History
Team 2228 began operating in 2006, after several years of preparation by community members. This group advocated for the implementation of a FIRST program by promoting regional competitions, the various FIRST divisions, and STEM. To raise interest, the technology teachers and mentors recruited students and administrators to attend the FRC Finger Lakes Regional at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Energized by the spirit and energy of the competition, Team 2228 CougarTech officially became a part of FIRST.
In our first years, Alstom Transport supported the team financially while the Honeoye Falls-Lima School District provided advisors, a place to work, and support of our curriculum goals. Over the years, we have learned the logistics of running a competitive team. Our sponsors now include Forsythe Technology, Xerox Corporation, and many local firms such as GM and QVI. We've earned a NASA grant, and become affiliated with The Mendon Foundation which has helped us to continue through rough financial times.
Team 2228 is an organization lead and defined by students. Our team leads and sub-team leads are elected democratically, devise strategic goals, and facilitate throughout the build and off seasons. In addition to technical skills, Team 2228 emphasizes proficiency in business, leadership, teamwork, and project management. The majority of our graduates enter science, technology, engineering, or math programs at leading universities.
2011 Season
The 2011 Season saw a year of accomplishment at competition. We placed in the 7th seed at the RIT Finger Lakes Regional. We are proud of the achievements the year brought. This was the first year a mini-bot was used for competition; ours was very successful. This year did not present itself with the opportunity to go to a 2nd regional, however, it did not hinder our success.
2010 Season
The 2010 season saw the loss of our lead sponsor, Alstom, a severe blow to the financial security of the team. Fortunately we received the continued support of Xerox, along with new support from Forsythe. We also earned the NASA grant, which allowed us to travel to Raleigh to attend their regional. We were semi-finalists in Raleigh and we attended the Finger Lakes Regional for our fourth consecutive year. We also continued the partnership with the students from R-H, who formed a rookie FTC team that year in the fall.
2009 Season
In the 2009 season, Team 1930, The Comets of Rush Henrietta, New York found itself without the means to continue as a FIRST robotics team. Losing the team was devastating for its most dedicated members; the team was the school's pride and joy, its symbol of technological innovation and scholarship. The school system could not give any assistance, and they had almost no resources to draw upon in their desperation. Early in November of 2008, members of former team 1930 came to HF-L to ask if there was any possibility of becoming part of team 2228. Without hesitation, the team unanimously voted to graciously accept seven complete strangers from R-H to their team. Since then, this relationship has become well cultivated.
Our achievements for that year included advancing to the quarterfinals at the Finger Lakes Regional. We also participated in the Hartford regional. We also picked up Parsons Engineering as a sponsor. That year we received a generous donation from the Garelick family in memory of Lee Garelick, an important patron to the Rush-Henrietta team.
2008 Season
In the 2008 season, our most notable achievements were made in the Ohio Buckeye Regional where we made it all the way to the finals. We also participated in the Finger Lakes regional. Our retention rate for that year was ninety five percent, which we saw as a great achievement for a second year team.
2007 Season
In our rookie year, Team 2228 won the FIRST Rookie All Star Award and the Highest Rookie Seed Award. This earned us a trip to the national competition in Atlanta, which proved to be a fantastic bonding experience for the team. Our rookie year proved to be good competition experience as well as a team building one.
