it was our 15th season! We attended two regional competitions, Boston and Hartford, having great results in both. We engineered a robot like no other with a "pivoting traction system", a similar system to what is used on the Mars Rover.Throughout the competitions, many teams had trouble hanging on the tower, but in Hartford after modifying our hook on the fly at the machine shop, we were able to prove ourselves and hang time and time again.

     This was also the first year we had a full media crew. First designed to stream our events back to our school's television system, things had to change last minute when internet service was unavailable, but we still got some great footage! Check out the video section to see.

     Boston was our first competition of the season and we used it to work out a lot of programming and mechanical bugs. Even with all of the issues, we still came out with a 4-5-2 record and made it into the quarter-finals.

     In Hartford, we were ready to go. Our kicker was working great and surprising teams from all over. Our autonomous routine had been fixed and we were scoring when some robots weren't even moving. Our team was strong all the way through the competition, achieving a 8-9-0 record and making it into the final round.

2009 - Lunacy Score Chart and Videos      2009 was a great season for Team 61. The Shifters competed in two regional competitions. We traveled to Boston, Massachusetts for the regional competition at the Agganis Arena, where we waited outside, undiscouraged, in the frigid weather with all our team members and robot. As soon as we arrived in the pit, we went into competition mode and never looked back. Our record for the regional was 13-1-0, and we took home a trophy and the gold medal. The Shifters also traveled to Hartford, Connecticut for the Connecticut Regional. We played well and our record was 7-4-0, but we lost in the semifinal rounds.

     Our team was lucky enough to compete in the championship in Atlanta, Georgia. Imagine a large crowd of people in yellow t-shirts attempting to get through Logan Airport's security checkpoints with laptops, wires, and hidden food in our carry-on luggage, and you'll have an idea of what the first day of our trip was like. Besides competing in the championship, the trip was also an exciting opportunity to visit local landmarks. Our team toured CNN studios and got an inside look at what it takes to make a broadcast. The Coca-Cola Factory was an interesting experience, and our team loved trying soda flavors from all around the world. We highly recommend Beverly! We also visited the Georgia Aquarium, which was an exciting experience for all of us.

     In Atlanta, we competed in the Archimedes division. Out of 87 teams, we ended up in 16th place. Not bad, but we were not picked for the final rounds. Throughout the year, we grew as a team and learned a lot about programming, design, and competition.

2008 - Overdrive

     In 2008, Team 61 had a complete reorganization. We even changed our name- older teams may remember us as The Intimidators. Throughout the 2008 season, we competed robustly and were selected for the semifinals at the Boston Regional. Our robot that year lifted and tossed the game piece from Overdrive with accuracy and an advanced design. This was a big year for custom-made parts and student-led design teams.