Gryphon Robotics is a student-led robotics team based out of Marshall High School in Falls Church, VA. We have competed in the FIRST Robotics Competition since our founding in 2015.
Our Beginnings
It all started in the 2015 season when…
A group of George C. Marshall students decided they wanted to build a robot. And so they did! After placing 7th at the Greater DC Regional, we qualified for the World Championship after receiving the Rookie All-Star award and Highest Rookie Seed. It was a great start, but then all of the seniors who ran the show graduated...
In 2016 there was a team... but not really
Our 2016-2019 ( very dedicated) robot captain was a freshman. She really wanted to build a robot, and so with the help of one mentor, she did so. With the lapse in productive members and a complete lack of funding, the robot did not perform to the previous standard. Our team missed several matches due to integral drive train issues, and struggled to perform on the field. Despite that, we still managed to produce one of the only successful scaling robotics in the district . At the end of the season, our captain vowed never to let 2016's lack of structure happen again. And so began our rebuilding journey.
in 2017 we gOt a new wave of freshman and a new Head mentor
Some of the new members were dedicated enough to stick around and put in long hours. We built a robot and went to district qualifiers, but were still not terribly competitive. But at least we didn’t have to skip matches again. The true improvement came in the form of other elements of our team like communication and member involvement. At the end of the season, we elected a whole new team of leaders and came up with ways to get more people involved. We looked for sponsorship and outreach opportunities, which is how we got involved with volunteering for FIRST Global*, a truly inspiring experience for all of us. We left for the summer with lists of things to get done and smiling faces, all of us ready and excited for what the next season might bring.
After some summer meetings it’s back to school and more ROBOTS!
2018 was our best season yet: from outreach, to parent involvement, to the robot we built together. We made it to semi-finals in both of the district events we competed at and were 5 points away from qualifying for district championships. This is a huge accomplishment considering the lows we have faced along the way, and it was only made possible by the hard work of our members. The rookie members of last season have stepped into leadership roles and embraced them wholeheartedly.
2019 and Onwards
Since 2019, our team has grown to over 70 members, consisting of 7 sub teams that all work together to make our organization thrive. Our team has become a family that is working towards one common goal, spreading the love of FIRST in our community and the world at large so others can experience the passion and excitement it brings us.
* see the FIRST Global page for more information
** see the Sponsors page for more information