Salinas Talented Emerging Engineer League:
S.T.E.E.L. Boot Robotics
Our History
2017
Steel Boot Robotics was established at Salinas High School in 2017. The game theme of the year was Steamworks, a steampunk-themed game revolving around shooting wiffle balls - "fuel" into smokestacks, placing gears, and climbing. Our robot was a large gear placing robot optimized for defense. It also featured a climbing mechanism.
2019
After a rough 2018 season, Steel Boot went through heavy reorganization. Additional advisers were sought for support, and we moved facilities from the art room to the metal shop. We also found the amazing mentors largely responsible for our team's success: Shannon Montemurno, Mike Madsen, Chris Evans, and Andrew Rodriguez.
2019 was a revolutionary build season in the sense that we learned how to not overextend ourselves: we opted for robustness in simplicity. By the end of 2019's build season, our team had engineered Wilson: a humble low-goal ball-dropping robot optimized for fast cycle times. It featured a 4-bar arm lift with a roller intake at the end. Our strategy proved effective: at MBR, we broke the shackles of the lower ranks and were chosen for 3rd pick by the 1st seed alliance. We left as Regional Finalists qualifying for the world championships through a Wildcard.
World Championships, affectionately shortened to its location, "Houston", accelerated Steel Boot's success. For the first time, our team competed among the highest echelon of robotics teams worldwide. We met legendary teams essential to FRC history such as the five-time Champs winner Cheesy Poofs, the philanthropic Citrus Circuits, and more. We also had the opportunity of talking to highly successful teams and getting feedback on how to promote sustainability and success. We left World Championships with a burning desire to push our team past the limits.