On March 1st and 2nd, 2025, Team 1403 Cougar Robotics competed at the first competition of the season, the FIRST Mid-Atlantic Hatboro-Horsham District Event in Horsham, Pennsylvania. At the end of the event, the team seeded 26th, being selected for Alliance 8. Throughout the matches, the team displayed strong spirit and resilience. Ultimately, 1403 won the Engineering Inspiration Award, while Design member Anirudh M. became a semi-finalist for the Dean’s List Award; lead mentor Matthew Brady was revealed as a nominee for the prestigious Woodie Flowers Award.

In the qualification matches, the robot effectively scored coral at both the L4 and L3 levels in Teleop while also proving to be a strong defensive presence. Moreover, the scouting data, used to evaluate other teams, was not only accurate with minimal mistakes, but also collected with greater efficiency than previous years due to Strategy’s new application. Finally, the drive team—consisting of sophomores Wilson D. (driver) and Abhishek M. (operator) displayed strong skill and effective communication, despite it being their first official competition on the drive team. 

Furthermore, 1403 exhibited a strong sense of community and support during matches. Thanks to the team’s newly established Spirit Committee, the team was more energized and enthusiastic than ever, as newly created LED signs and flags represented the team. Freshman Vidwath, who was attending his first competition, led the team’s chants during matches, saying that “seeing the [drive team’s] energy build up as we cheered made me feel like I was helping the team in a big way.” Many other students in the stands shared this sentiment. Operator Abhishek remarked that the cheering from teammates “inspired me to do my best and stay focused, even when something went wrong.” The team’s morale, unity, and resilience stayed consistent throughout the competition.

In between the team’s matches, robot-side members worked hard to tweak and revise portions of the robot’s wiring and code. Additionally, they engaged with other teams in the pit, discussing their robots and exploring ways to improve 1403’s for future competitions. Logistics-side subteams also actively conversed with other teams; Strategy discussed robot capabilities and match tactics, while Business/Communications and Outreach seeked to improve 1403’s business plan and marketing. As always, Audio/Visual took footage documenting members’ hard work.

Following the qualification matches, 1403 ranked 26th out of 32 teams. The Strategy subteam spoke with alliance captains, hoping to be selected for the playoffs. After being chosen by Team Mercury (Team 1089) to be a part of Alliance 8 along with the Camo-Bots (Team 4285), 1403 assisted 1089 by focusing primarily on scoring coral on the L4 level, while 4285 focused on scoring algae. Despite not making it to the semi-finals, the robot’s performance in the Autonomous period, as well as its scoring efficiency, improved notably from the qualification matches, thanks to the efforts of the drive team and Programming subteam!

After the playoffs, the judges began to announce awards. Firstly, Design junior Anirudh M., who was nominated for the Dean’s List award due to his expertise in CAD, leadership skills, and outreach efforts, became one of two nominees out of all teams at the event to be chosen as a semi-finalist for the award. Afterwards, Mr. Matthew Brady, the team’s lead mentor, was announced as 1403’s nominee for the Woodie Flowers Award. This award honors a mentor’s contribution towards inspiring students and making a difference in their STEM journey. Its submission includes a student-written essay; 1403 members highlighted Mr. Brady’s unrelenting commitment to fostering innovation and creativity within the team, as well as revitalizing its outreach culture. The nomination came as a surprise to Mr. Brady, saying that “just being on the field parallel to other mentors who have put in a lot of work was an amazingly heartwarming experience [that] I don’t think I will forget for a very long time.” In the future, Mr. Brady wants to continue to ensure that every student’s contributions to the team is known. Finally, the judges announced 1403 as the winner of the Engineering Inspiration Award, which is awarded to the team that most effectively inspires interest and excellence in STEM within their community. The team won this award due to its plethora of outreach events—many of which were introduced this year—reaching hundreds of children in a variety of areas. This achievement reflects 1403’s impact both on and off the field.

Overall, 1403’s first competition of the season was a success, marked by resilience, teamwork, and growth. Assistant advisor Mrs. Calhoun, who was attending her first 1403 competition, described the team’s spirit as “contagious” and “inspiring.” The team gained valuable experience, identifying strengths to build on and areas for improvement. As 1403’s very own Montgomery District Event approaches, members work hard to ensure a more efficient Autonomous period, enhanced algae-scoring capabilities, and a better climber design, while continuing to serve the community through outreach efforts. This competition set a strong foundation for the season, and Team 1403 looks forward to even greater success in the coming weeks.