Robotics Team Competes, Innovates, and Inspires

by FRC Robotics Team 2450 – Wind Chill
April 1, 2025

The CDH Robotics Team—Wind Chill (FRC Team 2450)—competed at the 10,000 Lakes Regional against 50 other teams on March 26-29. We proudly finished 5th (in an alliance with two other teams) and went head-to-head in intense high-level matches with a robot completely built by our students from the ground up.

This wasn’t just a machine. It was 114 pounds of student-driven innovation. Built with a mix of off-the-shelf motors and sensors and custom-machined parts, many of which were created using professional-grade tools like our CNC router. 

One of our biggest engineering wins this season was getting odometry working—a major breakthrough in robotics. In simple terms, it means our robot knows exactly where it is on the field at all times. Using four cameras mounted on each side of the robot and advanced code, it can track its position like GPS, even when it’s spinning or being pushed. This allows for precise autonomous movement, smarter strategy, and it’s a huge competitive edge. It’s a big deal—and a sign of real engineering mastery.

Robot by the Numbers — and the Heart Behind It

What are we most proud of? The way our students show up. Many of our key team leads are also dedicated members of the pep band. Over the past six weeks, they’ve given up more than 20 hours of critical build time to support Raider athletics and fine arts performances. From January to March, students average 10–20 hours per week working collaboratively to design, build, and refine the robot. During competition weeks, that number jumps to more than 40 hours.

Their dedication shows—in both time and tech:

  • 8 swerve drive motors: 4 Kraken X60s for drive, 4 Neos with Spark Max controllers for wheel rotation

  • 1 Kraken motor for the main elevator, 1 Neo Vortex for the end effector

  • 4 cameras, 2 Orange Pi 5 computers for vision processing

  • 2 pairs of IR sensors, 4 Hall Effect sensors to operate the elevator and plan automated movement

  • Coded in Java: integrating automation, control, and competitive strategy

It’s not just about building a robot. It’s about building something together.

Milestones and Momentum

This year marked some exciting firsts:

  • We applied for FIRST’s Impact Award, the highest team honor. The process included essays, a team impact video, hours of documented service, and two live presentations to a panel of judges.

  • Nico Cortez-Orme was nominated for the Dean’s List Award, celebrating outstanding student leadership in STEM.

  • We forged a unique international partnership with Team 6909 from Japan—a cultural exchange that sparked new friendships and a global lens on innovation, engineering, and teamwork.

Robotics is real engineering. It’s side-by-side learning of cutting-edge software and hardware, where students learn from professionals in STEM fields, preparing our students for futures in engineering and learning to interact with industry leaders as equals. This is the spirit of Wind Chill: collaborative, curious, committed.

Robotics is the application of in-school learning. By solving the complex and unique problems FIRST presents every year, students learn to apply the concepts they learn in math, business, physics, and other STEAM classes. Students can see firsthand how the lessons they learn in the classroom translate into the real world, and they harness their CDH education to compete in a live-action setting. Wind Chill also allows students to discover the dynamics of workplace environments: collaboration across subteams, communicating ideas, and compromising to solve major issues. 

Looking ahead, we want to grow. We hope to expand our team next year and are leaning into junior high and elementary outreach so that CDH becomes a hub of engineering, invention, and future-ready leadership. The skills our students build through these experiences—problem-solving, collaboration, creativity, resilience—directly prepare them for success, no matter where life takes them.

The 2025 Robotics Team

Ava Breeden '25

Annika Clift '25

Mickey Coenen '25

MJ Dougherty '25

Owen Graeve '25

Jake Haider '25

Jacki Lauer '25

Mark Loeffler 12

Garrett Poynter '25

Michael Seifu '25

Connor Sondag '25

Isaac Van Oosterom '25

Hannah Yaeger '25

Nico Cortez-Orme '26

Griffin Merritt 11 '26

Liam Byrne '27

Haotian (Allen) Ma '27

Emma Mike '27

Maya Schulte '27

Haoyang (Alvin) Zhang '27

Mia Anderson '28

Mateo Chevrier '28

Simon Cortez-Orme '28

Jameson Downs '28

Sophia Miller '28

Tags: Robotics Team

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