2004 Season Summary (by ex-Cheesy Poof Matt Durstenfeld)

2003 Team Portfolio (created by ex-Cheesy Poof Steve Meisburger)

The NASA ARC Robotics Team, the Cheesy Poofs, competes in the FIRST robotics competition as Team 254. FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a national organization that focuses on inspiring students about math and science. FIRST (www.usfirst.org), among other things, runs a national robotics competition; this competition involves students, adults, and engineers in the challenging and multifaceted robot design and construction process.

The Cheesy Poofs Robotics Team, 254, has evolved over the past nine years from the smallest program in the country in 1999, at a struggling high school, to a large program based at the NASA Ames Research Center (ARC). While the team's student members have changed, the Cheesy Poofs have continued to flourish.

From the modest beginning of Team 254 in the fall of 1998, NASA engineers Bob Holmes and Steve Kyramarios joined teacher Jason Morrella in exciting students about robotics and about teamwork. This spirit of teamwork continues today, in spite of the downsizing of Broadway high school, to the subsequent transfer of the program to Bellarmine College Preparatory in the fall of 2000, to what it has evolved to here in 2005. With the support of mentors and teachers Jim Urhausen, EJ Sabathia, Bill Gold, Damon Flansburg, and a number of skilled alumni and additional volunteers, we are looking forward to a great year.

Dedicated student members of Team 254 have ensured the continued success of the Cheesy Poofs. While only entering their 7th year in the FIRST robotics community, the Cheesy Poofs have been extraordinarily sucessful and hope to flourish in the coming years. Below is a list of the Cheesy Poofs' successes:

• 1999 Silicon Valley Regional Champions
• 1999 Silicon Valley Regional Rookie All-Star Award
• 1999 Silicon Valley Regional Honeywell Leadership & Control Award
• 1999 Silicon Valley Regional Best Offensive Strategy Award
• 1999 Ninth place at National Championship
• 1999 National Judges' Award
• 2000 Silicon Valley Regional Champions
• 2000 Lonestar Regional Champions
• 2000 Lonestar Regional Defensive Strategy Award
• 2000 National Judges' Award
• 2000 Fifth place at National Championship
• 2000 Los Angeles Summer Classic Champion
• 2000 WRRF California Robot Games Tournament Champion
• 2000 WRRF California Robot Games Human Player Champion
• 2000 WRRF California Robot Games King of the Hill Finalist
• 2001 Silicon Valley Regional Champions
• 2001 Silicon Valley Regional Number One Seed Award
• 2001 Southern California Regional Champions
• 2001 Southern California Regional Number One Seed Award
• 2001 Southern California Regional Incredible Play Award
• 2001 Southern California Regional GM Industrial Design Award
• 2001 Second Place at National Championship
• 2001 Los Angeles Summer Classic Champion
• 2001 WRRF California Robot Games Tournament Champion
• 2001 WRRF California Robot Games Driver Challenge Champion
• 2002 Silicon Valley Regional Champions
• 2002 Silicon Valley Regional Engineering Inspiration Award
• 2002 Silicon Valley Regional Number One Seed Award
• 2002 Silicon Valley Regional Web Site Design Award
• 2002 WRRF California Robot Games Tournament Champions
• 2003 National Judges Award
• 2003 Silicon Valley Regional Champions
• 2003 Silicon Valley Regional Sportsmanship Award
• 2003 Sacramento Chairman's Award
• 2003 Sacramento Regional 2nd place
• 2004 Sacramento Number One Seed Award
• 2004 Sacramento Regional Champions
• 2004 Sacramento Web Site Design Award
• 2004 Sacramento Woodie Flowers Award - Steve Kyramarios
• 2004 Sacramento Delphi Driving Tomorrow's Technology Award
• 2004 Silicon Valley Regional Champions
• 2004 Silicon Valley Chairman's Award
• 2004 National Chairman's Award
• 2005 Sacramento Web Site Design Award
• 2005 Sacramento Regional 2nd place
• 2005 Sacramento Motorola Quality Award
• 2005 Silicon Valley Web Site Design Award
• 2005 Silicon Valley Regional Champions
• 2005 Silicon Valley Motorola Quality Award
• 2005 Second Place at National Championship
• 2006 Pacific Northwest Regional Champions
• 2006 Silicon Valley Regional Champions
• 2006 Silicon Valley Regional Johnson and Johnson Sportsmanship Award
• 2007 Los Angeles Regional Champions
• 2007 Los Angeles Judges' Award

In 1999, our team was one of twenty-seven to compete in the Silicon Valley Regional and one of 190 teams to compete in the National Championships in Orlando, Florida. Over the past several years, FIRST hhas grown to include more than 1000 teams from across North America.

Much more important than any competitive successes or awards, the students of Team 254 have grown academically, intellectually, and as people. Team 254 students gain an understading, respect, and appreciation for the benefits of a good education -- and our student strive to take advantage of this education in their immediate futures. Although only entering our eighth year, Team 254 already has many alumni enrolled in science, technology, and engineering programs at a number of universities. We also have a number of team alumni who have been hired by NASA as interns and full time employees. Much like NASA and Bellarmine College Preparatory, FIRST is an organization which, in a profound way, inspires and motivates our students to ambitiously pursue their academic, career, and personal goals.