For today's #TeamREV spotlight, we're heading to Nevada to meet FTC Team #16158: VC Silver Circuits!

Tell us a little bit about your team’s background.

We are a community-based team in the small town of Virginia City, Nevada. We currently have twelve team members, two coaches, and three mentors. We break our team into separate groups by having two team co-captains who oversee our team meetings and ensure things run smoothly in all categories. We then have organized/specialized teams in technical, business, and programming, ensuring a well-rounded and collaborative approach to our endeavors. 

Last season, we won the Inspire Award and Winning Alliance at the Nevada State Championship. We then attended FIRST Championship in Houston, Texas. We spent sleepless nights working on our robot prior to the competition. We were undefeated going into the semi-finals, being ranked first alliance captain for the Edison Division. During the award ceremony, we won the Motivate Award in the Edison Division. This was the first in Nevada history, placing Nevada on the map. 

Our community has been incredibly supportive, and we give back where we can. Sporting silver capes and a mineshaft-themed pit, we proudly represent our town's history. We reach out to other different companies and organizations in our area for support. We are currently in the last year of a 5-year partnership with Tesla.

What has your team been working on recently?

We have been hosting workshops and events as a key part of our outreach, allowing us to share knowledge and skills with the youth in our community. Throughout our journey, we have continuously learned new skills, particularly in the areas of business, building, programming, and refining our robot through iterative processes. We have high hopes for the remainder of this season and are excited about what the future holds.

Our team volunteered at the No. NV FLL Qualifier #1 on Dec. 2, where one FLL team that we mentor, FLL #57790 - Magnetitez, won 2nd place Champion's Award and is advancing on to the Nevada FLL State Championship! We also volunteered at the No. NV Qualifier #3 on Dec. 16, where another one of the teams that we mentor, FLL #6579 Mindstorm Masters, won the 1st place Robot Design Award and also advanced on to the Nevada FLL State Championship. The team is busy preparing for their robot for League Meet #4 on January 20.

What are a few achievements your team is proud of so far this season?

• This season, we have made a significant impact in our community volunteering at multiple FIRST events. We help ensure that events run smoothly and allow teams to do their best and have fun. We have completed hundreds of hours of volunteering so far this year. 
• We also have been working on mentoring multiple FTC, FLL, and FLL Explorer teams. Our team created mission videos to help give FLL teams ideas for the MASTERPIECE season. We enjoy helping kids reach their goals and help them with their ambitions. 
• We have been connecting with professionals in the STEM community and plan to continue working in this area. 
• Our robot is currently undergoing major changes and iterations. We have been working tirelessly on iterating our design to make the best product possible.

What is your team enjoying within the #TeamREV Sponsorship Program?

Our team enjoys being ambassadors for the #TeamREV program. We have found it to be a great way to connect with the robotics community. Being part of this program lets us share experiences, collaborate, and continue to grow.

VC Silver Circuits wishes all FIRST Tech Challenge teams good luck this season. Visit us on the following platforms, and go #TeamREV!!

• Website
• Facebook
• Instagram
• YouTube