Team Spotlight

FRC Team 2640 - The Hotbotz

This month we  shine the spotlight on FRC 2640, Hotbotz. The Hotbotz are based out of Rockingham County, NC. 
Prepare to see pink! 

Tell us about your team.

FRC 2640, the Hotbotz, can easily be identified by our hot pink t-shirts, our hot pink robot, and our mascot Willie the Chili Pepper. We are a community team and the only FRC team in Rockingham County. This year, our team merged with Rockingham Early College HS as a student-led club. We are excited that we now have members from all over Rockingham County, representing five High Schools.

What has been a highlight for your team over the years?

The Hotbotz started as a predominantly girls team. We have consistently been award winners for imagery for our iconic, hot pink powder coated robot. We were 34th in the world in 2012 and have had a strong robot almost every year. We helped start THOR in NC. Our members have helped lots of young students develop a love of robotics, and we have had lots of fun doing it! 

Tell us about one struggle your team has overcome and how you did so.

Last year we really struggled with membership numbers and we only had 7 to 8 members at any given competition, which was not enough to effectively compete on the field, scout, and staff the pit all at one time. We faced potential extinction when some of those members graduated and we were down to only a few students for this season. We attended open houses, held interest meetings, and raised awareness through social media and word of mouth in order to gain more members. We also integrated our independent community team into Rockingham Early College HS and as of now we have recruited over 30 new members! We're Back!

What words of wisdom would you give to a rookie team?

We are a rookie team! Despite the fact that we've been around for 11 years now, we have almost all new members this year. The advice we would give is to never give up. Even if you think you don't have everything you need to succeed, keep going, because even when things look bleak it can all turn around if you make a plan and work the plan.

What does FIRSTmean to you and your team?

To the Hotbotz, FIRSTis community, friendship, working with and honoring people different than yourself, trying to win but doing it with gracious professionalism, chili peppers, fundraising, education, hard work, excitement, being "line-dancing-challenged," fast food, geeking out on STEM stuff, creativity, and most of all, PINK!